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

SUMMARY: According to this fragment, Orpheus, in a certain respect, considers the Sun to be the same as Apollo.

172. (273) Περὶ τῆς κατὰ Πλάτωνα θεολογίας Πρόκλου VI 12 p. 376, 21:

πρῶτον δὴ τοῦτο κατανοήσωμεν, ὅπως καὶ αὐτὸς (sc. Plato) ὥσπερ Ὀρφεύς τὸν ἥλιον εἰς ταὐτόν πως ἄγει τῶι Ἀπόλλωνι καὶ ὡς τὴν κοινωνιαν πρεσβεύει τούτων τῶν θεῶν. ἐκεῖνος μὲν γὰρ διαρρήδην λέγει καὶ διὰ πάσης, ὡς εἰπεῖν, τῆς ποιήσεως.

“In the first place therefore, let us survey how Plato, in the same manner as Orpheus, considers the sun to be in a certain respect the same as Apollo, and how he venerates the communion of these Gods. For Orpheus clearly says that the sun is the same with Apollo, and asserts this (as I may say) through the whole of his poetry.”

(trans. Thomas Taylor, 1816)

Lobeck I 614; Kern Herm. XXIV 1889, 601 and Orph. 7 n. 2.

ὕμνος Ὀρφέως 8 Ἡλίου·

λιβανομάνναν.

Κλῦθι μάκαρ, πανδερκὲς ἔχων αἰώνιον ὄμμα,

Τιτὰν χρυσαυγής, ὑπερίων, οὐράνιον φῶς·

αὐτοφυής, ἀκάμας, ζώων ἡδεῖα πρόσοψι·

δεξιὲ μὲν γενέτωρ ἠοῦς, εὐώνυμε νυκτός·

κρᾶσιν ἔχων ὡρῶν, τετραβάμοσι ποσσὶ χορεύων. 5

εὔδρομε, ῥοιζήτωρ, πυρόεις, φαιδρωπέ, διφρευτά,

ῥόμβου ἀπειρεσίου δινεύμασιν οἶμον ἐλαύνων·

εὐσεβέσιν καθοδηγὲ καλῶν, ζαμενὴς ἀσεβοῦσιν.

χρησολύρη, κόσμου τὸν ἐναρμόνιον δρόμον ἕλκων·

ἔργων σημάντωρ ἀγαθῶν, ὡροτρόφε κοῦρε. 10

κοσμοκράτωρ, συρικτά, πυρίδρομε, κυκλοέλικτε,

φωσφόρος, αἰολόδεικτα, φερέσβιε, κάρπιμε Παιάν·

ἀϊθαλής, ἀμίαντε, χρόνου πάτερ, ἀθάνατε Ζεῦ,

εὔδιε, πασιφαής, κόσμου τὸ περίδρομον ὄμμα,

σβεννύμενον λάμπων τε καλαῖς ἀκτῖσι φαειναῖς· 15

δεῖκτα δικαιοσύνης, φιλονάματε, δέσποτα κόσμου·

πιστοφύλαξ, αἰεὶ πανυπέρτατε, πᾶσιν ἀρωγέ·

ὄμμα δικαιοσύνης, ζωῆς φῶς· ὦ ἐλάσιππε,

μάστιγι λιγυρῇ τετράορον ἅρμα διώκων,

κλῦθι λόγων, ἡδὺν δὲ βίον μύστῃσι πρόφαινε. 20

8. Ílios (The Sun), incense, frankincense & mánna.

“Hear me happy one! eternal eye that sees all,

Titán gleaming in gold, God high above, light in the sky;

self-originating, untiring, sight pleasant to living creatures;

on the right, the father of dawn, on the left, (father of) night;

having charge of the blending of the seasons, dancing on horses. 5

Agile, clamoring, fiery, joyous, charioteer,

driving a path by whirling round through an immense wheel;

guide to noble ones, raging to the impious.

Bearing the golden lyre, running through the musical course of the world;

guide of good works, boy advancing the seasons. 10

Lord of the world, piper, fiery path, revolving,

giving light, many-formed, life-giving, fruitful healer,

ever-blooming, undefiled, father of time, deathless Zefs (Ζεύς),

calm, shining on all, encircling eye of the world,

the setting of your torches in beautiful shining rays, 15

you who show justice, lover of water, master of the world;

guardian of truth, always the highest, a helper in all things;

eye of justice, light of life, Oh horseman,

setting your four-horsed chariot in motion with your shrill whip,

hear my words, and show a pleasant life to the initiates.”

(trans. by the author)

ὕμνος Ὀρφέως 34 Ἀπόλλωνος·

θυμίαμα, μάνναν.

Ἐλθέ, μάκαρ Παιὰν τιτυοκτόνε, Φοῖβε Λυκωρεῦ,

Μεμφῖτ’, ἀγλαότιμος, ἰῃϊος, ὀλβιοδῶτα.

