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

SUMMARY: This fragment says that there are associations between the Sun and Dionysus, through the moderation of Apollo.

212. σχόλιον Ὀλυμπιοδώρου επὶ Φαίδωνος Πλάτωνος B ιδ p. 88 Norv.:

ὅτι τοῦ μὲν μυστικοῦ λόγου μονὰς ἡγεῖται ἡ τοῦ νέου θεοῦ, τῆς δὲ φιλοσόφου ἀποδείξεως, ἅτε ἀνελιττούσης τὸν ἀπόρρητον λόγον, τὸ πλήθος τῶν θεῶν, οὓς ἀντιστρόφως ὁ Πλάτων νέους καλεῖ, τὸν δὲ βασιλέα αὐτῶν ποιεῖ τὸν ῞Ηλιον, ὃς πολλὴν ἔχει πρὸς τὸν Διόνυσον κοινωνίαν διὰ μέσου τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος κατ᾽ Ὀρφέα (v. fragment 172). κάλλιον δὲ τὸν ῞Ηλιον ὡς μὲν Δία βασιλέα ποιεῖν, ὡς δὲ Διόνυσον περὶ τὸν κόσμον διηιρημένον, ὡς δὲ Ἀπόλλωνα μέσον, συνάγοντα μὲν τὴν Διονυσιακὴν διαίρεσιν, τῶι δὲ Διὶ παριστάμενον. Cf. etiam infra s. ΒΑΚΧΙΚΑ.

“That indeed (we know) from the mystic account and from the argument of philosophy, (that) the monad of the young God leads the way, so as to unravel secret knowledge (about) the multitude of Gods, who Plátôn (Πλάτων) calls correlatively young, and they produce their king the Sun, who has many associations to Diónysos through the moderation of Apóllôn (Ἀπόλλων); (this we know) from (the writings of) Orphéfs (Ὀρφεύς) (v. fragment 172). But indeed, (another possibility is) to make the beautiful Sun King Zefs (Ζεύς), with Diónysos, divided about the world, and Apóllôn, at the center, who gathers together the Dionysian division, and offers it to Zefs.”

(trans. by the author)

Compare also further on, in the section entitled βακχικά (fragments 236-244).

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.

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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