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Orphic Hymns

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TheOrphic Hymnsare a collection of eighty-seven hymns addressed to various deities, and are among the few extant works ofOrphic literature.They were most likely composed inAsia Minor,possibly in the second or third centuries AD. The poems, which are indactylic hexameter,are relatively short in length, and the collection is prefaced by a dedication entitled "OrpheustoMusaeus";each individual hymn comes alongside a prescribed offering. Among the deities praised in theHymns,Dionysusis given the place of highest importance.[1]The poems survive through a manuscript which also contained theHomeric Hymns,theOrphic Argonautica,and the hymns composed byCallimachusandProclus.[2]At the beginning of the 20th century,Otto Kernpostulated that the poems belonged to a religious community inPergamon,a view which some later scholars have accepted.

Date and composition

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Estimates for the date of theOrphic Hymns'composition vary widely.[3]While there are several Greek authors who mention hymns attributed toOrpheus,the earliest certain reference to the collection of 87 hymns comes from the 12th-century AD writer John Galenos.[4]It is possible that they were composed at an early date without being mentioned, though it is more likely that they were produced somewhere from the 1st to 4th centuries AD.[5]Christian Petersen, who saw the influence ofStoicismin theHymns,posited that they must have been composed after the flourishing of Stoic thought, though others have instead seen Platonic or Neoplatonic influence in the collection.[6]On the basis of the language and meter of theHymns,Wilamowitzjudged that they can not have been composed before the 2nd century AD,[7]but were earlier thanNonnus,[8]and van Liempt saw their language as the same used in 3rd and 4th-century AD poetry.[9]More recently, most scholars have dated the collection to around the 2nd or 3rd centuries AD,[10]with Gabriella Ricciardelli pointing to the prominence of Dionysism at that time in Asia Minor.[11]

A number of early scholars believed that theHymnswere produced in Egypt, primarily on the basis of stylistic similarities to Egyptian magical hymns, and the presence in the proem of deities which are found elsewhere in Egyptian literature.[12]Modern scholarship, however, now essentially unanimously agrees upon Asia Minor as the place of composition;[13]in particular, the names of deities such asMise,Hipta,andMelinoe,otherwise known only through theHymns,have been found in inscriptions in the region.[14]In 1910, a number of such inscriptions were discovered in atemenosofDemeterinPergamon,which ledOtto Kernto postulate that the city was the location in which the collection was composed.[15]WhileChristian Lobeckconceived of the collection as a "purely literary work", written by a scholar as an exercise,[16]others such asAlbrecht Dieterichargued that theHymnswere liturgical in function, designed for ritual performance by a cult community, a perspective almost universally accepted by modern scholars.[17]Kern argued that this group existed at thetemenosin Pergamon itself, a view with which some have subsequently agreed.[18]Scholars have at times stated that the collection was the product of a single author,[19]though it has also been questioned whether or not the proem was composed separately.[20]

TheOrphic Hymnsare one of the few extant works ofOrphic literature.[21]The collection is attributed to Orpheus in the manuscripts in which it survives,[22]and is written in the voice of Orpheus, opening with the dedication "Orpheus toMusaeus",in which the poet addresses his pupil.[23]In theHymnsthemselves, there are a few traces of Orpheus as their composer:[24]OH76 to theMusesmentions "motherCalliope",[25]andOH24 to theNereidsrefers to "mother Calliope and lordApollo",alluding to the parentage of Orpheus (whose father was sometimes considered to be Apollo).[26]The collection can be seen as an example of the broader genre of hymns in Orphic literature,[27]which go back at least as far as the 5th century BC;[28]though some scholars have brought into question how "Orphic" the collection can be considered, partly due to the apparent lack of Orphic narratives and eschatological ideas,[29]there are several places in which the language bears similarity to other works of Orphic literature.[30]W. K. C. Guthrie,who placed theHymnsat thetemenosin Pergamon, went so far as to state that the group to whom they belonged was an "Orphic society";[31]Ivan Linforth,however, contests that it is equally likely that the name of Orpheus was simply stamped upon the work for its "prestige".[32]

