A New Ritual of the Orphic Mysteries

Michael Tierney

doi:10.1017/S0009838800002068

A New Ritual of the Orphic Mysteries

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 February 2009

Michael Tierney

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Michael Tierney: Affiliation:
University College, Dublin

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In discussing the origin and history of Orphism, it is usual to treat it rather as a system of belief than as a ritual. The former aspect of it probably was more salient in later times, yet it is certain that the Orphic movement began rather as a ritual with strong emphasis on purification and a rule of life. Its theological and traditional aspect developed only gradually, and the greatest characteristic of this development was always its readiness to incorporate elements possibly alien to the original Dionysos mystery, till it finally takes all Greek religious tradition within its scope. It was early influenced by Eleusinian ideas, and exerted a mutual influence on the cults and myths of the Kabeiroi and those of Sabazios. Whether its own ritual was affected by these latter to the same degree as its mythology we cannot say with certainty, but it may at any rate be affirmed that Orphism was an eclectic type of religion from the beginning. This was indeed only natural to such a system which depended for its teaching on wandering priests, and may never have possessed any kind of temple. It may also be safely said that neither the rite nor the central beliefs of Orphism were nearly as much affected by these borrowings as its mythology. It took over the names and some of the legends of strange deities and grafted them on to its own system. The ritual may have remained in all essentials the same, as did the eschatology.

Type: Research Article
Information: The Classical Quarterly , Volume 16 , Issue 2 , April 1922 , pp. 77 - 87

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0009838800002068 [Opens in a new window]
Copyright: Copyright © The Classical Association 1922

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^{page 77 note 1} So for example Farnell, , Outline History of Greek Religion, p. 82Google Scholar; and Greek Hero Cults, pp. 373 sq.

^{page 77 note 2} For sketch of this development see Zeller, , Philosophie der Griechen, I⁶., pp. 122 sqGoogle Scholar.

^{page 77 note 3} Farnell, , Hero Cults, p. 378Google Scholar.

^{page 77 note 4} Kern, on ‘Boiotische Kabiren,’ in Hermes, 1890Google Scholar.

^{page 77 note 5} Eisele, in Roscher, , art. Sabazios, p. 252Google Scholar.

^{page 77 note 6} On Orphic ἱερο οῖκοι, see Kern, , Orpheus, p. 25Google Scholar.

^{page 77 note 7} My thanks are due to Dr. H. Diels, of Berlin, for drawing my attention to this publication and for much kind advice and encouragement. He is, of course, responsible only for such statements as I specifically acknowledge.

^{page 78 note 1} Oral communication, for which my thanks are due.

^{page 79 note 1} Philosophoumena V. I.

^{page 79 note 2} Protr. II. 14.

^{page 79 note 3} Ath. XX. 292, quoted in Lobeck, , Aglaophamus, pp. 547 sqGoogle Scholar.

^{page 79 note 4} Cp. Lobeck, id. p. 645.

^{page 79 note 5} Quoted in Lobeck, p. 621.

^{page 80 note 1} De Errore Profan. Rel., c. 6.

^{page 80 note 2} On Plato, , Rep. I., p. 85Google Scholar, quoted by Kern, , Orpheus, p 44Google Scholar.

^{page 80 note 3} De El apud Delphos, 996c.

^{page 80 note 4} Cp. Kern, , Orpheus, pp. 43–47Google Scholar.

^{page 80 note 5} Protrept. II. ibid.

^{page 81 note 1} Aglaophamus, note on p. 587.

^{page 81 note 2} Protrept. II. 22.

^{page 81 note 3} Lobeck, id., p. 703.

^{page 81 note 4} I at first suggested νηιρεθν, which was corrected by Professor Diels to the reading given.

^{page 81 note 5} Berliner Klassikertexte V. 1. 10.

^{page 81 note 6} Protrept. II. 18. I: Ἀθην μν οὖν τν καρδαν το Διονσου ὑΦελομνƞ Παλλς κ το πλλειν τν καρδαν προσƞγορεθƞ.

^{page 82 note 1} See art. ‘Hermes’ in Pauly-Wissowa-Kroll, , 8, p. 774Google Scholar.

^{page 82 note 2} Pausanias II. 3, 4.

