The Orphic Hymns

by Unknown

  2 all-seeing eye: Similarly in line 8. A number of addressees in the collection are described in this way. The most relevant parallel is Dike (OH 62.1); see further OH 8.1n.

  4: This line does not mean that Nemesis is herself inconsistent, arbitrary, or fickle. It is the wickedness of men that is so varied, and this entails that the principle embodied by Nemesis must appear differently in her various concrete manifestations. Compare the story of her flight from Zeus, where she is a shapeshifter. The line also fits in with the theme of deities who are multiform and ever-changing.

  5: Fear as a motivation to act justly was recognized early on by the Greeks. An astounding witness to the fact is the fragment from the late fifth-century tragedy (or satyr play) Sisyphos, sometimes attributed to Euripides. In the fragment, the lead character baldly states that gods were invented merely as a means to frighten people into behaving themselves; cf. OH 69.15n.

  6–7 the arrogant soul, / the reckless one: Transgression is properly a going beyond the bounds of what is allowed and/or appropriate, and the Greeks were very concerned about respecting boundaries and maintaining proper limits; see OH 63.7n and cf. OH 30i. This idea lies at the heart of the concept of hubris, a word not used in our hymn but found in Mesomedes’ (line 5: “hating destructive hubris of mortals”). See also OH 59.8–10+n.

  8 you arbitrate all: Compare line 14 of Mesomedes’ hymn, where Nemesis is invoked as a judge, and the idea of Nemesis as Fate as noted in the introduction to this hymn.

  62. To Dike

  Dike (Right) is not really different from Justice in the next hymn, whose name in Greek (Dikaiosunē) is derived from Dike’s (see OH 63i). For Hesiod, she is one of the three Seasons and a daughter of Zeus and Themis (Theogony 901–903). She receives special attention in the Works and Days where she is represented as a maiden who takes vengeance on the unjust, particularly in juridical matters, whether she takes punishment into her own hands (220–224) or complains to her father, Zeus (256–262; see also OH 61i and OH 69.9n). Note that the word “dikē” in Greek can also mean “punishment.” Orphism adopts the Hesiodic genealogy (Orphic fragment 252) but adds a second one, making Dike the daughter of Nomos (Law; to whom OH 64 is addressed) and Eusebeia (Piety); see also OH 63i. Mesomedes in his hymn to Nemesis makes her the daughter of Dike; here genealogy reflects function. Finally, Dike is equated with Moon in the magical papyri (PGM 4.2785 and 2860), in the same context as the Fates and the Erinyes, both of whom also have as their function the punishment of malefactors; see also OH 69.15n.

  1 all-seeing eye: So, too, Nemesis in the previous hymn (OH 61.2). The idea of the “eye of Dike” goes as far back at least to Sophokles (fragment 12). The imagery occurs in our collection again at OH 69.15, where the Erinyes are said to “gaze as the eye of Dike.” Two gods who are traditionally watchers in the sky are also so described in the collection. Sun is addressed as the “eternal eye that sees all” (OH 8.1+n), as well as Apollon in his identity as the sun god (OH 34.8). Sometimes, the eye of the sun is limited to just the physical entity, though, as at OH 11.17. Zeus, too, possesses an all-seeing eye. In the hymn to the Fates, the poet says that they alone of the gods watch over mortals “except for Zeus’ perfect eye” (OH 59.13). In the Works and Days, Zeus has an eye that sees all (267); this comes shortly after Hesiod describes how Dike runs to tell him of the injustice of the world. Note, too, that in an Orphic hymn to Zeus, the sun and moon are said to be his eyes (Orphic fragment 243.16). The imagery of a celestial sky god who perceives all is very ancient and its appearance in Greek poetry seems to have roots in its Indo-European heritage (see West 1978, pp. 223–224). Dike, too, can be construed as a celestial goddess. Aratos tells us that the constellation known as the Maiden is either the daughter of Astraios or is Dike herself. He then relates the story of how Dike had dwelt among men during the innocence of the Golden Age and urged them to righteousness; in the Silver Age, disgusted with the wickedness she found in the people, she retreated from society and warned men of their evil ways; and finally in the Bronze Age she could no longer bear to remain on the earth, so she retired to the sky where she became a constellation (Phainomena 96–136). This story appears to have been influenced by Hesiod’s account of Dike leaving the earth to complain to her father.