Structure and style

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In addition to the proem, theOrphic Hymnsconsist of 87 very brief poems,[33]which range from 6 to 30 lines in length.[34]In the surviving manuscripts, the hymn addressed toHecateis appended to the proem,[35]though modern editions present it separately, as the first hymn of the collection.[36]In the order of the hymns there occurs a progression from life to death:[37]the second hymn is addressed toProthyraia,a goddess associated with birth, while the last is dedicated toThanatos(Death), and ends in the wordγῆρας( "old age" ).[38]The collection is also arranged in such a way that the earliest primordial deities appear in the first hymns, while later gods are found further on.[39]As such, the earliest hymns are addressed to deities who feature in Orphic cosmogony, such asNyx(OH3),Uranus(OH4),Aether(OH5), andProtogonos(OH6).[40]There often exists a link between adjacent hymns—such as the shared "allness" ofPan(OH11) andHeracles(OH12)—and a "logic of cosmogonies" is present in, for example, the placement of the hymns toCronus(OH13) andRhea(OH14) ahead of those to their children (OH15–8).[41]Fritz Graf also sees religious significance in the ordering of the hymns.[42]

The collection begins with a poem entitled "Orpheus to Musaeus",[43]often referred to as the proem,[44]proemium, or prologue,[45]in which Orpheus speaks to Musaeus (who is usually described as his son or student in Greek literature).[46]The proem has 54 lines, including the final ten which make up the hymn to Hecate (which is attached without separation or a title).[47]It opens with a two-line dedication in which Orpheus asks Musaeus to learn the rite (θυηπολίη) and prayer (εὐχή), the latter of these referring to the address which follows from lines 3 to 44, in which around 70 different deities are called upon to attend the rite in question (which would go alongside the performance of the text).[48]The purpose of this prayer is seemingly to name and devote a hymn to "all" the gods,[49]though it addresses numerous deities not mentioned in the collection itself, and omits others who are subjects of hymns.[50]Partly on the basis of this difference in the deities mentioned, as well as the presence of the wordθυηπολίη( "a ritual usually linked with sacrifice" ),[51]which does not appear in the rest of the collection, at the beginning and end of the proem,M. L. Westargues that the proem was originally a separate Orphic poem, and that this poem was calledΘυηπολικόν(a title listed among the works of Orpheus in theSuda).[52]Anne-France Morand, however, argues for the common authorship of the proem and the rest of the collection, pointing to the similarities in the usage of epithets, and in the way deities are characterised between the two.[53]

Each individual hymn in the collection has three internal parts: the invocation, the development, and the request.[54]In some hymns, however, especially those shorter in length, these three parts can be difficult to distinguish, and may not occur in order.[55]The invocation is brief, typically appears at the start of the hymn, and is designed to gain the attention of the hymn's addressee.[56]It names the deity (sometimes using an epiclesis), and usually calls upon them with a verb, which may be in the imperative,[57]though sometimes no such verb is present, in which case the god is simply named.[58]The development (also referred to as the amplification)[59]makes up the main, central portion of the hymn, and is the longest section;[60]it follows immediately from the invocation, with the point at which it begins often being difficult to distinguish.[61]It consists mostly of descriptions of the deity, particularly in the form of numerous epithets, and may discuss different features or aspects of the god, as well as include information such as their familial relations, or locations in which they are worshipped;[62]the purpose of this section is to gratify the deity so that they choose to make themselves present.[63]The request (also referred to as the prayer)[64]generally finishes the hymn, and is usually only around one or two lines in length.[65]It opens with several verbs which typically ask for the god to listen to what the speaker has to say, and for them to be present.[66]

The hymns in the collection are similar to each other in their style and language (with several exceptions, which Ricciardelli suggests may not have been part of the original collection).[67]They are written indactylic hexameter,and also display a consistency in metrical composition.[68]According toJean Rudhardt[fr],in terms of vocabulary and grammar, theHymnsfind a "distant model" in the works ofHesiodandHomer,but also contain a number of words and forms from later literature, spanning up to the imperial period.[69]In particular, the language of the collection bears similarity to that of late works such asNonnus'sDionysiaca,theGreek Magical Papyri,and several poems from theGreek Anthology.[70]The most distinctive feature of theHymnsis their use of concatenations of epithets, which make up a large part of their content.[71]They also contain a number of language devices, such asanaphora,alliteration, assonance, and repetition,[72]as well as forms of wordplay, such as etymologies on the names of gods.[73]Other notable stylistic elements include the frequent use of compound adjectives as epithets, the tendency to juxtapose contrasting descriptions of deities, and the use ofasyndeton.[74]

