HellenicGods.org - ORPHIC CRITICAL TESTIMONY 63

ORPHIC CRITICAL TESTIMONY 63

OTTO KERN

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

SUMMARY: This testimony says it was Eurydice who died and went to Hades, and the passage calls her his wife.

ORPHIC CRITICAL TESTIMONY 63.

Βιβλιοθήκη Ἀπολλοδώρου I 14-15 (Frazer numbering 1.3.2):

Καλλιόπης μὲν οὖν καὶ Οἰάγρου, κατ᾽ ἐπίκλησιν δὲ Ἀπόλλωνος (nr. 22), Λίνος, ὃν Ἡρακλῆς ἀπέκτεινε (nr. 27), καὶ Ὀρφεὺς ὁ ἀσκήσας κιθαρωιδίαν, ὃς ἄιδων ἐκίνει λίθους τε καὶ δένδρα. ἀποθανούσης δὲ Εὐρυδίκης τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ, δηχθείσης ὑπὸ ὄφεως, κατῆλθεν εἰς Ἅιδου θέλων ἀνάγειν (corr. Heyn.] ἀγαγεῖν A, ἀναγαγεῖν vulgo) αὐτήν, καὶ Πλούτωνα ἔπεισεν (ἔπειθεν Herch.) ἀναπέμψαι. ὁ δὲ ὑπέσχετο τοῦτο ποιήσειν, ἂν μὴ πορευόμενος Ὀρφεὺς ἐπιστραφῆι πρὶν εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν αὑτοῦ (corr. Faber, αὐτοῦ A) παραγενέσθαι· ὁ δὲ ἀπιστῶν ἐπιστραφεὶς ἐθεάσατο τὴν γυναῖκα, ἡ δὲ πάλιν ὑπέστρεψεν. εὗρε δὲ Ὀρφεὺς καὶ τὰ Διονύσου μυστήρια, καὶ τέθαπται περὶ τὴν Πιερίαν διασπασθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν Μαινάδων.

“Now Calliope bore to Oeagrus or, nominally, to Apollo, a son Linus, whom Hercules slew; and another son, Orpheus, who practised minstrelsy and by his songs moved stones and trees. And when his wife Eurydice died, bitten by a snake, he went down to Hades, being fain to bring her up, and he persuaded Pluto to send her up. The God promised to do so, if on the way Orpheus would not turn round until he should be come to his own house. But he disobeyed and turning round beheld his wife; so she turned back. Orpheus also invented the mysteries of Dionysus, and having been torn in pieces by the Maenads he is buried in Pieria.”

(trans. Sir James George Frazer, 1921)

Βιβλιοθήκη ἱστορικὴ Διοδώρου Σικελιώτου IV 25, 4 (nr. 97); Κόνων f. 45 (nr. 39); Ἑλλάδος Περιήγησις Παυσανίου, Book 9.30.4 (Βοιωτία); Ἠθικὰ Πλουτάρχου· 44. Περὶ τῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ θείου βραδέως τιμωρουμένων 22 p. 466 c (Loeb edition 557 d): οὐδὲ γὰρ Θρᾶικας ἐπαινοῦμεν, ὅτι στίζουσιν ἄχρι νῦν, τιμωροῦντες Ὀρφεῖ “For we do not applaud the Thracians in tattooing their wives even now, in revenge for Orpheus”; v. Gruppe as found in Rosch. III 1160; Kern RE² VI 1322; Orpheus 12. 24; Robert Heldens. I 400.

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.

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Pronunciation of Ancient Greek

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