ORPHIC FRAGMENT 127
OTTO KERN
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SUMMARY: The birth of Pandemus Aphrodite from the foam produced when the members of Uranus were cast into the sea.
127. (101) σχόλιον Πρόκλου επὶ Κρατύλου Πλάτωνος 406c (p. 110, 15 Pasqu.):
παράγει οὖν αὐτὴν (that is Ἀφροδίτη) ὁ Οὐρανὸς ἐκ τοῦ ἀφροῦ τῶν γονίμων ἑαυτοῦ μορίων ῥιφέντων εὶς τὴν θάλασσαν, ὥς φησιν Ὀρφεύς·
μήδεα δ᾿ ἐς πέλαγος πέσεν ὑψόθεν, ἀμφὶ δὲ τοῖσι
λευκὸς ἐπιπλώουσιν ἑλίσσετο πάντοθεν ἀφρός·
ἐν δὲ περιπλομέναις ὥραις Ἐνιαυτὸς ἔτικτεν
παρθένον αἰδοίην, ἥν δὴ παλάμαις ὑπέδεκτο
γεινομένην τὸ πρῶτον ὁμοῦ Ζῆλός τ' Ἀπάτη τε.
Therefore Ouranós (Οὐρανὸς) produces (Ἀφροδίτη) from the foam of his own genitals which had been cast into the sea, as Orphéfs (Ὀρφεύς) says:
“The genitals fell down from above into the sea,
swirling round about from every side in the bright foam;
and then in the circling seasons, the Year begot
the venerable maiden; she received in her hands,
just now born, both Zílos (Ζῆλος) and Apátî (Ἀπάτη) together.”
(trans. by the author)
Lobeck I 542.
Compare Θεογονία Ἡσιόδου 188:
μήδεα δ᾽ ὡς τὸ πρῶτον ἀποτμήξας ἀδάμαντι
κάββαλ᾽ ἀπ᾽ ἠπείροιο πολυκλύστῳ ἐνὶ πόντῳ,
ὣς φέρετ᾽ ἂμ πέλαγος πουλὺν χρόνον, ἀμφὶ δὲ λευκὸς
ἀφρὸς ἀπ᾽ ἀθανάτου χροὸς ὤρνυτο: τῷ δ᾽ ἔνι κούρη
ἐθρέφθη κτλ.
And so soon as he had cut off the members with flint
and cast them from the land into the surging sea,
they were swept away over the main a long time: and a white
foam spread around them from the immortal flesh, and in it there grew a maiden.
(trans. H. G. Evelyn-White, 1914)
Compare verse 3 above from Próklos to ὕμνος Ὀρφέως· Εὐχὴ πρὸς Μουσαῖον 18:
Ὥρας ἠδ’ Ἐνιαυτόν,
“Seasons and Year”
σχόλιον Πρόκλου επὶ Τιμαίου Πλάτωνος 37 e (III 40, 31 Diehl):
ἐπεὶ καὶ οὐ τὸν χρόνον μόνον ὡς θεὸν ὑμνήκασιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡμέραν αὐτὴν καὶ νύκτα καὶ μῆνα [θεὸν del. Diehl] καὶ ἐνιαυτόν,
“For they not only celebrate time as a God, but likewise day and night, and month and year, are considered by them as Gods.”
(trans. Thomas Taylor, 1820)
σχόλιον Πρόκλου επὶ Τιμαίου Πλάτωνος 39 d (III 89, 29 Diehl):
οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸς Πλάτων ἐν Νόμοις [Νόμοι Πλάτωνος X 899 b] κέκραγεν, ὅτι ταῦτα πάντα θεοί εἰσιν, ὧραι καὶ ἐνιαυτοὶ καὶ μῆνες, ὥσπερ καὶ τὰ ἄστρα καὶ ὁ ἥλιος, καὶ οὐδὲν ἡμεῖς καινὸν εἰσάγομεν ἀξιοῦντες πρὸ τῶν ἐμφανῶν νοεῖν τὰς ἀφανεῖς δυνάμεις τούτων.
“Plato likewise in the Laws proclaims that all these are Gods, viz. the Seasons, Years and Months, in the same manner as the Stars and the Sun; and we do not introduce any thing new, by thinking it proper to direct our attention to the invisible powers of these prior to those that are visible.”
(trans. Thomas Taylor, 1820)
v. Waser RE2 V 2568.
To verse 5 above “γεινομένην τὸ πρῶτον” compare Θεογονία Ἡσιόδου 202:
γεινομένηι τὰ πρῶτα.
“first in being born”
Ζῆλος at Θεογονία Ἡσιόδου 384; Ἀπάτη at Θεογονία Ἡσιόδου 224.
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