The Orphic Hymns

by Unknown

  9: There are, however, exceptions, most notably Orpheus himself, who descends to the underworld after his wife Eurydike has died. He charms Hades and Persephone with his music, and they allow him to bring Eurydike back to the land of the living, provided he does not look back at her until they reach the light. Tragically, Orpheus is unable to comply and thus loses Eurydike for good. See Vergil Georgics 4.453–506 and Ovid Metamorphoses 10.1–71; for a possible allusion to this story elsewhere in the Hymns, see OH 58.5–7n. Sisyphos, too, is said to have convinced Persephone to allow him to return to life (Theognis 701–712). The descent to and return from the land of the dead (called a katabasis, “descent”), either literally or figuratively, is one of the crowning achievements for heroes in mythology (e.g., Herakles, Theseus, Odysseus, Aineias), as well as for modern figures (e.g., Dante, Faust), and even for gods (e.g., Dionysos, Demeter, Persephone, Adonis, Hermes). In Aristophanes Frogs 1392, Aeschylus quotes a line from his Niobe (not extant) that “alone of the gods, Death does not desire gifts.”

  12 old age: There is a play on words involving “old age” (“gēras”) and “prize” (“geras”). The notion of a prize is very interesting in light of the intimations of competition elsewhere in the collection (see OH 7.12–13n). One of the Bacchic gold tablets (Graf/Johnston 2007, no. 5) speaks of the initiate “reaching the desired garland by [her] swift feet.” The imagery of winning a foot race is used metaphorically to describe the final prize sought by the initiate through participation in the cult, namely, remaining in the underworld with the heroes or becoming a god (see OH 20i, OH 29i, OH 33i, and OH 41.8n). This idea might be present in the hymn to the Stars, too. Athletics and struggle were closely connected in the minds of the ancients. Indeed, the Greek word “athlētēs” (whence English “athlete”) literally means “the one who struggles/contends for the prize” and is particularly used for athletic contests; the Greek word “agōn” may denote a place for athletic competitions, the competition itself, or any struggle (cf. English “agony”). Just like an athlete, so, too, must the initiate struggle and practice discipline in performing the lengthy ritual. Toil and relief from toil are found elsewhere in the collection (cf., e.g., OH 3.6, OH 85.5+8n), and these are probably not mere literary arabesques but reflect to some degree the attitude of the initiates to their practices, especially if they shared the view found among the Bacchic gold tablets that life was an atonement for the crimes of the Titans (see OH 37i). This might lead one to expect a pessimistic and dismissive attitude to the world of the living, and there is much precedence for such in the annals of Greek literature. For example, Theognis says that “of all things, it is best for earth-bound men not to be born, / nor even to gaze upon the piercing rays of the sun/but if one is born, then it is best to reach the gates of Hades as quickly as possible/and to lie under a mass of dirt piled high” (425–28). This is a species of Greek pessimism in general, but the attitude was not universal. The shade of Akhilleus could say that he would prefer to be a slave to a poor farmer on earth rather than a king among the dead (Odyssey 11.489–491), and the Athenian lawgiver Solon has kind things to say about old age in his poems (fragments 18, 20, 27). The Hymns evince a positive valuation of life, too (see, e.g., OH 40i+18–20 and OH 68.9+n). They unabashedly focus on the material blessings of the here and now, e.g., health, prosperity, peace, and show, interestingly enough, no interest in the fate of the soul, at least explicitly. Whatever the eschatological views of the initiates, and whatever the rest of the ritual involved, the performance of the Hymns functions in a way similar to the story that Akhilleus tells Priam in order to console him (Iliad 24.525–533). Zeus possesses two jars, one filled with good things, the other with evils. For a human life, Zeus apportions either a little from each jar or all from the one of evils. It is thus our fate to suffer, and all one can do is cope. The Hymns are likewise a coping mechanism. They present a world full of uncanny powers that have the potential to threaten and benefit, and they give the initiate a means of taking an active role to secure the latter. The means to do so—the performance of the Hymns (and whatever “contests” the ritual involved)—were perceived as arduous. Like Herakles performing his Labors, the initiates struggle and suffer. And when they finish the hymn to Death, which could very well have coincided with the morning light, they, like Herakles, in a sense have overcome death. The references to sailing and favorable winds in the collection might be understood metaphorically in this sense (see OH 83.3n). The experience would have been felt to have changed their lives, and the new day as symbolic of the transformation. The Hymns offer much for those interested in various aspects of antiquity: mystery cults and Orphism, mythology and folklore, literature and literary reception, philosophical and cosmological speculation. It is easy to lose sight that they were performed by real people, with real hopes and real fears. While their means of addressing these concerns might seem strange, even bizarre, to the modern reader, the goal is something with which anyone can readily sympathize. The Orphic Hymns speak to human fundamentals. And therein lies our ultimate fascination with them, and antiquity in general.

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  INDEX NOMINUM

  * * *

  Redundant references (e.g., the occurrence of “Hekate” in the hymn to Hekate) are generally not included. Geographical and ethnic designations are combined under one heading where both occur in the notes (e.g., Egyptians under Egypt). If an author is indirectly cited or not given a reference in the notes, the author’s name appears in this list, not the Index Locorum. Numbers in parentheses after a deity’s name indicate the number of the hymn that is dedicated to that deity, and the entry is in bold font. Individuals belonging to a group are referred to that group, unless they are significant independent figures in their own right (e.g., Styx is list
ed separately from the Okeanids) and/or the sources offer contradictory accounts (e.g., Dione).

  * * *

  ACHELOUS, note: 25.4–8

  ACHERON, hymn: 18; notes: 18.2, 18.10, 71.2

  ADAMNA, see Attis

  ADIKIA, note: 62.9

  ADONIS (56), hymns: O, 55; notes: O.40, 9.4, 14.8–9, 29.6, 30.6, 42i, 46.2–3, 46.6–7, 53i, 57i, 57.1, 60i, 67.5, 68i, 71.2–3, 72.4, 87.9; see also Attis, Eubouleus

  ADRASTEIA, hymn: O; notes: 55.3, 59.18, 61i

  AER, note: 3i

  AESCHYLUS, notes: 40.16, 87.9; see also Index Locorum

  AESOP, note: 77i

  AGAMEMNON, notes: 25.4–8, 36i, 61i, 69.16, 76i, 86i

  AGDISTIS, note: 27i

  AGLAIA, see Graces

  AGORAKRITOS, note: 61i

  AIAKOS, notes: 18.16, 87.8

  AIAS (Lokrian), note: 25.4–8

  AIAS (Telamonian), note: 28.10

  AIGINA, note: 1i

  AINEIAS, notes: 51.3, 87.9

  AIOLOS, notes: 23.5–7, 80–82i, 81.3–4

  AION, hymn: O; notes: O.28–29, 10i, 10.18, 73.4

  AKADEMOS, note: 76i

  AKHILLEUS, notes: 24i, 28i, 28.10, 59i, 65.5, 66i, 66.6–7, 69.16, 76i, 78i, 80–82i, 81i, 83.3, 86i, 87.12

  ALEXANDER OF ABONOTEIKHOS, note: 9i

  ALEXANDER OF APHRODISIAS, note: 4i

  ALEXANDER THE GREAT, note: 46.7

  ALEXANDRIA, notes: 8.9, 29i, 32.1, 34.16–23, 56i, 76i

  ALKESTIS, notes: 12.16, 87i

  ALKIBIADES, note: 54.10

  ALLEKTO, see Erinyes

  ALOADS, note: 65i

  AMALTHEIA, note: 72i

  AMAZONS, notes: 36i, 65i