Just in case you do not know much about Orphism (and who does?), it is a rather mysterious religious teaching that traces its origin to the mythical Ancient Greek musician-extraordinaire, Orpheus. He was reputed to be so good at his craft so as to be able to move not only human hearts, but even rocks with his divine music. Orphism is a complex syncretic mixture of beliefs combining Dionysian rites, their own unique cosmology (quite distinct from the more mainstream theogony as presented by Hesiod or Homer), spells required to retain memory after death, and the idea that all gods are really one essence (very similar to the Egyptian tradition). Just by way of illustrating how Orphic teaching differed from the standard Greek mythology, it could be noted that the followers of Orpheus believed the world began as a cosmic egg, not Chaos. Out of that egg emerged Protogonos (literally, the first-born), also called Phanes (literally, the shining one or appearing one) - a universal male-female deity with shining golden wings, who then in turn birthed the universe.
Anyway, in terms of literary heritage, the Orphics have left us a collection of 86 beautiful hymns that extol different deities - some of them familiar, like Zeus or Hera, some - less so, like personified Justice - Dike or Protogonos himself. Being eager to get a feel for how these actually could have sounded during an Orphic worship ceremony, I found this gem on YouTube and wanted to share it with the rest of you, o curious Steemians of many pursuits :).
If you read Greek, I have included the text that is being sung by the narrator.
Here is the Greek text, if you can read it - you can follow along as the narrator is singing it.
Εἰνοδίην Ἑκάτην κλῄιζω, τριοδῖτιν, ἐραννήν,
οὐρανίαν χθονίαν τε καὶ εἰναλίαν,κροκόπεπλον,
τυμβιδίαν, ψυχαῖς νεκύων μέτα βακχεύουσαν,
Περσείαν, φιλέρημον, ἀγαλλομένην ἐλάφοισι,
νυκτερίαν, σκυλακῖτιν, ἀμαιμάκετον βασίλειαν,
θηρόβρομον, ἄζωστον, ἀπρόσμαχον εἶδος ἔχουσαν,
ταυροπόλον, παντὸς κόσμου κληιδοῦχον ἄνασσαν,
ἡγεμόνην, νύμφην, κουροτρόφον,οὐρεσιφοῖτιν,
λισσόμενοις κούρην τελεταῖς ὁσίαισι παρεῖναι
βουκόλωι εὐμενέουσαν ἀεὶ κεχαρηότι θυμῶι.
And here is a rhymed translation by Thomas Taylor (1758-1835) which gives a good idea of what the hymn is about (it's not a word-by-word translation, but it is very close to the text):
I call Einodian Hecate, lovely dame,
Of earthly, wat'ry, and celestial frame,
Sepulchral, in a saffron veil array'd,
Leas'd with dark ghosts that wander thro' the shade;
Persian, unconquerable huntress hail!
The world's key-bearer never doom'd to fail;
On the rough rock to wander thee delights,
Leader and nurse be present to our rites
Propitious grant our just desires success,
Accept our homage, and the incense bless.
In case you are wondering what "Einodian" (Εἰνοδίην) means - it can be literally translated as "standing in or on the way", in other words - an omen portending ill or good fortune. Hecate was often pictured as a goddess of "three ways" - encompassing all possible outcomes, and petitioners would request her to grant them the best one. Pictured below is the "three-bodied" Hecate surrounded by dancing Graces - Charities, and the one below that shows Hecate in action - she is battling one of the Titans - notice the attending serpent, dog and the torches she is holding in her hands. All of these are her typical attributes.
1st–2nd century A.D. Late Hellenistic marble statue of Hecate with Graces.
Frieze fragment at Pergamum altar
Bibliography/links for the even more curious:
- West, M.L. The Orphic Poems, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1983.
- The 'Orphic' Gold Tablets and Greek Religion, edited by Radcliffe G. Edmonds III, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2011.
- Thomas Taylor's translation of Orphic hymns online - http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/hoo/
- Wikipedia entry on Orpheus and specifically on Orphic rituals - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orpheus#Orphic_poems_and_rites