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The Orphic Hymns
the Orphic tradition · Hymn 76, lines 4–6 · Nurses of the soul
76.4
The Orphic Hymns 76.4 · Nurses of the soul
What the Muses give: education and excellence, a nourished soul, right thinking, a strong mind.
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γεννῶσαι1
gennôsai
who give birth to
the
ἄμεμπτον2
ámempton
blameless
ἀρετὴν3
aretḕn
excellence
πάσης4
pásēs
of all
παιδείης5
paideíēs
education
, θρέπτειραι6
thrépteirai
nurses
ψυχῆς7
psychês
of the soul
, ὀρθοδότειραι8
orthodóteirai
givers of right
διανοίης9
dianoíēs
thought
, καὶ10
kaì
and
ἄνασσαι11
ánassai
queens
καθηγήτειραι12
kathēgḗteirai
who guide
the
εὐδυνάτοιο13
eudynátoio
mighty
νόου14
nóou
mind
, who give birth to the blameless excellence of all education, nurses of the soul, givers of right thought, and queens who guide the mighty mind,
who give birth to the blameless excellence of all education, nurses of the soul, givers of right thought, and queens who guide the mighty mind,
Interpretation
who give birth to the blameless excellence of all education, nurses of the soul, givers of right thinking, queens who guide the mighty mind,
Paideia is the Greek word for the whole shaping of a person, schooling and culture together. Its core was mousikē, "the art of the Muses," which meant poetry and letters as well as music; in the Republic Plato divides the education of the young into gymnastics for the body and mousikē for the soul. The hymn says the same thing as a prayer: the Muses are the nurses of the soul and the guides of the mind.
76.7
The Orphic Hymns 76.7 · With Kalliope the mother
The Muses revealed the mysteries to mortals. Then all nine are named, with their mother and Eunomia, Good Order.
· · ·
you who revealed to mortals the rites of the mysteries: Kleio, Euterpe, Thaleia, Melpomene, Terpsichore, Erato, Polymnia and Ourania, with Kalliope the mother, and Eunomia, holy goddess.