Religious significance

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It is largely accepted in modern scholarship that theOrphic Hymnswere liturgical in function, and were used in religious rites by a cult which existed in Asia Minor.[75]According to Morand, this group performed initiations into some form of mysteries.[76]Within theHymnsthemselves, a number of different members of the group's religious hierarchy are mentioned:[77]theμύσται,the regular members of the cult (and the group mentioned most frequently);[78]theνεομύστης,the "new initiates";[79]theμυστιπόλος,who were likely members involved in initiations and ritual activity;[80]and theὀργιοφάντης,who seem to have been members involved in initiation rites (similarly to theμυστιπόλος), and who may also have been responsible for displaying holy objects.[81]The termβουκόλος( "cowherd" ) is also found in theHymns,a religious title which is often used elsewhere to refer to worshippers ofDionysus,and is connected to Orpheus in some contexts.[82]The use of the wordβουκόλοςand the prominence of Dionysus in the collection indicate that he was the central god of the cult which used theHymns.[83]

Most of the hymns in the collection contain a specification of an offering to be made to the deity, which is given as part of the title of the hymn;[84]only eight hymns lack such an offering in the title.[85]In ritual, these offerings would likely have been burned.[86]For most of the hymns, the offering specified is an aromatic, incense (or incense powder or granules), storax, or myrrh.[87]In some cases a combination of offerings is asked for.[88]Several hymns specify a unique offering to be given to the deity, such as torches to Nyx, saffron to Aether, poppies to Hypnos, and grain (excluding beans or herbs) to Earth;OH53 to Amphietes asks for a libation of milk in addition to an offering.[89]While in a few cases there is a recognisable link between a deity and their offering, as with poppies for Hypnos, or grain for Earth, for most of the hymns there is no clear reasoning behind the choice of offering.[90]The absence of animals from the offerings may be related to the supposed prohibition of animal sacrifice in Orphic belief.[91]

The ceremony in which theHymnsplayed a role was theτελετή,[92]a rite of initiation into the mysteries.[93]Within theHymns,there are numerous references to theτελετή,[94]including several mentions of theπάνθειος τελετή,an initiation rite to all of the gods.[95]This rite appears to have occurred at nighttime, and may have included the playing of a tambourine at points.[96]TheHymnsalso contain several instances of the termὄργιον,which may refer to sacred objects which featured in the rite.[97]According to Fritz Graf, the placement of the hymn to Hecate (OH1) at the beginning of the collection may reflect the placement of ahekataionat the entry to the building in which the rite took place, which participants would have walked past before its commencement.[98]Graf also argues that the presence of the hymn to Nyx (OH3) early on is an indication that theHymnsaccompanied a nocturnal ritual, which began at dusk and lasted through the night.[99]

Editions and translations

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  • Hermann, G.,Orphica,Leipzig, C. Fritsch, 1805.Internet Archive.
  • Abel, Eugenius,Orphica,Leipzig, Sumptibus Fecit G. Freytag, 1885.Internet Archive.Online version at Wikisource.
  • Taylor, Thomas,The Mystical Hymns of Orpheus,London, Bertram Dobell, 1824.Internet Archive.Originally published in 1792; completely outdated.
  • Quandt, Wilhelm,Orphei Hymni,Berlin, Weidmann, 1955.
  • Athanassakis, Apostolos N.,The Orphic Hymns: Text, Translation, and Notes,Scholars Press, 1977.ISBN978-0-89130-119-6.Uses the Greek text of Quandt.
  • Ricciardelli, Gabriella,Inni Orfici,Fondazione Lorenzo Valla, 2000.ISBN978-8-804-47661-0.
  • Athanassakis, Apostolos N.,and Benjamin M. Wolkow,The Orphic Hymns,Johns Hopkins University Press, 2013.ISBN978-1-4214-0882-8.Internet Archive.Google Books.
  • Fayant, Marie-Christine,Hymnes Orphiques,Paris,Collection Budé,Paris,Les Belles Lettres,2014.ISBN978-2-251-00593-5.