  2: For the concept of Dike sharing the throne of Zeus, compare Hesiod Works and Days 256–262, Sophokles Oedipus at Kolonos 1382, and the introduction to the translation. She is described as a companion and follower of Zeus in Orphic literature (Orphic fragment 32–33, 233, and 247–248). Her daughter Nemesis is said to sit by her in Mesomedes’ hymn to Nemesis (line 18).

  6–7: The concern for verdicts is reminiscent of the Hesiod passages in the Works and Days, cited in the introduction to this hymn. The word “dikē” can also have the sense of “judgment, trial, suit.”

  9: Depicted on the chest of Kypselos, as described by Pausanias (5.18.2), is Dike, in the form of a beautiful woman, both choking and whacking with a staff an ugly woman, who is Adikia (Wrong). The idea that Dike is nice to her friends and nasty to her enemies reflects an ethic that goes back to Archaic times. A similar sentiment is found in OH 10.15, right after Physis is identified with Dike; cf. also OH 63.10.

  63. To Justice

  Justice (Dikaiosunē) was one of the most important, if not the most important, virtues in Greek ethical thought, often discussed by poets and philosophers. There is a certain amount of overlap between this word and “dikē,” and the two words may function as synonyms. One distinction between Dike and Justice in their portrayals here is that the former has a somewhat more concrete personalization while the latter is presented more as an abstract entity (but cf. OH 8.18, where Sun is called the “eye of justice,” and OH 62.1n). Justice also seems to be more broadly construed; see note to lines 14–15. We do find Justice personified and worshipped, although it is rare. Euripides is our earliest source for the personification. He mentions the “golden countenance of Justice” in his lost play Melanippe (fragment 486). An inscription on Delos from 115/114 BC identifies Isis with Justice as well as Tyche, Protogoneia (a feminine form of Protogonos, First-Born), Thalia (the name of one of the Graces that means “joy”), and Aphrodite the Righteous. Another inscription from Epidauros in the second century AD confirms that Justice received worship there. In Orphic theogony, Nomos (Law) and Eusebeia (Piety) are said to have given birth to Justice (Orphic fragment 248), and it is therefore notable that in the opening address to Mousaios both Justice and Piety are mentioned together (OH O.14). However, Hermias, the source for this genealogy, in the same work also says it is Dike who is their daughter. Whether he thought they were two distinct entities or he is using the names interchangeably is hard to determine. To make matters more complicated, Hermias again in the same work says that there are three Nights in Orphic mythology and that the third one gave birth to Justice (Orphic fragment 246). And another source says that, for Orpheus, Dike was a daughter of Zeus and Themis and that she was one of the Seasons (see OH 43i). These might represent different variants that developed independently over time and that are being indiscriminately used by later authors. However, as the multiple Nights show, it is possible that a single entity could be duplicated in Orphic mythopoetics. Clearly the notion of justice was as important to the Orphics as it was to the wider Greek world.

  7 the balance of your mighty scales: Balance, equality, and fairness are important themes in this hymn; they also recur in the other three of the group. An important component in the Greek view of justice was that each person receives what they deserve; injustice occurs when the undeserving take more than their fair share (a form of hubris) and the deserving are short-changed. In section 29 of The Theology of Arithmetic (see OH 12.3n), the author says that the Pythagoreans considered the tetrad (i.e., the number four) to be Justice, because a square that had sides the length of four would have its area (length times width: 4 × 4 = 16) and its perimeter (four sides of 4 = 16) equal (Waterfield 1988, p. 63). In the Pythagorean saying “Do not step o
ver the beam,” the “beam” was sometimes construed as the beam of a balance, and the dictum was interpreted as meaning that one should not transgress against justice (see Iamblichus Life of Pythagoras 186 and The Theology of Arithmetic 40 in Waterfield 1988, p. 72).

