Bernabé, Alberto_The Derveni Theogony. Many Questions and Some Answers_HSPh, 103_2007!99!133

8/9/2019 Bernabé, Alberto_The Derveni Theogony. Many Questions and Some Answers_HSPh, 103_2007!99!133

1/36


2/36

THE DERVENI

THEOGONY:

MANY

QUESTIONS

AND

SOME

ANSWERS*

ALBERTO

BERNABtE

I.

PURPOSES

IN

1962

NEAR

A

TOMB IN

DERVENI,near

Salonica,

mong

he

remains

f

funeral

yre,

scroll f

papyrus

as

found.1

t

contained

curious

text,

n

important

art

of

which

was

devoted

o

the

thorough

ommen-

tary of

some

verses

attributed

o

Orpheus.

The

scroll

dates

from

between

340

and 320

BC2

nd

the

text

t

contains,

rom

bout

400

BC.

The

poem

that

s

being

commented

n

must

e

prior o

500

BC.3

All

hatremains

f

he

Orphic oem

s a

series

f

uotations,

more

or

lessextensive.na paperpublishednKernos,4undertook philological

reconstruction

f

the

poem.

Now my

purpose

s

to study he

segments

of

the

reconstructed

ext

n

depth.

willdo

it

from

literary,eligious,

and

philosophic

erspective,

ith

he

ntention

f

regaining

coherent

meaning

of

the

whole.

The

fragmentarynd

incomplete

haracter

f

the

text will

not allow

as

much

progress

n

the

analysis

s

would

be

desirable;

owever,

think

we

must

ttempt o

explain

he

text

we have.

* This paper has benefited rom he aid of he Spanish tate HUM2006-09403/FILO).

am

very

rateful

o

Helena

ernab6

or

he

ranslation

f

his

aper

nto nglish.

1

The

papyrus as

been

recentlydited

y

Casadestis

995

with

ranslation

nto

Catalan

nd

commentary),

anko

003

with

ranslation

nto

English), etegh

004

(with

ranslation

nto

nglish

ndcommentary),

y

Jourdan

003

with

ranslationnto

French nd

commentary),

nd

byBernabe

004b

with

ranslation

nto

panish

nd

short ommentaries).

mple ibliographies

an

be

foundn

the

omplete

dition

f

he

Derveni

apyrus

y

Kouremenos,

arassoglou,nd

Tsantsanoglou006,

s

well

s in

the

fundamental

ork

n

thepapyrus

y

aks

nd

Most

997.

2 So Tsantsanoglou and Parassoglou 1988:125, 1992:221. For other proposals, cf.

Bernab6

002.

3

Cf. ernab6 002 nthedate f he ext ndpossibledentityf he uthor.

4 Bernab6

2002.

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3/36

Alberto

ernab

I

will

xamine

he iterally

uoted

ragments,

s well

s

the

parts

f

the

commentary

hat

ell

us

something

bout

hecontent

f

he

ext

thecommentatoreadbutdidnotquote. hetext ndthenumbering

correspond

o he

nes

f

he

dition

f

his

heogonyn

he

Bibliotheca

Teubneriana.5

here nd n

thequoted

Kemos

rticle

an

be

found

he

philologicalasis

or he

reconstruction

f

he

ext.

hetranslation

f

the

verses

s

Janko'sexcept

here

oted).

II.

ANALYSIS

OF

THE

TEXT

Our nalysis ollowshe

order f

the

fragmentsnd

dealswith he

diverse

roblems

f

nterpretation

ound

nthe

ext.

II.1.

The

Proem

The

proem

egins

with

verse

we

know rom

ther

Orphic

orks nd

which

eems

o

be

a

kind

f

oppayi;

of

Orpheus

OF

3):6

cpO~yopat

lqOi

atC

O6pc

i'

iOEOE13O[30Xo1.

Iwill peak orhose ntitled,loseyour oors, eprofane.'

