HellenicGods.org - ORPHIC CRITICAL TESTIMONY 59

ORPHIC CRITICAL TESTIMONY 59

OTTO KERN

HellenicGods.org

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

CONIUGES: (Wives:)

ANONYMAE (Anonymous)

SUMMARY: This testimony consists of two quotations from plays of Euripides which say that Orpheus had enormous skill in poetry and song.

ORPHIC CRITICAL TESTIMONY 59.

Ἄλκηστις Εὐριπίδου (performed in 438 BCE) 357 (v. nr. 50):

εἰ δ᾽ Ὀρφέως μοι γλῶσσα καὶ μέλος παρῆν,

ὥστ᾽ ἢ (Reisk.] ὡς τὴν codd.) κόρην Δήμητρος ἢ κείνης πόσιν

ὕμνοισι κηλήσαντά σ᾽ ἐξ Ἅιδου λαβεῖν,

κατῆλθον ἄν.

“Ah! If I had the tongue and song of Orpheus so that I might charm Demeter’s Daughter or her Lord, and snatch you back from Hades, I would go down to hell.”

(trans. Richard Aldington, 1930, but in the Public Domain)

Μήδεια Εὐριπίδου (performed in 431 BCE) 543:

(εἴη δ᾽ ἔμοιγε μήτε χρυσὸς ἐν δόμοις)

μήτ’ Ὀρφέως κάλλιον ὑμνῆσαι μέλος,

(εἰ μὴ ‘πίσημος ἡ τύχη γένοιτό μοι.)

“(Give me no gold within my halls,)

nor skill to sing a fairer strain than ever Orpheus sang,

(unless there-with my fame be spread abroad!)”

(trans. Edward Philip Coleridge, 1910)

A most beautiful bas relief from about the same time: Reisch Griechische Weihgesch. 132; Kern Orpheus 13; Robert Heldens. I 400 n. 4.

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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