Ὀρφεύς - Orpheus

[helena nilo]

Ὀρφεύς - Orpheus

etymology of the word Orpheus

[airwings]

Perhaps related to Greek ορφνη (http://www.behindthename.com/support/transcribe.php?type=GR&target=orp%5Enh) (orphne) meaning "the darkness of night". In Greek mythology Orpheus was a poet and musician who went to the underworld to retrieve his dead wife Eurydice. He succeeded in charming Hades with his lyre, and he was allowed to lead his wife out of the underworld on the condition that he not look back at her until they reached the surface. Unfortunately, just before they arrived his love for her overcame his will and he glanced back at her, causing her to be drawn back to Hades.

http://www.behindthename.com/php/view.php?name=orpheus

[tsunami]

That is hard one Helena.

My guess would be that it has something to do with...sleep and dreams.

Maybe am mistaken.


Orpheas,

the greatest initiate of Proto-Hellenes' Nation, first of all -in the remotest past- taught Cosmogony and Theogony to the initiated into Orphism (Mystes), and his teachings and theories were passed down to Pre-Socratic philosophers and Pythagoreans who preserved them in their own teachings and theories. Orpheas travelled to Egypt as well, where he taught and revealed his secret knowledge probably only to the priesthood ("Hierateio")


Orpheas was the son of Oeagrus who was king of Thrace. "Orpheas succeeded his father to the throne, having been taught Astronomy, Theology, the Mysteries, the Art of Music and everything that could contribute to his great education by his own father". (Ogygia Vol. 4)

For the first time Orpheas reveals all that information on the structure of the Universe to the Argonauts ("Argonautica" by Orpheas lines 12-17). Until that time this kind of knowledge was being circulated strictly among the initiated. He decided to do so probably because all the Argonauts came from noble families and he trusted them. It was common belief among the distinguished men ("Aristoi") that if these pieces of knowledge were spread among other people they might show inability to understand them and they might misinterpret them with any unanticipated consequences. This becomes also clear from the argument between Aristotle and The Great Alexander many years later, when Aristotle decided to make his knowledge and teachings publicly known and he found himself confronted with The Great Alexander's objection, who believed that this kind of knowledge should be only in the possession of the most excellent men. (Plutarchus)

Orpheas' teachings and theories are preserved in "Argonautica", "The Orphic Hymns", and "Fragments". The Orphic Hymns are a valuable work and a challenge for scientists because we are given information on the astronomical knowledge of Hellenes during the 2nd Millennium B.C. as well as before it. Some writers also saved that even Homer copied some verses from the Orphic Hymns like the beginning of his "Iliad" (Clemes Alexandreus, Proclus, Athenagoras, Iustinus).




"Lithica" (=of Stones), a different kind of work, reveal Orpheas' knowledge on the therapeutical properties of several stones. Here, he teaches that the Earth not only gives birth to venomous snakes but She also produces semi-precious stones, certain herbs and roots which can cure humans' illnesses. He probably got himself involved in the research of the curable properties of particular stones and plants prompted by his deep sorrow after his beloved Euridice's death caused by a snake's bite.

The collection and the recording of theOrphic texts started in the 6th century B.C. when Ipparchus -Peisistratus' son- ruled Athens. He set up a committee who undertook the hard task of collecting all the fragments of Orpheas' teachings as well as the theories of his initiated students -Musaeus was the most famous- which were communicated from generation to generation through centuries.


just check this out : http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-OrphicMy.html


There is absolutely no way to find the origin of this word, simply because we cannot compare it with texts before his age the 2nd millenium b.c.

If we find inscriptions predating that era, we might find something, there.

[tsunami]

We find the term deamon in Orpheus book the Argonautica verse 476.

The English translation translates it a "Vain wretch".

Hehe, that is propably the reason that Orpheus gave his work to the Argonauts and told them to trust it only to the most excellent people(Aristoi)

For the same reason Pythagoras, the school that kept his work, had you wait in their garden for three years to test your excellence.

Here you can find the whole book in English and Greek side by side.

http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/argo/argo04.htm

[tsunami]

Do not trust the English translation though, Orpheus didnt even trust a translation from dialect to dialect.

[HairyandHorny]

one can say Orfeus is an "apocalyptic" loan deity from Thrace same as other Greek gods were
...an apocalyptic deity means a deity of the "jesus" kind...like apollon and every sun deity, osiris (cut in pieces like it happend to orfeus), mithras, krisna, dionysus etc

in fact the orphic cult could be the closest to the messianic/sinner beliefs in the hellenic world...not really a compliment if u ask me
...also affiliated with Pythagorians and aristocrats...in few words "charlatans"

...of course the original cult could be far from the later charlatans but i do not have knowledge on it

[tsunami]

Yap, the same charlatans, that created the Pythagoreum theorem and measured the distance from the earth to the sun, and also proved the helio centric system of the this planetary system.

Give us a break re Pano, will ya?

[helena nilo]

i've asked for Orpheus word etymology cause I’m reading
:book:
http://fgc.math.ist.utl.pt/orfeu.pdf

in the introduction part the author's provide some arguments related to this subject.
(sorry it’s in Portuguese, i've translated the parts of the sentence where I’m asking for your help with the meaning of the greek words. for the greek words please take a look into the end of page 3 and the first sentence of p.4)


Various interpretations/ derivation for the name Orpheus (in grego Ὀρφεύς in latin Orpheus)

• Etymology - related with the adjective (Greek word), meaning one to be private (orphan) of a good?
• Will be the root of the word the same one of the name (greek word) (blackness (obscure), darkness, night), meaning the tenebrous one, for having gone down to the Hells?
• Will it mean the one that wanders solitary, being the name a result of the “simplification” of (greek word)?
• Will be that the name that means the blind person, archetype of vate, the one that sees better with the eyes of the spirit? (vate - ουατεις)
• Could the name derive from the root word ereph - to cover or to hide, common to the word (greek word) - the other world?

could you give me your opinion on this. Do they seem to be valid arguments? Maybe valid arguments but still with false conclusions?

(page 4 )

The Orfeu name appears for the first time in the ends of century VI B.C. in one fragment of the Íbico (Ibycus) poet who consists only of two words
0O_o_______o_ 0O_'___2 (page. .4)

Thanks for all the information you've already posted about this …;)

[airwings]

helena in Greece there are two opinion regarding the Orpeus derivation.
The official is those that I gave you in my first post and is publish from known several ancient Greek dictionaries .
Your last quotes are not confirm officialy from the Greek academaics.

[HairyandHorny]

Yap, the same charlatans, that created the Pythagoreum theorem and measured the distance from the earth to the sun, and also proved the helio centric system of the this planetary system.

Give us a break re Pano, will ya?

the "charlatan" word went to those who were practising the orfic cult in the historic times not to pythagoras and his kind...i dont feel i know enough to have a complete opinion on this issue

but just for the record in ancient greeks the pythagorians were considered to have a connection with metaphysics, arithmosophy and similar letter-number stuff etc...and that can make one suspicious of how serious their doings were...
and just for the record it was one of the quotes attributed to herakleitus which doesnt really seem to have any kind of respect for pythagoras himself...

maybe u can ask one with a huge library :book: to tell u more about how pythagoras and pythagorians was treated in general and more about orfism, pythagorians etc

...just i note that pythagoras was going from place to place and trouble seem to follow him somehow

[helena nilo]

helena in Greece there are two opinion regarding the Orpeus derivation.
The official is those that I gave you in my first post and is publish from known several ancient Greek dictionaries .
Your last quotes are not confirm officialy from the Greek academaics.

ok thanks :)