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

SUMMARY: In these two fragments, Fortune (Τύχη) is spoken of by Orpheus, and is identified as Artemis, Selene, and as Hecate.

204. (277. 309) σχόλιον Σιμπλικίου επὶ περὶ φυσικής ἀκρόασις Ἀριστοτέλους II 4 p. 196 b 5 (I 333, 15 Diels):

ἐν Δελφοῖς δὲ καὶ προκατῆρχεν ἐν ταῖς ἐρωτήσεσιν ‘ὦ Τύχη καὶ Λοξία, τῶιδέ τινι θεμιστεύεις’; καὶ παρ’ Ὀρφεῖ δὲ μνήμης τετύχηκεν (sc. ἡ Τύχη).

“And also, at Dælphí (Δελφοί), the prelude to the inquiries was, ‘O Fortune (Τύχη) and Loxías (Λοξίας = Ἀπόλλων), will you deliver oracles to this one?” And she (Τύχη) was also remembered by Orphéfs (Ὀρφεύς).”

(trans. by the author)

Compare to Ioa. Diacon. ad Hesiod. Theog. 411 (Flach p. 330):

εὑρίσκω δὲ τὸν αὐτὸν Ὀρφέα καὶ τὴν Τύχην Ἄρτεμιν προσαγορεύοντα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν Σελήνην Ἑκάτην (sequitur Hymn. I vs. 1) καὶ μυρία παρ’ Ὀρφεῖ τὰ μεταληπτικῶς ἔχοντα τῶν ὀνομάτων εὑρήσεις.

“I find that Orphéfs (Ὀρφεύς) himself also addresses Fortune (Τύχη) as Ártæmis (see ὕμνος Ὀρφέως 72.3 Τύχης), and also Sælínî (Σελήνη), and Ækátî (Ἑκάτη) (follows Hymn. I vs. 1), and you will discover in Orphéfs his having countless substitutions of names.”

(trans. by the author)

Lobeck I 595.

Νῖκαι ἠδὲ Τύχαι (“Victory [Νίκη] and Fortune [Τύχη]) on golden “tablet” fragment 47 verses 3 and 4.

ὕμνος Ὀρφέως 72Τύχης:

72. Τύχης, θυμίαμα, λίβανον.

Δεῦρο, Τύχη, καλέω σ’, ἀγαθὴν κράντειραν ἐπ’ εὐχαῖς,

μειλιχίην, ἐνοδῖτιν, ἐπ’ εὐόλβοις κτεάτεσσιν,

Ἄρτεμιν ἡγεμόνην, μεγαλώνυμον, Εὐβουλῆος

αἵματος ἐκγεγαῶσαν, ἀπρόσμαχον εὖχος ἔχουσαν,

τυμβιδίην, πολύπλαγκτον, ἀοίδιμον ἀνθρώποισιν.

ἐν σοὶ γὰρ βίοτος θνητῶν παμποίκιλός ἐστιν·

οἷς μὲν γὰρ τεύχεις κτεάνων πλῆθος πολύολβον,

οἷς δὲ κακὴν πενίην, θυμῷ χόλον ὁρμαίνουσα.

ἀλλά, θεά, λίτομαί σε μολεῖν βίωι εὐμενέουσαν,

ὄλβοισιν πλήθουσαν ἐπ’ εὐόλβοις κτεάτεσσιν.

72. Týkhî (Tychê or Fortune, Τύχη)

The Fumigation from Frankincense.

Approach queen Fortune, with propitious mind

And rich abundance, to my pray’r inclin’d:

Placid, and gentle Trivia (Ἑκάτη), mighty nam’d,

Imperial Dian* (Ἄρτεμις), born of Pluto (Εὐβουλεύς) fam'd;

Mankind's unconquer’d, endless praise is thine,

Sepulch’ral, widely-wand’ring pow’r divine!

In thee, our various mortal life is found,

And some from thee in copious wealth abound;

While others mourn thy hand averse to bless,

In all the bitterness of deep distress.

Be present, Goddess, to thy vot’ries kind,

And give abundance with benignant mind.

(trans. Thomas Taylor, 1824)

* Fortune, according to the Platonic, which is the same with the Orphic theology, is that divine power which disposes things differing from each other, and happening contrary to expectation, to benificent purposes. Or it may be defined to be that divine distribution which causes every thing to fill up the lot assigned to it by the condition of its being. This divinity, too, congregates all sublunary causes, and enables them to confer on sublunary effects that particular good which their nature and merits eminently deserve. “But the power of Fortune (says Simplicius, in Aristot. Physic. lib. ii. p. 81) particularly disposes in an orderly manner the sublunary part of the universe, in which the nature of what is contingent is contained, and which being essentially disordered, Fortune, in conjunction with other primary causes, directs, places in order, and governs. Hence she is represented guiding a rudder, because she governs things sailing on the sea of generation [i.e. of the sublunary world]. Her rudder too is fixed on a globe, because she directs that which is unstable in generation. In her other hand she holds the horn of Amalthea, which is full of fruits, because she is the cause of obtaining all divine fruits. And on this account we venerate the fortunes of cities and houses, and of each individual; because being very remote from divine union, we are in danger of being deprived of its participation, and require, in order to obtain it, the. assistance of the Goddess Fortune, and of those natures superior to the human, who possess the characteristics of this Divinity. Indeed, every fortune is good; for every attainment respects something good, nor does any thing evil subsist from divinity. But of things that are good, some are precedaneous (i.e. preceding), and others are of a punishing or revenging characteristic, which we are accustomed to call evils. Hence we speak of two Fortunes, one of which we denominate GOOD, and which is the cause of obtaining precedaneous good; but the other EVIL, which prepares us to receive punishment or revenge.”

From this beautiful passage, it is easy to see why Fortune, in this hymn, is called Diana; for each of these divinities governs the sublunary world.

(Thomas Taylor, 1824)

Compare Dieterich Nekyia² X et 87 n. 4; Diels Festschr. Th. Gompers 1902, 13.

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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