⸻ · ⸻
The Orphic Hymns
the Orphic tradition · Hymn 37, lines 4–6 · Springs of every generation
37.4
The Orphic Hymns 37.4 · Springs of every generation
Every living thing descends from the Titans, mortals and animals alike.
· · ·
ἀρχαὶ1
archaì
beginningsorigins
καὶ2
kaì
and
πηγαὶ3
pēgaì
springssources
πάντων4
pántōn
of all
πολυμόχθων5
polymóchthōn
toiling
θνητῶν6
thnētôn
mortals
, εἰναλίων7
einalíōn
of sea creatures
, πτηνῶν8
ptēnôn
of birdswinged things
, τε9
te
—
καὶ10
kaì
and
of those
οἳ11
hoì
who
ναιετάουσιν12
naietáousin
dwell on
χθόνα13
chthóna
the earth
; γὰρ14
gàr
for
ἐξ15
ex
from
ὑμέων16
hyméōn
you
πᾶσα17
pâsa
every
γενεὴ18
geneḕ
generation
πέλει19
pélei
comes
κατὰ20
katà
throughout
κόσμον21
kósmon
the world
. beginnings and springs of all toiling mortals, of sea creatures, of birds, and of those who dwell on the earth; for from you every generation comes throughout the world.
beginnings and springs of all toiling mortals, of sea creatures, of birds, and of those who dwell on the earth; for from you every generation comes throughout the world.
Interpretation
beginnings and sources of all toiling mortals, of the creatures of the sea, of the birds, and of all who dwell on the land; for from you comes every generation throughout the world.
The claim widens from humans to every living thing: creatures of the sea, birds and land animals all come from the Titans. Archai kai pēgai, "beginnings and springs," is a phrase from early Greek philosophy, which looked for the archē, the first source of all things, and here the Titans fill that place. In Hesiod they are the generation between the first powers, Earth and Sky, and the Olympian gods, and the hymn makes the whole living world descend from them.
37.7
The Orphic Hymns 37.7 · Send away the ancient wrath
The prayer: turn away the anger of the dead ancestors from our homes.
· · ·
I call on you to send away harsh wrath, if any from the ancestors beneath the earth has come near our homes.