Unlike

roems

uch s those

y

Homer

r

Hesiod, here

he oem

s

recited or

ny

kind

f

public,

his

s

directed

t

a

few

isteners,efined

as those

o

whom

t

s icit o

speak. he ntitlement

OlptR)

equired

o

hear

he

poem

pecifically

xcludes

hePIg3lotot

profane,

ho

must

(metaphorically)lose

heir

oors.

ig3rlXots

usually

pposed

o

initi-

ates:'

thus

t

seems lear

hat

he ondition

or

eading

he

poem

s

to

be nitiated.hismplies:

a)

That

he

hearer

must

ave

previous

nowledge

bout

what

s

being

alked

bout.

his

uppositions

expressed

n

a

clearer

ay

n

an

alternative

ormula

e

find

n

the

first

erse

f

other

Orphic

oems:

&~ico

UVETOtowi

V'

Opaq

6'

t1nteOEGO

[

3rlfXot

I

will

sing

or

hose f

understanding. 8

onsistent ith

his

features

the fact

hat

ome

5

I

will

uote his

dition

s OF.

6 Bernab6 996.

7

Translation y

West

1983:83.

8 Translation

y

West

1983:83.

100




4/36

The

Derveni

heogony

substantial

etails f

he

tory

re

only

ummarily

entioned9

nd

hey

require

urning

o other

exts

n

order

o

be

correctly

nterpreted.

b)That hehearers na certaintate freligiousharacter,hich

may

nvolve

moral

r

premoral

onditions,

erhaps

aving

o

do

with

Justice

compare

he

ancient

eferences

o

Dike

n

Orphic

extslo),

or

with

urityaccording

o

the

declaration

f

themystain front

f

Persephonen

the

eaves fThurii). 1

All

his

ecessarily

eans hat he

oem

s

not

ensu

tricto

n

nitia-

tion

oem,

t

does

not

fferhe

irst

nformation

eceived

y

he

person

that

s

going

o

be

integrated

nto

he

group

f

nitiates,ut

t

adds

o

the nformationreviouslyeceived.

So

far,

verythingeems

lear;

here

re,

owever,wo

uestions

e

cannot nswer:

1)

The

firsts

thefact

hat

he

formula

an

be

interpreted

n

two

different

ays:

a) the

poem

was

only

ecitedn front

f

nitiates,

n

such

way

hat

ven ccess

o

the

place

where

he

ext

was

recitednd

to

the

ext

tself

as

forbidden

o

the

P13rlAoi,r

b) althoughhe ext

could irculate

ithout

estrictions,

t

was

directed

nly

t

the

nitiates,

since nly heywere ble ounderstandt.The ater seof heformula

by

authors

f

technical

works,

which

were

distributed

penly,

ut

which

ould

not

be

understood

y

verybody,

akes

he

econd

nter-

pretation

ore

lausible.12

he

ask f

making

he

ext

nderstandable

would all

o the

ort

f

people

mentioned

y

Plato:13

... v6pOv

TEKal

yuvatlKwv

opov

TTEpi

T0E'ia

pycyparca

...

r~Tv

EpiWovE Kal

ThV EpElWV

YOlq

EPLE

TKE

EEpi

W

pETaXEtpiýovTat

6yov

o

otq

T'

Elvat

t66va

.

...

from

wise men

and

women

who

told

of things

ivine

..

9

I

will

ater

efine

his

haracteristic

s

narrative

peed.

10

Pl.

Lg.

716a

OF

32),

Ps.-D.

25.11

OF

33).

11

OF

488-490.

n

a

fragment f

he

Rhapsodies

OF

340)

o'i

~iv

K' Euayfiootv

re

opposed

to

ot

5'

citKa

c

avrEq.

This

mplies

hat

following

ustice

s

a

feature

f

the

ritual

urity

among

he

Orphics,

r,

n

other

words,

hat cting

gainst

Justice

means

committing

n

impure

ct.