^{page 82 note 3} ‘Umwandlung der boiotischen Pais,’ as he is called by Kern, , Hermes, 1890, already citedGoogle Scholar.

^{page 82 note 4} Art. on ‘Samothracian Kabeiroi’ in Kroll, P.-W., X., p. 1427Google Scholar.

^{page 82 note 5} So he is λγου προΦτƞς in Hym. Orph. 38.

^{page 82 note 6} Described by Oldfather, Philologies, 1910.

^{page 82 note 7} Art. in P.-W.-Kroll, ibid.

^{page 82 note 8} So in Hym. Orph. 53. I and in the grave inscription, C.I.G., 1948.

^{page 82 note 9} Line 27.

^{page 82 note 10} The spelling περཷσια being Hellenistic for the older περεཷσια.

^{page 82 note 11} Aglaoph., p. 1209.

^{page 82 note 12} P.-W.-K. X., p. 1423.

^{page 83 note 1} Philosophoumena V. I.

^{page 83 note 2} Or ἔΤισα as this document might spell it.

^{page 83 note 3} Cp. Orphic Frag. 208, line 3 (Abel., p. 237), ρƳι τ' κτελσουσι λσιν προγνων θεμστων.

^{page 83 note 4} Protrept. II. 16.

^{page 83 note 5} Adu. Gentiles V. 21.

^{page 83 note 6} Prolegomena, p. 496.

^{page 84 note 1} Suggested by Professor Diels. The ι printed by Smyly may easily be the second half of the letter H.

^{page 84 note 2} For a summary of the latest evidence as to their age, see Nestle, in Zeller, , Philosophie d. Griechen. I⁶., pp. 136 sqqGoogle Scholar. The entry of Protogonos and Phanes into the Theogony is probably later than Aristotle's time.

^{page 84 note 3} Reproduced in MissHarrison's, Prolegomena, p. 653Google Scholar; see Kern's, articles in , P.-W.-K. (on Kabeiroi) and Hermes, 1890Google Scholar.

^{page 84 note 4} Gruppe, , Griech. Myth. III. 1547 sq.Google Scholar, holds that Kybele worship came to Greece as early as Peisistratos, but there is no early evidence for the name Galli.

^{page 84 note 5} Art. Galli, in P.-W.-K.

^{page 85 note 1} Protrept. II. 14–16.

^{page 85 note 2} Lobeck, , Aglaoph., p. 655, noteGoogle Scholar.

^{page 85 note 3} For this custom and its connexion with the purification of the Sabazios votaries with mud (πƞλς) in Dem. de Corona, see MissHarrison's, remarks in Prolegomena, pp. 492 sqGoogle Scholar. The relation of these Titans to those of Hesiod is still very uncertain.

^{page 85 note 4} Quoted by Lobeck, , Aglaoph., p. 657Google Scholar.

^{page 85 note 5} Line 9:τν αὐτν ἄρ' μο βουκολεῖς Σαβζιον.

^{page 85 note 6} De Hymnis Orphicis I.

^{page 85 note 7} Line 159.

^{page 85 note 8} Fragment of Eurip. Cretenses, above.

^{page 86 note 1} 24. 43.

^{page 86 note 2} Strom. VI. 751.

^{page 86 note 3} κ το Διονσου Φανισμῷ.

^{page 86 note 4} Plut., de Isid. et Osirid. 35, p. 364Google Scholar F: νακαλονται ο' αὖπν ὑπ σλ?πιγγος ξ ὕδατος.

^{page 86 note 5} Cp. MissHarrison, , Prolegomena, p. 522Google Scholar, and the illustrations on pp. 520 and 548, both of which may depict a ceremony such as we have here.

^{page 86 note 6} VII. 178.

^{page 86 note 7} Pausanias VI. 26. I.

^{page 86 note 8} Kern, art. Dionysos, in P.-W.-K.

^{page 87 note 1} E.g. κρƞ Σωτρ, Farnell, , Cults III., p. 367, n. 25Google Scholar. For later use of σωτρ, Reitzenstein, Hellen. Mysterienreligionen, passim.

^{page 87 note 2} de Errore, 18, quoted by Smyly.

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