Notes

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  1. ^Brill's New Pauly,s.v. Orphism, Orphic poetry;West 1983, p. 29.
  2. ^Herrero de Jáuregui 2010, pp. 35–6.
  3. ^Morand 2001, p. 35; Ricciardelli 2000, p. xxx.
  4. ^Morand 2001, p. 35.
  5. ^Athanassakis and Wolkow,p. x.
  6. ^Ricciardelli 2000, p. xxx.
  7. ^Linforth,pp. 182–3;Ricciardelli 2000, p. xxxi n. 2.
  8. ^Quandt, p. 44.
  9. ^Ricciardelli 2000, p. xxxi n. 2.
  10. ^Ricciardelli 2000, p. xxxi; West 1983, pp. 28–9; Otlewska-Jung, p. 77; Morand 2015, p. 209.
  11. ^Ricciardelli 2000, p. xxxi.
  12. ^Ricciardelli 2000, p. xxviii.
  13. ^Herrero de Jauregui 2010, p. 47; Ricciardelli 2000, p. xxviii.
  14. ^Athanassakis and Wolkow,p. x.
  15. ^Ricciardelli 2008, p. 325; Athanassakis and Wolkow,p. x.
  16. ^Linforth,p. 183;Morand 2001, p. 36.
  17. ^Ricciardelli 2000, p. xxxiv; Graf, pp. 169–70.
  18. ^Linforth,p. 185.
  19. ^Morand 2001, p. 36; Plassmann, p. 161; West 1983, p. 28; cf. Rudhardt 2008, Introduction, para. 25.
  20. ^Morand 2014, pp. 209–10; Morand 2001, p. 36; West 1968,pp. 288–9.
  21. ^Meisner, pp. 4–5; Ricciardelli 2000, p. xxviii.
  22. ^Linforth,p. 186;Herrero de Jáuregui 2015, p. 230.
  23. ^Morand 2015, p. 211.
  24. ^Herrero de Jáuregui 2015, p. 230.
  25. ^Morand 2015, p. 212;OH76.10 (Athanassakis and Wolkow, p. 60;Quandt, p. 52).
  26. ^Herrero de Jáuregui 2015, p. 231; Morand 2015, p. 212;OH24.12 (Athanassakis and Wolkow, p. 23;Quandt, p. 21).
  27. ^Herrero de Jáuregui 2015, p. 229.
  28. ^Morand 2001, p. 89.
  29. ^Rudhardt 2008, Introduction, para. 6.
  30. ^Linforth,p. 187.
  31. ^Guthrie, p. 258.
  32. ^Linforth,pp. 188–9.
  33. ^Otlewska-Jung, p. 77; Rudhardt 2008, Chapter I, para. 19.
  34. ^Otlewska-Jung, p. 77 n. 1; Linforth,p. 180.
  35. ^Ricciardelli 2008, p. 329; Morand 2015, p. 213.
  36. ^Ricciardelli 2000, p. xlii.
  37. ^Morand 2001, p. 43; Morand 2015, p. 213.
  38. ^Morand 2015, p. 213.
  39. ^Morand 2001, p. 43.
  40. ^Ricciardelli 2000, p. xli.
  41. ^Morand 2015, pp. 213–4.
  42. ^Graf, pp. 171–3. SeeReligious significancebelow.
  43. ^Otlewska-Jung, p. 77. In a number of manuscripts, the phraseΕὐτυχῶς χρῶ, ἑταῖρε( "use it favourably, friend" ) is added behind the title; see Morand 2015, p. 211 with n. 9; Ricciardelli 2008, p. 328; West 1968,p. 288 n. 3.
  44. ^Morand 2015, p. 209; Herrero de Jáuregui 2015, p. 224.
  45. ^Morand 2001, p. 36.
  46. ^West 1968,p. 288;Herrero de Jáuregui 2015, p. 232. According to Herrero de Jáuregui, this kind of address, from the teacher figure to the student, is a "typical feature of didactic poetry", and Orpheus can here be seen as the "prototype of the poet and the priest who would compose and sing hymns", while Musaeus can be seen as the "prototype of the initiates who would listen to them".
  47. ^Ricciardelli 2000, p. xlii; Ricciardelli 2008, p. 329.
  48. ^Ricciardelli 2000, p. xliii; Ricciardelli 2008, p. 329.
  49. ^Herrero de Jáuregui 2015, p. 224.
  50. ^Ricciardelli 2000, pp. xliv–xlv.
  51. ^Morand 2015, p. 210.
  52. ^West 1968,p. 288–9.West states that "[t]he title would naturally be derived from the references to aθυηπολίηat the beginning and end of the poem ".
  53. ^Morand 2015, p. 210; Morand 2001, pp. 36–7.
  54. ^Rudhardt 1991, p. 264; Rudhardt 2008, Chapter I, para. 21.
  55. ^Morand 2001, pp. 41–2. For an outline of the ways in which various hymns deviate from this standard structure, see Rudhardt 2008, Chapter I, paras. 23–4.
  56. ^Morand 2001, pp. 42, 47.
  57. ^Morand 2001, p. 47; Morand 2015, p. 215; Ricciardelli 2000, p. xxxii.
