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

SUMMARY: This fragment states that animals come into being in a manner resembling (ὅμοιος) the knitting of a net.

26. Περὶ ζῴων γενέσεως Ἀριστοτέλους 1, 734 a 16:

ἢ γάρ τοι ἅμα πάντα γίγνεται τὰ μόρια, οἷον καρδία πνεύμων ἧπαρ ὀφθαλμὸς καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἕκαστον, ἢ ἐφεξῆς, ὥσπερ ἐν τοῖς καλουμένοις Ὀρφέως ἔπεσιν· ἐκεῖ γὰρ ὁμοίως φησὶ γίγνεσθαι τὸ ζῶιον τῆι τοῦ δικτύου πλοκῆι.

“How, then, does it make the other parts? Either all the parts, as heart, lung, liver, eye, and all the rest, come into being together or in succession, as is said in the verse ascribed to Orpheus, for there he says that an animal comes into being in the same way as the knitting of a net.”

(trans. Arthur Platt, 1912)

Orphicos Empedocles sequitur Diels I³ 245 n. 57:

ἧι πολλαὶ μὲν κόρσαι ἀναύχενες ἐβλάστησαν,

γυμνοὶ δ' ἐπλάζοντο βραχίονες εὔνιδες ὤμων,

ὄμματά τ' οἶ(α) ἐπλανᾶτο πενητεύοντα μετώπων.

“There budded many a head without a neck,

And arms were roaming, shoulderless and bare,

And eyes that wanted foreheads drifted by.”

(trans. William Ellery Leonard, 1908)

The story of the birth of the Gods: Orphic Rhapsodic 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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