12 Cf.Bernab6 996.

13P1.Men. 1a, f.Bernabe 999. herelationshipf he ommentatorith hepeople

alluded o

by

Plato

s

pointed

ut

by

West

997:84.

101




5/36

Alberto

emab*

they

re certain

riests

nd

priestesses

who

have

studied o

as

to

be

able

to give

reasoned

ccount

of

their

ministry.

Translation yW.R.M.Lamb

The

Derveni

commentator

elongs to

this

group

of

people

and,

distantly,

lato

himself,

ho often

ffers

ui generisnterpretations

f

Orphic

exts.14

2)

The

second

question

would

be

which

specific

itual

our

text

s

related

o,

whether

t

s

really

he

Ep6q

X6yoq

f

ritual. Among

ther

possibilities,

e

could

consider

he

OurlnoXia

lluded

to

in

the

Platonic

clause

P1.

R.

364e)

o01

OunlnoxoOatv

r

anyof

the

rituals

ommented

n

in

the

first

ection f hepapyrus.

II.2.

The

Plan

of he

Work

The

poet

states

what

he is

going

o

deal with n

the

poem

OF

4):

o]F

t6q

Y.VOVwOOrTEppEEv]~O3aaXJIAO.

those

who

were

born

ofZeus

the

almighty

ing.

This

ole

verse s

extremelyignificant,

ince

we

find

everal unda-

mental

tatements

n

t:

a)

Zeus'

power

s

indisputable.

b)

The

topic

of

the

poem

is precisely

he

birth

of

these

gods

(oYi,

nominative

masculine

lural,

must

efer

o

gods ).

c)

Thegods

were

born

f

Zeus.

It

is

very

llustrative

o

compare

this verse with

the

one

used

by

Hesiod nsimilar ircumstances,hat s, n theexposition ftheplanof

his

Theogony

106):

o'i

TFi yqvovtoKai

OUpavoOi

oTEPOEVTOq

those

hat

were

born

of

Earth

nd

starry

ky.

In

both

verses

there

s

a relative

pronoun

as

subject

referring

o

the

gods.

Bothverses

use the same

verb

sEyVvovro;

hat

s,

we

are

told

14

Cf.

ernab6

997.

15 On

iEpoi

6yot,

f.

Henrichs

003.

102




6/36

The

Derveni

heogony

about

he

origin

f

yEvoq.

n

both

erses

his

rigin

s

expressed

y

means f

genitive

dependent

n

kf-). herefore,

oth

alk

bout

he

originf hegods'y'voq.ButHesiod ses wo enitivesoordinatedy

Kai;

hat

s,he

talks

bout

couple,

heprimeval

ouple,

arth nd

Sky,

who

re

he

ultimate

rigin

f

he

gods'

escent.

Thus,

Orpheus

iffersrom

esiod

n

two

fundamental

spects.

The

first,

hat

he

does

not

mention

hefemale

artner

f

he

male

od

(neither

ere

nor

practicallyn

the

rest

f

he

preserved

oem).

he

second,

hat

eus

s

considered

s

the rigin

f

he

gods'

ypvoq,

ut

he

is

not

he

first

ivinity,

ince,

s we

will

ee,

he

is preceded

y

hree

generations:ight-Sky-Kronos.herefore,rpheus,ntheone hand,

breaks

he

inearity

f

the

story,

eginning

t

with

eus

rather

han

fromhe

irst

od,

nd

on

the

ther,

emakes

eus

ssume

n

ome

way

not

nly

heroles

f

king

nd

father,

ut

lso

hat

fmother.

1.3.Zeus'

Seizure

of

Power

It

eems

hat

mmediately

fter

he

previous

erse16

egan

he

ction

f

thepoem,marked

y

the

presence

f

pv emphaticum

OF

5).17

ZECb ihv

Ei

5~.

x[Tp6cb

o]

Tdpa

E[o]q


7/36

Alberto

ernabe

the

Apxrl

rom

ronos

n

two

enses,n

a

hierarchical

ne

he

becomes

the

first, hat

s, the

king

f

gods)

nd

also

in

a strictly

emporal

order,incemmediatelyftere sgoingogo back n ime,sweshall

see.

