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

SUMMARY: This fragment states that many people claim to be religious people, but few actually are.

5. (228) Φαίδων Πλάτωνος 69 c:

καὶ κινδυνεύουσι καὶ οἱ τὰς τελετὰς ἡμῖν οὗτοι καταστήσαντες οὐ φαῦλοί τινες εἶναι, ἀλλὰ τῶι ὄντι πάλαι αἰνίττεσθαι, ὅτι ὃς ἂν ἀμύητος καὶ ἀτέλεστος εἰς Ἅιδου ἀφίκηται ἐν βορβόρωι κείσεται, ὁ δὲ κεκαθαρμένος τε καὶ τετελεσμένος ἐκεῖσε ἀφικόμενος μετὰ θεῶν οἰκήσει. εἰσὶν γὰρ δή, [ὥς] φασιν οἱ περὶ τὰς τελετάς,

ναρθηκοφόροι μὲν πολλοί, βάκχοι δέ τε παῦροι·

οὗτοι δ᾽ εἰσὶν κατὰ τὴν ἐμὴν δόξαν οὐκ ἄλλοι ἢ οἱ πεφιλοσοφηκότες ὀρθῶς.

“The founders of the Mysteries would appear to have had a real meaning, and were not talking nonsense when they intimated in a figure long ago that he who passes unsanctified and uninitiated into the world below will lie in a slough (swamp), but that he who arrives there after initiation and purification will dwell with the Gods. For...

‘many,’ as they say in the Mysteries, ‘are the thyrsus bearers, but few are the mystics,’

“--- meaning, as I interpret the words, ‘the true philosophers.’ ”

(trans. Benjamin Jowett, 1892)

Sententia ἐν βορβόρωι κεῖσθαι latet in Asii elegia v. 4 Bergk PLG⁴ II 406: ἐν δὲ μέσοισιν ἥρως εἱστήκει βορβόρου ἐξαναδύς. Maaβ Rektoratsprogr. Marpurgi 1913, 47 n. 27.

“The phrase ‘to lay in the mire (mud),’ concealed in an elegy of Ásios (Ἄσιος ὁ Σάμιος) v. 4 Bergk PLG⁴ II 406: ‘And in the middle, a hero had been made to stand, rising out of the muck.’ ”

Versum πολλοὶ μὲν ναρθηκοφόροι, παῦροι δέ τε βάκχοι Orphicum esse testatur σχόλιον Ὀλυμπιοδώρου επὶ Φαίδωνος Πλάτωνος 67 c p. 43, 21 et in 70 c p. 58, 14 Norv.:

“Olympiódoros, in his Commentary on the Phaidôn of Plátôn (67 c p. 43, 21 et in 70 c p. 58) asserts that the verse, ‘While there are many who carry the rod of Diónysos, few are Vákkhi (βάκχοι),’ is (an) Orphic (saying).”

laudat versum eiusdem formae etiam σχόλιον Ἑρμείου επὶ Φαίδρου Πλάτωνος 249 c p. 172, 10 Couvr.; v. infra s. ΙΕΡΟΙ ΛΟΓΟΙ:

“Likewise, Ærmeias (Ἑρμείας) cites a verse of the same pattern in his Commentary on the Phaidros of Plátôn 249 c p. 172, 10 Couvr.; see below in ΙΕΡΟΙ ΛΟΓΟΙ.”

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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