HellenicGods.org - ORPHIC CRITICAL TESTIMONY 4

ORPHIC CRITICAL TESTIMONY 4

OTTO KERN

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For links to many more fragments: The Orphic Fragments of Otto Kern.

SUMMARY: This testimony is a discussion of where the name Orpheus comes from.

ORPHIC CRITICAL TESTIMONY 4. Fulgentius Mitologiarum libri III 10 p. 77, 16 Helm (whence mythogr. Vat. III 8, 20; Raschke, De Alberico mythologo, Bresl. philol. Abhdl. 45, 1913, 87):

Orpheus dicitur oreafone, id est optima vox, Euridice vero profunda diiudicatio.

“It is said that Orpheus is oreaphone, that is, “the best voice,” whereas Euridice means “profound determination for the true.”

Ορφεος Βακκικός “the Dionysian of Orpheus” v. 150.

There are many men who have tried to unravle the (meaning of the) name, whose efforts are collected by Otto Gruppe in Wilhelm H. Roscher’s Ausführliches Lexikon III 1062. Those who explain the name from the Greek language, even take Ὄρφην, to be Dione, the daughter of a king of Laconia (Serv. ampl. Verg. Eclog. VIII 29; Sam Wide Lakon. Kulte 211; Eitrem Beitr. zur griech. Religionsgesch. III 1920, 147; Robert Heldens. I 398 n. 3), Ὀρφώνδας a proper name from Viôtía (Βοιωτία) (Ἑλλάδος Περιήγησις Παυσανίου, Book 10 Φωκίς 7.7; Bechtel Histor. Personennnam. 508), ὀρφούς oracular fish in the sanctuary of Apóllôn in Lycia (in Σούρα) (Polycharm. ἐν δευτέρωι Λυκιακῶν “in the second [book of the history] of Lykia” FHG IV 479 fr. 1 and Περὶ ζῴων ἰδιότητος τοῦ Κλαυδίου Αἰλιανοῦ XII 1) or they compare it with the word ὀρφνός, ὄρφνη, ὀρναῖος where in Natalis Comes Mythologia ed. Venet. 1568 the explanation of the names 337 b “as if ὄρφνεος means ‘dark’, in fact ὄρφνη is ‘night’,” G. Curtius Griech. Etymolog. 480; S. Wide Lakon. Kulte 174. 244; Maaß Orph. 150 n. 42 (v. ὄρφνινα φάση of Orpheus in Ὀρφέως Ἀργοναυτικά 965). I most particularly smiled at the explanation of the name first suggested by Klausen Orph. (Ersch and Gruber III 6) 12. 16 prolata, then from Fick (Zeitschr. f. vergleich. Sprachforsch. XLVI 1914, 97) and Bechtel (l. l. 508) a defense with very great reasons (Kern Orph. 16, where can be found Bechtel’s letter delivered to me). These shrewd men compare the name Ὀρφεὺς with the word ὀρφανός “orphan” (ὀρφός, latine orbus) connecting Oeagros’ son to Thámyris (the singer Θάμυρις) they place them in opposition coll. Hesychio s. θάμυρις· πανήγυρις· σύνοδος. S. Reinach Cult. myth. et relig. II 1909, 122 n. 2 (Rev. archéol. 1902, II 279) he feels that Ὀρφεὺς = Ὀφρεύς “the finicky one.”

(trans. by the author)

The story of the birth of the Gods: Orphic Theogony.

We know the various qualities and characteristics of the Gods based on metaphorical stories: Mythology.

Dictionary of terms related to ancient Greek mythology: Glossary of Hellenic Mythology.

Introduction to the Thæí (the Gods): The Nature of the Gods.

How do we know there are Gods? Experiencing Gods.

This logo is the principal symbol of this website. It is called the CESS logo, i.e. the Children of the Earth and the Starry Sky. The Pætilía (Petelia, Πετηλία) and other golden tablets having this phrase are the inspiration for the symbol. The image represents this idea: Earth (divisible substance) and the Sky (continuous substance) are the two kozmogonic substances. The twelve stars represent the Natural Laws, the dominions of the Olympian Gods. In front of these symbols is the seven-stringed kithára (cithara, κιθάρα), the the lyre of Apóllôn (Apollo, Ἀπόλλων). It (here) represents the bond between Gods and mortals and is representative that we are the children of Orphéfs (Orpheus, Ὀρφεύς).

PLEASE NOTE: Throughout the pages of this website, you will find fascinating stories about our Gods. These narratives are known as mythology, the traditional stories of the Gods and Heroes. While these tales are great mystical vehicles containing transcendent truth, they are symbolic and should not be taken literally. A literal reading will frequently yield an erroneous result. The meaning of the myths is concealed in code. To understand them requires a key. For instance, when a God kills someone, this usually means a transformation of the soul to a higher level. Similarly, sexual union with a God is a transformation.

We know the various qualities and characteristics of the Gods based on metaphorical stories: Mythology.

Dictionary of terms related to ancient Greek mythology: Glossary of Hellenic Mythology.

SPELLING: HellenicGods.org uses the Reuchlinian method of pronouncing ancient Greek, the system preferred by scholars from Greece itself. An approach was developed to enable the student to easily approximate the Greek words. Consequently, the way we spell words is unique, as this method of transliteration is exclusive to this website. For more information, visit these three pages:

Pronunciation of Ancient Greek

Transliteration of Ancient Greek

Pronouncing the Names of the Gods in Hellenismos

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