If

this nterpretation

eems

over-elaborate

refer o

OF

14.1-2,

where he

poet

makes

he

wo

enses

xplicit: Ei'q

tp

^oC

yvErto]

Zeus

was

born irst

nd

ZEbq

E


8/36

The

Derveni

heogony

...

to

prophesy rom

is

shrine19.

She

prophesied ll

that t

was

permitted

im

o

achieve,20

how hewouldholdthe ovely eat n snowy

lympus.21

Zeus'

purpose

in visiting Night

s

to

receive

from

her

certain

instructions,

hich

have

to

do

with he

way n

which

he

would seize

power. his

raises

two

questions.

One,

bout

the

content

f

the

predic-

tions,

nd

the other,

why

Night

olds

he

key

o

what

Zeus

has

to

do.

As

regards he

first uestion,

et

us

analyze

what

he

poet

says

bout

the

words

oldby

Night

o

Zeus:

a)

lritavrca

0 ol

8~ pt

qv &v6iao].Qat

all

that

t

was

permitted

im

to achieve. y meansoftheseswords, hepoet nsists n thefact hat

Zeus'

acts

are

licit.

The

topic s

already

Hesiodic.22

b)

'

&y

[XOl

a]Ta

KaxciV 6oqvty6EvroEOX6prnouv

how

he

would

holdthe

ovely

eat in

snowy

Olympus.

t

s

clear

that to

hold

the

seat

in

Olympus s

a

synonym

or

to

assume

power,

hus

the

sentence

literally

understood

does

not

seem

to

make

much

sense.

Zeus

has

already

eceived

he

power

from

is father

OF

5), ergo

e already

ccu-

pies the

seat of

Olympus. he

verb

onlymakes

ense

f

t

means

how

hewouldholdfor ver, owhe must ct norder okeep t.The advice

turns

ut

to

be

necessary f

we

take

nto

ccount hat

his

ancestors,

ky

and Kronos,

have

lost

it one

after

he

other.

urthermore,

he

proce-

dure by

which

Zeus

achieves

this

must

be

legitimate,

ince

the

ones

used

by

his

ancestors-castration

nd

cannibalism-were

ot.

For

that

reasontheydid not

achieve

their

purpose

of

holding

n to

power.

We

will

ee

later

what

procedure

s

used

by

Night.

As

regards

the second question,

t

is

obvious

that

Night

knows

thingsthatZeus does not. She is defined s rtavoP.tE


9/36

Alberto

ernab

b)

TravoppEiovoaU

who

knows

ll

the

oracles s

a

hapax.

t

defines

a

quality

roper

f

primeval

ivinity.

ight

xists lways,

ecause she

is beyond ime, heknows verythingrom hebeginningndhas the

key

o

the

aterdevelopment f

hings.23

c)

[OE v]

zpoOp6q

nurse

of

the gods

is

also

a quality

elonging

o

a

primeval

ivinity.

he

nurtures

nd

guides

the

various

gods

who

are

going

o ntervene

n

the

organization

nd

government

f

he

world.

However, e

see

that

Night

ives

n

an

Hi6uTov.

n all

the

ater

Orphic

literature24

ight's

6Hvsuovs

a

cave,

and

it

is

likely hat

t

is so

here

too.

Ifthis

s so,

t

s

a

space outside

he

social

world,

neither

n

earth

nor nthesky.Night s notrelated opower. heneverreigned erself,

since

her

on,

Sky,

s

the

first

o

reign OF

10.2

Oipav6q El6(ppovi5rlq,

q

7pntorlatO

pcraIXEUOEV).25

To

sum

up,

Zeus visitsNight

because

he

wants

to

know

how

he

should

ct

in

order

o keep power

nd

to

organize

he

world

ccording

to

the natural

rder f

things.

