ORPHIC FRAGMENT 121
OTTO KERN
HellenicGods.org
HOME GLOSSARY RESOURCE ART LOGOS CONTACT
For links to many more fragments: The Orphic Fragments of Otto Kern.
SUMMARY: Uranus hurls the Cyclopes and the Hundred-Handers deep into the earth.
121. (97) σχόλιον Πρόκλου επὶ Τιμαίου Πλάτωνος 40e (III 185, 20 Diehl):
μᾶλλον δὲ πάντον οὐρανίων γενῶν τὰ μὲν μένει μόνον ἐν ταῖς ἀρχαῖς, ὥσπερ αἱ δύο πρῶται τριάδες --- ὡς γὰρ ἐνόησε, φησίν [sc. ὁ θεολόγος], αὐτοὺς ὁ Οὐρανὸς
ἀμείλχον ἦτορ ἔχοντας
καὶ φύσιν ἐκνομίην ᵕᵕ-ᵕᵕ-ᵕᵕ-ᵕ
ῥῖψε βαθὺν γαιης Τάρταρον. [1]
κρύπτονται οὖν ἐν ἀφανεῖ δί ὑπεροχὴν δυνάμεως ---, τὰ δὲ καὶ μένει καὶ πρόεισιν, ὥσπερ ὁ Ὠκεανὸς καὶ ἡ Τηθύς· (sequitur fr. 135).
“...of all the celestial genera, some alone abide in their principles, as the two first triads.
‘For as soon as Heaven (Οὐρανὸς) understood that they [1] had an implacable heart and a lawless nature, he hurled them into Tartarus, the profundity of Earth.’ [says Orpheus]. [1]
“He concealed them therefore in the unapparent, through transcendency of power. But others both abide in, and proceed from their principles, as Ocean (Ὠκεανὸς) and Tethys (Τηθύς).”
(trans. Thomas Taylor, 1816.)
NOTE:
[1] Editor: In his book The Orphic Poems (see p. 71) M. L. West sees this quotation as referring to the Mírai (Μοῖραι), the Kýklôpæs (Κύκλωπες), and the Hundred-Handers (Ἑκατόγχειρες). We find this quotation in Próklos and the passage where it is found could easily be construed as referring to the Titans, but I do not think it is; he is using it for another reason, assuming the reader will know the mythology.
Herm. VIII vs. 28 p. 468; Lobeck I 506; Mayer Gigant. u. Titan. 239.
Θεογονία Ἡσιόδου 868:
ῥῖψε (sc. Ζεύς) δέ μιν (sc. Τυφωέα) θυμῶι ἀκαχὼν ἐς Τάρταρον εὐρύν.
“And in the bitterness of his anger Zeus cast him (Τυφωεύς) into wide Tartarus.”
(Hugh G. Evelyn-White, 1914)
Φερεκύδης τμῆμα 5 (Diels II3 204, 4):
κείνης δὲ τῆς μοίρας ἔνερθέν ἐστιν ἡ ταρταρίη μοῖρα· φυλάσσουσι δ' αὐτὴν θυγατέρες Βορέου Ἅρπυιαί τε καὶ Θύελλα· ἔνθα Ζεὺς ἐκβάλλει θεῶν, ὅταν τις ἐξυβρίσηι.
“(These words of Homer [likely Ἰλιὰς Ὁμήρου 8.13], he alleges, were so understood by Pherecydes, when he said that) beneath that region is the region of Tartarus, which is guarded by the Harpies and Tempest, daughters of Boreas, and to which Zeus banishes any one of the Gods who becomes disorderly.”
(trans. Frederick Crombie, 1885)
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
PHOTO COPYRIGHT INFORMATION: The many pages of this website incorporate images, some created by the author, but many obtained from outside sources. To find out more information about these images and why this website can use them, visit this link: Photo Copyright Information
DISCLAIMER: The inclusion of images, quotations, and links from outside sources does not in any way imply agreement (or disagreement), approval (or disapproval) with the views of HellenicGods.org by the external sources from which they were obtained.
Further, the inclusion of images, quotations, and links from outside sources does not in any way imply agreement (or disagreement), approval (or disapproval) by HellenicGods.org of the contents or views of any external sources from which they were obtained.
For more information: Inquire.hellenicgods@gmail.com
For answers to many questions: Hellenismos FAQ
© 2010 by HellenicGods.org. All Rights Reserved.