χρυσολύρη, σπερμεῖος, ἀρότριε, Πύθιε, Τιτάν,

Γρύνειε, Σμινθεῦ, Πυθοκτόνε, Δελφικέ, μάντι,

ἄγριε, φωσφόρε δαῖμον, ἐράσμιε, κύδιμε κοῦρε· 5

Μουσαγέτη, χαροποιός, ἑκηβόλε, τοξοβέλεμνε,

Βράγχιε καὶ Διδυμεῦ, ἑκάεργος, Λοξία, ἁγνέ·

Δήλι’ ἄναξ πανδερκὲς ἔχων φαεσίμβροτον ὄμμα,

χρυσοκόμη, καθαρὰς φήμας χρησμούς τ’ ἀναφαίνων·

κλῦθί μευ εὐχομένου λαῶν ὕπερ εὔφρονι θυμῷ. 10

τόνδε σὺ γὰρ λεύσσεις τὸν ἀπείριτον αἰθέρα πάντα,

γαῖάν τ’ ὀλβιόμοιρον ὕπερθέν καὶ δι’ ἀμολγοῦ

νυκτὸς ἐν ἡσυχίῃσιν ὑπ’ ἀστεροομμάτου ὄρφνης

ῥίζας νέρθε δέδορκας, ἔχεις δέ τε πείρατα κόσμου

παντός· σοὶ δ’ ἀρχή τε τελευτή τ’ ἐστὶ μέλουσα, 15

παντοθαλής, σὺ δὲ πάντα πόλον κιθάρῃ πολυκρέκτῳ

ἁρμόζεις, ὁτὲ μὲν νεάτης ἐπὶ τέρματα βαίνων,

ἄλλοτε δ’ αὖθ’ ὑπάτην, ποτὲ Δώριον εἰς διάκοσμον

πάντα πόλον κιρνὰς, κρίνεις βιοθρέμμονα φῦλα,

ἁρμονίῃ κεράσας παγκόσμιον ἀνδράσι μοῖραν· 20

μίξας χειμῶνος θέρεός τ’ ἴσον ἀμφοτέροισιν,

εἰς ὑπάτας χειμῶνα, θέρος νεάταις διακρίνας,

Δώριον εἰς ἔαρος πολυηράτου ὥριον ἄνθος.

ἔνθεν ἐπωνυμίην σε βροτοὶ κλῄζουσιν ἄνακτα

Πᾶνα, θεὸν δικέρωτ’, ἀνέμων συρίγμαθ’ ἱέντα· 25

οὕνεκα παντὸς ἔχεις κόσμου σφρηγῖδα τυπῶτιν.

κλῦθι μάκαρ, σώζων μύστας ἱκετηρίδι φωνῇ.

34. Apóllôn, Incense: mánna.

"Come blessed healer, slayer of Tityós, the Shining One of Parnassós, 1

Memphian, renowned, exclaimed with cries of joy, bestower of bliss,

Bearing a golden lyre, generative, agrarian, Pythian, Titan,

Gryneian, Sminthéfs, slayer of the Pýthohn, Dælphic, Oracular one,

Wild, radiant divinity, lovely one, glorious son, 5

Leader of the Mousai, cultivator of joy, whose arrows achieve their aim, mighty archer,

Vrángkheian and Didymæan, you who achieve from afar, prophet, holy one,

King of Dílos, all-seeing eye bringing the light which shines on mortals,

Golden-haired, making clear oracular utterances,

Hear me with gracious soul as I pray on behalf of mankind, 10

You gaze upon all the boundless Aithír,

And upon the blessed earth you look from above through the dark of night

In the restful shadow of a night filled with stars

You clearly see the root below and you arrange and support the boundary of all:

For the origin and completion are both in your care, 15

The cause of the blooming of all things, with your resonant lyre you command the axis of the heavens,

Placing all in harmony, by which, indeed, you advance to the lowest pitch,

Elsewhere to the highest, at times playing in the Dorian mode,

Tempering all the poles you keep the tribes of living creatures distinct,

You have mingled harmony into the share of all mortal men, 20

Giving each an equal measure of winter and summer,

The highest three strings in the winter, the lowest in the summer,

The Dorian mode produces the lovely and blooming spring,

Thereupon the mortals celebrate and call you lord and

Pan, the two-horned God who sends the whistling winds, 25

Wherefore you form and bear the seal of the entire Kózmos.

Hear, happy one, the supplicating voices of the initiates and save them."

(trans. by the author)

The words of Plátôn: Νόμοι Πλάτωνος 12.945 e:

κατ' ἐνιαυτὸν ἕκαστον μετὰ τροπὰς ἡλίου τὰς ἐκ θέρους εἰς χειμῶνα συνιέναι χρεὼν πᾶσαν τὴν πόλιν εἰς Ἡλίου κοινὸν καὶ Ἀπόλλωνος τέμενος

“Every year, after the summer solstice, the whole city shall meet in the common precincts of Helios and Apollo...”

(trans. Benjamin Jowett, 1892)

Refers to the Orphic doctrine on Apóllôn and the Sun Wilamowitz Platon I 416 n. 3. It is examined with caution in Lobeck 1.1. The sun is confounded with Apóllôn, if Próklos is not simply narrating a dream of his. De Apolline Orphicorum compare also Servius: In Vergilii Aeneidem commentarii III 98 fragment 4 and fragment 194.

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.

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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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