Orpheus and Orphism: Mystery Religion in Roman Times

1
Chapter 16

• Orpheus and Orphism Mystery Religion in Roman
  Times

2
Orpheus Eurydice

• Ovids Metamorphoses X and XI
• Undying love story
• Cruelty of Fate (or is it Fortune?)
• Orpheus, a hero for poets
• Vergil, Georgics IV
• Largely as in Ovid, but set in context of poem on
  bee-keeping
• Aristaeus must atone for his sin

3
Orpheus elsewhere

• Appears as one of the Argonauts
• Musical power allows him to rev up heroes or
  relax them as necessary
• Nachleben
• Jean Cocteaus Orpheus trilogy
• Blood of a Poet (1930)
• Orpheus (1949)
• The Testament of Orpheus (1960)
• Marcel Camus Black Orpheus (1959)

4
Some questions

• Why does Orpheus look around?
• So close, and yet so far
• Why is Orpheus killed as he is?
• Women angry about his men only cult?
• Bacchae taking revenge for his Apollonian ways?
• Dionysiac figure who gets harvested?
• Is Orpheus follower of Apollo, or Dionysus, or
  some intermediary?

5
Was there a real Orpheus?

• Certainly the belief of later antiquity
• Had a shrine, as do other heroes
• Likely a missionary of sorts, perhaps preaching
  some modified worship of Apollo and/or Dionysus,
  a gentle message, but the mysteries too.

6
Orphic Bible some teachings

• Chronus first, then Aether, Chaos, Erebus
• From Aether came Phanes, 1st god (aka Eros)
• From Phanes, Night
• From Night Phanes, Gaia, Uranus
• And Gaia and Uranus produce Titans
• When Zeus gets to power, swallows Phanes and
  creates anew

7
Orphic Bible some teachings, contd

• Zeus mates with Kore (Persephone)
• Dionysus (aka Zagreus) born
• Titans dismember and devour Zagreus
• Zeus zaps with thunderbolt, saves heart
• Mortals made of Titan dust
• Partly evil and mortal, partly pure and divine
• Consequently, purification of soul,
  transmigration of soul, apotheosis possible.

8
Other Mystery Religions

• Roman expansion mixing with locals
• Syncretism a growing together
• Romans adopt and adapt Greek mythology
• Romans adopt and adapt other cultures
• Mithraism from Persia
• Dualist belief Mithras (light) v. dark
• Very popular with the Roman army
• Emblematic act slaying of the bull

9
Other Mystery Religions, contd

• Dea Syria, from Syria
• Earth goddess like Cybele or Demeter
• Connected with Tammuz and Hadad (Semitic thunder
  god)
• Worshipped in wild, ecstatic rituals involving
  flagellation

10
Other Mystery Religions

• Isis, from Egypt
• Mother goddess has rattle (sistrum) and bottle
  (situla) shaped like breast
• Husband, Osiris, killed and scattered
• Collects pieces, and has son, Horus
• Worshippers view selves as her children