HellenicGods.org - ORPHIC FRAGMENT 277

ORPHIC FRAGMENT 277

OTTO KERN

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

SUMMARY: This fragment consists of three quotations, all of which talk about the “seventeenth day.”

277. (27) σχόλιον Πρόκλου επὶ Ἔργων καὶ Ἡμερῶν Ἡσιόδου 804 (Thomas Gaisford Poetæ Minores Græci II 440, 8):

εἰ, δέ, ὥς φησιν Ὀρφεύς, τῆι Ἄτηι ἀνειται ἡ ἑπτακαιδεκάτη καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τῆι τε τομῆι τῆς ὕλης ἐστὶν οἰκεία καὶ τῆι τοῦ καρποῦ γυμνώσει τῶν περικαρπίων, ὁ (Josef Heeg] καὶ Thomas Gaisford) Ἡσίοδος (vs. 805) οὐκ ἀμούσως τούτοις τοῖς ἔργοις ἀνῆκε τὴν ἡμέραν.

“If, as Orphéfs (Ὀρφεύς) says, the seventeenth day was dedicated to Átî (Ἄτη, the Goddess of mischief) and by reason of this it is suitable for the cutting of firewood and stripping of fruit from its husk, Isíodos (Ἡσίοδος), not without refinement, dedicated the day to these tasks.”

(trans. by the author)

Christian Lobeck Aglaophamus I 413; Josef Heeg Die Angeblichen Orphischen Ἔργα καὶ Ἡμέραι 42.

In the Selenodromion Catalog. astr. III 36, 12 ss. the seventeenth day is expressed in this manner:

ἡμέρα ιζʹ <τῆς> σελήνης. Ὕπνος καὶ Θάνατος (ὕπνοι καὶ θάνατοι cod. Mediol.) ἐγεννήθησαν· Σόδομα καὶ Γόμορρα κατεστράφησαν. αὕτη ἡμέρα χαλεπὴ καὶ ἐπικίνδυνός ἐστιν· εἰς ὁδὸν μὴ ἐξέλθης, εἰς πρᾶγμα μὴ ἐπιχειρήσηις (ἐπιχειρήσεις cod.). ταύτηι τῆι ἡμέραι φυλάττου ἀπὸ παντὸς πράγματος. ὁ φυγὼν καὶ τὸ ἀπολλύμενον κρατηθήσεται. τὰ γεννώμενα ἐπίνοσα καὶ δύστυχα καὶ ἐπικίνδυνα καὶ ὀλιγοχρόνια ἔσονται. ὁ ἀρξάμενος νοσείν ταχέως τελευτήσει. ἐὰν δὲ τις ὄνειρον ἴδηι, γίνεται τῆι αὐτῆι ἡμέραι καὶ ἄφθονον τηρηθήσεται, μέντοι γε χαλεπόν ἐστι καὶ εἰς ἄλλον ἀποβήσεται.

“The seventeenth day of the moon. Sleep and Death were produced; Sodom and Gomorrah were trampled. This day is difficult and precarious: you should not go into the road, you should not set to work at a thing of importance. On this day be wary of any activity. Those who flee and those who were set free will be conquered. Those who are born will be subject to illness, unfortunate, in danger, and short-lived. He who is first to be sick will quickly die. And if anyone should have seen a dream, it comes about on the same day and will be observed without envy; however, it is harsh and will vanish into something different.”

(trans. by the author)

In respect to the words of Proclus compare also Publii Vergilii Maronis Georgica I 284:

septima post decimam felix et ponere vitem et prensos domitare boves et licia telae addere.

“The seventeenth is lucky for planting the vine, for yoking and breaking in oxen, and for adding the leashes to the warp.”

(trans. Henry Rushton Fairclough,1916)

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.

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

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