Night's

knowledge

f

thewholeprocess,

and

the fact hatZeus

goes

to

ask

her,

hows

that

Zeus

wants

o

follow

the

due

order

f

hings

without

mistakes.

Butthere s somethingmore.Thevisit oNight svery ffectives

a

literary

evice.

n

resorting

o

prophecy,

he

poet

also

insists

n

the

role

conferred

n

Zeus

as

the

center of

the

narrative,

s

we

shall see

later.26

11.5.

Kronos'

Prophecy

There

s

also

another

rophecy

ttributed

o

Kronos,

ut

we

know

nothing

bout

t,

ince

t

s

only lluded

to in a

verse

OF

7):

ZE'

PElv

nEi65Y

naccpb6qo

7tcpa.

0]o


10/36

The

Derveni

heogony

We

find

his

opic

also

in

the

Rhapsodies,27

ut

the

testimony

s

indi-

rect

nd

the

content

f

Kronos'

predictionss

unclear.28

II.6.Zeus'

Demiurgic

Act

Zeus

acts

in

accordance

with

the counsels

received

from

Night

nd

Kronos.His

demiurgic ct

is,

therefore,

dequate,

necessary,

nd

within

the

proper

rder

f

things.

In

OF

8

we

see

what

the

demiurgic

ct

entails.The

meaning

fthis

verse

has

been verymuch

discussed.29

aid5oov

KaCTEntvEv,

0aiOpa EXOPE

XO

oo.

He

ingested

he penis

of(...)

that

first

rocreated

he

ether.

The

relative

&9

s

masculine;

hus

ts

antecedent

annot

be aiSoiov

penis,

which s

neuter.30

he

name

of

the

possessorhad

to

be

in

the

previous

erse.

We have

to

ask

ourselves

whose penis

t

is and

where t

was,

but,

above

all,

what

s

Zeus'

purpose

n

swallowing

t.

As regards he first uestion,we believethatthepenis has to be

Sky's.

his

upposition s based

on

the

following

easons:

a)

In

fragment

2

appears

the phrase

npcoroy6voucaotX~w

di5oiou

of

he

penis

ofthe

first-born

ing.

b)

This

first-born

king

has

to

be

Sky,

cf.

OF

10,

06pavyb

E6ippovi~rlq,

p

ipciWtoqoGaGoi.EUGEv.

ight

s

the primeval

ivinity

and

she

is

not born,

because

she

always

xists. ky

s

her

son,

so,

ogi-

cally,

e

s

the

first

o be

born.

He

is

also

the

first

o

reign,

ecause

Night

27

Cf.Procl.

nCra.

7,

21

Pasquali

Kacy&p

p/ytorooq

p6voq

vcev

rh&q

rv

vojoEWov

apxaq

Ev5iwowa

C

StrllptoupyCt

ai

nloaraTETi qig

rlq

rlqpoupyicaq

16

Kai

6aipova

auit6v

6

ZEiq KaXEL

ap' Oppr

'5p0ou

6'

lTpeiprlv

EVEt ,

&plt5dKETE

aipov'

(OF

239),

Dam.

n

Prm.

70

(III

12.11

Westerink)

5x6i

E8

ai

Opqei

E

v

tro

Kp6vwL

tdi'r0

Tca& koaca

iq

oXr'

q

rjptoupyiaq,

f.

lso

Procl.

n

Ti. I

207.1

Diehl,

n

Alc.

103a

60

Segonds),

n

Cra.

62.6

Pasquali.

28

Casadesds

1995:296

onsiders

t ikely

hat

Night

ives

her

predictions, ut

that t

s

the

father ho

provides

he

demiurgic

rinciples.

29

Cf.Bernabe 002:105-112.

30 I dismiss he possibility hat aiSolov could be an adjective, or he reasons pointed

out

n Bernabe

002:106-107.

find

nconvincing

he

arguments

y

Brisson

003.