  58. ^Morand 2001, p. 45. In several hymns the addressee is not named at all; see Morand 2001, p. 48. For example,OH69 does not name its recipients, theErinyes,as saying their name was believed to bring strife upon the person who spoke it.
  59. ^Morand 2015, p. 215.
  60. ^Morand 2001, p. 75.
  61. ^Morand 2015, pp. 215–6.
  62. ^Morand 2001, p. 58. Myths in which the god features are usually only ever briefly alluded to (often through the use of epithets), though there are a few exceptions to this; see Morand 2001, p. 59 with n. 91. Some hymns also contain an intermediate request, which is located within the development; see Morand 2001, pp. 48–9.
  63. ^Morand 2001, p. 59.
  64. ^Rudhardt 2008, Chapter I, paras. 146–90.
  65. ^Morand 2001, p. 49. The point at which the request begins is almost always easily distinguishable; see Rudhardt 2008, Chapter I, para. 146.
  66. ^Morand 2001, pp. 49–50.
  67. ^Ricciardelli 2008, p. 345; Ricciardelli 2000, pp. xxxi–ii; Rudhardt 2008, Introduction, para. 25. Ricciardelli 2000 citesOH59 to theMoirai,OH55 toAphrodite,OH38 to theKouretes,andOH57 to Hermes Cthonias as examples of such hymns; cf. Rudhardt 2008, Introduction, paras. 8–16.
  68. ^Rudhardt 2008, Introduction, para. 26.
  69. ^Rudhardt 2008, Introduction, para. 18–9, 22; see also Hopman-Govers, p. 37.
  70. ^Morand 2001, pp. 81–8.
  71. ^Hopman-Govers, p. 44.
  72. ^Morand 2001, pp. 61–8; Morand 2015, p. 218.
  73. ^Morand 2010, p. 157,et passim;Ricciardelli 2008, p. 344–5.
  74. ^Ricciardelli 2008, pp. 343–4; Morand 2001, pp. 96–7.
  75. ^Ricciardelli 2000, p. xxxiv; Graf, p. 170; see also Linforth, p. 186. For a discussion of where this group existed, and when theHymnswere composed, seeDate and Compositionabove.
  76. ^Morand 2001, p. 238; cf. Ricciardelli 2000, p. xxxv.
  77. ^Morand 2001, pp. 282–3.
  78. ^Morand 2001, pp. 235–7.
  79. ^Morand 2001, pp. 237–9.
  80. ^Morand 2001, pp. 240–2. The term means "clothed with mystical power", or "with the power of mysteries".
  81. ^Morand 2001, pp. 243–4.
  82. ^Morand 2001, p. 286. The term appears twice, inOH1 toHecate,andOH31 to theKouretes.For an extensive discussion ofβουκόλος,see Morand, pp. 249–82.
  83. ^Ricciardelli 2000, p. xxv. According to Morand 2001. pp. 232–5, the group may have been called athiasus.
  84. ^Morand 2001, pp. 101, 103; Ricciardelli 2000, p. xxxvii; Ricciardelli 2008, p. 335. Titles which include offerings contain the name of the deity, after which comes the wordθυμίαμα,and then a specification of the offering; see Morand, p. 103.
  85. ^Morand 2001, p. 103. For a discussion of these eight hymns, and the possible reasoning for them not having an offering, see Morand 2001, pp. 111–5.
  86. ^Morand 2001, pp. 150–1. Morand states that grain, the offering to Earth, might be the possible exception to this.
  87. ^Morand 2001, pp. 322–4. For a discussion of these substances, see Morand 2001, pp. 118–26.
  88. ^Morand 2001, pp. 324
  89. ^Morand, p. 324. For an extensive discussion of these offerings, see Morand 2001, pp. 126–37.
  90. ^Ricciardelli 2008, pp. 337–8.
  91. ^Ricciardelli 2000, p. xxxvii; Morand 2001, pp. 151–2.
  92. ^Ricciardelli 2000, p. 333.
  93. ^Morand 2001, p. 140.
  94. ^Morand, p. 140.
  95. ^Morand, p. 141. According to Morand, the proem may have been aπάνθειος τελετή.
  96. ^Morand 2001, pp. 141–2.
  97. ^Morand 2001, pp. 145–6.
  98. ^Graf, p. 171.
  99. ^Graf, pp. 171–2.

References

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