  8 a lover of revel: This would seem to refer to Dionysian ecstatic worship and to suggest that it receives Justice’s stamp of approval.

  14–15: It is interesting that the hymn now includes living creatures in addition to human beings. Hitherto this hymn, as well as the previous two, has been exclusively concerned with human conduct; see further OH 64i. It is perhaps relevant to recall in this context that Hesiod tells Perses to “obey the voice of Dike and always refrain from violence” and then continues, “This is the law [nomos] Zeus laid down for men,/but fish and wild beasts and winged birds/know not of justice [dikē] and so eat one another./Justice [dikē], the best thing there is, he gave to men” (Works and Days 276–279).

  15 sea-dwelling Zeus: A circumlocution for Poseidon; compare Hades being called “Chthonic Zeus” (see OH 18.3+n).

  64. Hymn to Nomos

  This ends a sequence of four tightly integrated hymns. As with OH 61, there is no indication of incense, which suggests this was perhaps sung without being accompanied by any other ritual activity; together they mark the beginning and end of the series. A crescendo effect is achieved by the scope of each hymn. The first two, the hymns to Nemesis and Dike, are limited to the various races of men (cf. OH 61.2 and OH 62.3). The third hymn to Justice also is concerned with human justice, but at the very end expands to include all living creatures (OH 63.14–15+n). All three divinities are female, and their concern is with things that are alive. In this hymn, the male Nomos (Law) has been raised to a cosmic principle that sees to it that both the inanimate elements of nature and the creatures that live among them keep to their proper limits. This connects the hymn conceptually to the previous three, as respecting boundaries is a core component of Greek ethical thought (see OH 61.6–7n and OH 63.7n). The hymn is structured to reflect the cosmos-human duality. The first part expresses Nomos as the physical order of the universe (lines 1–4). A transitional bridge brings Nomos down to earth—literally (lines 5–6). The focus is then on Nomos as a foundational ethical force for living beings in general and the individual in particular (lines 7–11). This notion that the underlying structure of the cosmos is as ethical as it is physical and that this universal ethic is connected to moral action in the human sphere returns to a theme found in the earlier hymns (see OH 8.16n) and appears again near the end (see OH 86i); see also OH 59.8–10n and OH 69.15n.

  The earliest evidence for the personification of Nomos is Pindar fragment 169a.1–4, which is cited by Plato (Gorgias 484b). Nomos as a divinity seems to have been appealing to the philosophers. A fragment of Herakleitos says that “all human laws [nomoi] are nourished by the one that is divine” (Kirk, Raven, and Schofield 1983, no. 250), which might imply that for him Nomos was a divinity. The Stoics, who were influenced greatly by Herakleitos, do explicitly recognize him as such. Philodemus tells us that the Stoic philosopher Khrysippos recognized “the sun, the moon, and the other stars as gods … as well as law (nomos)” (On Piety 11); compare lines 2–4 of this hymn. Philodemus also tells us that Khrysippos said Zeus was Nomos (On Piety 14). Kleanthes, an earlier Stoic philosopher, in his hymn to Zeus describes him as “steering everything with Nomos” (line 2); the same metaphor (albeit with different wording) is found in line 8 of this hymn. In Orphic thought, Nomos was also considered a god. He is the father to Dike and/or Justice (Orphic fragment 248; see OH 63i), and he sits next to the enthroned Zeus, who has Dike as a companion (Orphic fragment 247). This last idea is very similar to that expressed by Kleanthes.

  1 holy lord of men and gods: This is very similar to the opening of Pindar fragment 169a: “Nomos, the king of all men and gods” (lines 1–2).

  2–4: Compare this to Pan, who is conceived as the force that keeps the four elements separate (OH 11.13–18); see also OH 10.14–16n.

  4 nature’s balance: The sense of balance here has the connotation of stability; cf. OH 63.7+n and 9.

  6 he drives out malicious envy: We find the same phrasing in Mesomedes’ hymn to Nemesis (line 6).

