The Orphic Hymns
eBook - ePub

The Orphic Hymns

  1. English
  2. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

The Orphic Hymns

About this book

The best-selling English translation of the mysterious and cosmic Greek poetry known as the Orphic Hymns.

At the very beginnings of the Archaic Age, the great singer Orpheus taught a new religion that centered around the immortality of the human soul and its journey after death. He felt that achieving purity by avoiding meat and refraining from committing harm further promoted the pursuit of a peaceful life. Elements of the worship of Dionysus, such as shape-shifting and ritualistic ecstasy, were fused with Orphic beliefs to produce a powerful and illuminating new religion that found expression in the mystery cults. Practitioners of this new religion composed a great body of poetry, much of which is translated in The Orphic Hymns.

The hymns presented in this book were anonymously composed somewhere in Asia Minor, most likely in the middle of the third century AD. At this turbulent time, the Hellenic past was fighting for its survival, while the new Christian faith was spreading everywhere. The Orphic Hymns thus reflect a pious spirituality in the form of traditional literary conventions. The hymns themselves are devoted to specific divinities as well as to cosmic elements. Prefaced with offerings, strings of epithets invoke the various attributes of the divinity and prayers ask for peace and health to the initiate. Apostolos N. Athanassakis and Benjamin M. Wolkow have produced an accurate and elegant translation accompanied by rich commentary.

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Yes, you can access The Orphic Hymns by Apostolos N. Athanassakis,Benjamin M. Wolkow in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Literature & Greek Ancient History. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. Halftitle Page
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright Page
  5. Contents
  6. Preface
  7. Introduction
  8. Halftitle Page1
  9. Orpheus to Mousaios
  10. 1. To Hekate
  11. 2. To Prothyraia
  12. 3. To Night
  13. 4. To Sky
  14. 5. To Ether
  15. 6. To Protogonos
  16. 7. To the Stars
  17. 8. To the Sun
  18. 9. To Selene
  19. 10. To Physis
  20. 11. To Pan
  21. 12. To Herakles
  22. 13. To Kronos
  23. 14. To Rhea
  24. 15. To Zeus
  25. 16. To Hera
  26. 17. To Poseidon
  27. 18. To Plouton
  28. 19. To Zeus the Thunderbolt
  29. 20. To Astrapaios Zeus
  30. 21. To the Clouds
  31. 22. To the Sea
  32. 23. To Nereus
  33. 24. To the Nereids
  34. 25. To Proteus
  35. 26. To Earth
  36. 27. To the Mother of the Gods
  37. 28. To Hermes
  38. 29. Hymn to Persephone
  39. 30. To Dionysos
  40. 31. Hymn to the Kouretes
  41. 32. To Athene
  42. 33. To Nike
  43. 34. To Apollon
  44. 35. To Leto
  45. 36. To Artemis
  46. 37. To the Titans
  47. 38. To the Kouretes
  48. 39. To Korybas
  49. 40. To Eleusinian Demeter
  50. 41. To Mother Antaia
  51. 42. To Mise
  52. 43. To the Seasons
  53. 44. To Semele
  54. 45. Hymn to Dionysos Bassareus and Triennial
  55. 46. To Liknites
  56. 47. To Perikionios
  57. 48. To Sabazios
  58. 49. To Hipta
  59. 50. To Lysios Lenaios
  60. 51. To the Nymphs
  61. 52. To the God of Triennial Feasts
  62. 53. To the God of Annual Feasts
  63. 54. To Silenos Satyros and the Bacchae
  64. 55. To Aphrodite
  65. 56. To Adonis
  66. 57. To Chthonic Hermes
  67. 58. To Eros
  68. 59. To the Fates
  69. 60. To the Graces
  70. 61. Hymn to Nemesis
  71. 62. To Dike
  72. 63. To Justice
  73. 64. Hymn to Nomos
  74. 65. To Ares
  75. 66. To Hephaistos
  76. 67. To Asklepios
  77. 68. To Hygeia
  78. 69. To the Erinyes
  79. 70. To the Eumenides
  80. 71. To Melinoe
  81. 72. To Tyche
  82. 73. To Daimon
  83. 74. To Leukothea
  84. 75. To Palaimon
  85. 76. To the Muses
  86. 77. To Mnemosyne
  87. 78. To Dawn
  88. 79. To Themis
  89. 80. To Boreas
  90. 81. To Zephyros
  91. 82. To Notos
  92. 83. To Okeanos
  93. 84. To Hestia
  94. 85. To Sleep
  95. 86. To Dream
  96. 87. To Death
  97. Notes
  98. Select Bibliography
  99. Index Nominum
  100. Index Locorum