  65. To Ares

  Ares, the god of war, is the son of Hera and Zeus (Hesiod Theogony 921–923). Although Athene is also concerned with war (see OH 32i), she represents the strategic, intellectual side, while Ares portrays the blood-and-guts aspect. In literature, the two are sometimes brought together in sharp contrast. They fight against each other in epic poetry, whether directly (Iliad 21.391–414) or through a heroic proxy. Athene gives direct assistance to Diomedes when he attacks Ares (Iliad 5.755–863), and she helps Herakles in his battle against Kyknos (the son of Ares) and Ares himself (Hesiod Shield 433–466). Athene employs reason in trying to restrain Ares’ anger at the death of one of his mortal sons on two occasions, further emphasizing the gulf between intelligence and pure battle rage (Iliad 15.100–142 and Hesiod Shield 446–449). The ancient Greeks in general had a strong distaste for the violence of war, and the negative treatment of Ares in myth is a reflection of this. The sons of Aloeus, Otos and Ephialtes, capture him, place him in chains, and keep him in a cauldron for thirteen months; Hermes eventually has to rescue him (Iliad 5.385–391). Zeus himself harshly rebukes him when he returns to Olympos fresh after being wounded by Diomedes (Iliad 5.888–898). Ares is often associated with aggressive figures who are threats to civilization, such as the Amazons. However, there is a positive side to Ares as well. In the Iliad, being called a “servant of Ares” (2.110), a “scion of Ares” (2.540), and the like is a mark of approval and praise. Ares is also a figure of masculine beauty; for example, Sappho praises a bridegroom as being as handsome as Ares (fragment 111). When the gods sing and dance, Ares also takes part (Homeric Hymn to Apollon 3.186–206). The ambiguity of his position in the Greek pantheon may be seen symbolically in his children with Aphrodite (Hesiod Theogony 933–937). Their two sons are Fear and Panic. They are often portrayed as driving the chariot of their father, and they rescue him from Herakles after Kyknos is slain. Their daughter, on the other hand, is Harmonia, the embodiment of civil concord (see also OH 55i). The legendary foundation of Thebes also reflects Ares’ ambiguity. Kadmos slays a dragon who is either an offspring or favorite of Ares. The teeth of the dragon are sown, and immediately armed warriors sprout out of the earth and commence fighting. Only five survive the savage fray, and these five become the forefathers of the five noble houses of Thebes. After this, though, Kadmos marries Ares’ daughter Harmonia, and the city is founded. Cults involving Ares are few; see Larson 2007, pp. 156–157, for details. Another war god, Enyalios, who interestingly had a female counterpart named Enyo, was eventually merged with Ares, although traces of independent cult still survived; see OH 76i.

  As Ares is a god who controls war, he also can perforce control peace in the sense that he can prevent war from breaking out in the world (compare line 6). Our hymn is divided into two parts that clearly play on these two sides. The violent and bloody nature of the god is given adequate expression in the first five lines; the hymn does not shirk from admitting this aspect of the god. Yet he is asked to transform himself into an agent of peace in the final four lines. This follows the pattern found in many of the other hymns in the collection: a divinity who has the potential to wreak great harm is asked propitiously to manifest themselves in their beneficial guise. This hymn should be read in conjunction with the Homeric Hymn to Ares, which most likely dates from the Hellenistic period or later, possibly even composed by Proclus; see West 1970. For the placement of this hymn with the following one to Hephaistos, compare line 10 of the address to Mousaios. After the digression from the hymn to Aphrodite to four abstractions concerned with order and law (OH 61–64), we return to two major Olympian deities who are both sons of Zeus and who both have associations with Aphrodite. The relationship between peace and justice connects this particular h
ymn with the previous four and eases the transition.

  5 rude clash: The word for rude, “amouson,” literally means “without the Muses.” The activities of these goddesses are intricately bound up with peace (see OH 76i), although Ares, as mentioned in the introduction to this hymn, is not unfamiliar with their charms. The opposition between war and the arts is powerfully portrayed by Homer when he shows us the great warrior Akhilleus, who in anger has withdrawn from the fighting at Troy, in his tent, singing the deeds of the great men of the past (Iliad 9.185–194). In the Greek text, this word significantly is the last one before the composer asks Ares to leave off from his war-like nature in the following line.