107




11/36

Alberto

ernab-

does

notreign.

ky

s

designed

y

matronymic,

gainst he

normal

patronymic

ecause e

has

no father.

c) InOF 0appearshe entence8 pay' PEEv n he ontextf he

transmission

f

power, ithout

oubt

n

allusion

o

Sky's astration.

d)

In

he

Hittite

ong

f

umarbi,

requently

uoted

s

a

precedent

f

this

Greek

myth,he

penis

f

Anu

that

s,

ky)

s

devourednd

he

god

who

wallowstbecomes

regnant.

e)

But,

bove

ll,we

should

ake

nto

ccount

he

estimony

ound

in

two

ther assages

f

he

papyrus:

Trotov

iv T6y

p6vov

EvoOact

rloiv

K

oO

HXiouvTt

fit,

zTI

izlav

oxE

aTO&vv Xi ov pO

aeUL JtpbO

aV.X4Tx.

Col.

XIV 2-3

OF

9)

So

Orpheus)

tates hat

his Kronos

as

born

o

Earth

y

the

un

i.e.

the

penis

f

Sky],

ecause

he

caused

the

le-

ments)

o

be

thrust

gainst

ach

ther

n

ccount

f

he

un.

Ev

ro~

ac[iSo1o].tq

p6v

T~iy

y

vEotv

TOiq

&vOpnTtou[q]

vo [Wiqo[vval

c

Uo6oTWI

praaccro,lvEu Try

yi

iwv

0[o

yiv]Eaoat,

ai56oiot

iKcaR(

TV

j0o[v]

Col.

XIII

8-10

He

used

this

verse,

ikening he

sun

to

a

genital rgan,

because

he

saw

that

people

hink

hatprocreation

esides

in

the

genital

rgans,

nddoes

not

rise

without

he

genital

organs.

Leavingside he tymologicallayswithKronos' ame,t s clear

that

he

ommentator

nterprets

ky's

enis,

wallowed

y

Zeus, s the

sun.

He

based

his

nterpretationn

the

nvigorating

haracter

f

he

sun,

which

an

be

compared

o

the

ole

played

y

he

genitals.

owever,

it

s

ikelyhat

e

was

nfluenced

y

hefact

hat

ky's

enis

must

ave

been

eft

n

pace fter

he astration.

ther,

n

ts

urn,

as

nterpreted

as

Sky's

jaculation.32

31

Cf. ernab6987:139-155;offner998:40-45 ith ibliography.

32Burkert999:82,f. urkert003:100 ho ompareshis ncident ith he gyptian

mythn

which tum

jaculates

hu,

omething

ike

right

ir,

f. lso

Bickel

994:72-83.

108




12/36

The

erveniheogony

Consequently,t

eems

robablehat

we

must ead

t

the

nd

f

he

previous erse

ither

pxtOoy6vou

3aoiXijo

r Obipavo3

aoTEp6EvTOq

(orE~


13/36

Alberto

ernab

We

will

develop

oth

deas

ater.

Now,

et

us continue

ith

he

story.

11.7.

lashback:

eferences

o

the Previous

tory

It

is

also

mportant

o

know

why

ky's enis

s

in space.

Because

f

that,

n

his

moment,

he

poet

esorts

o

a

flashback

o

tell

us

the

prior

events

hat

ed

to

the wallowing

f

hepenis.We

observehat

e

does

it

without

oing

nto

detail

nd

with reat

narrativepeed,

which

s

characteristic

f

he

whole

oem.

The

previous

tory

s

told

n

OF

10

and

11,

which robably35

ollow ne

another ithoutreak.

C% , 1,P'PE;Ev ..

Obpav

bEitppovi5frl,

&

p6ctla9ro

aaiXEUaEv,

SKroO

iq

Kp6voq

mGTt,

TEIT

pETiEra

Esi.

OF

10

pTi[y

Kacc4Kcp*

KcITaX]C-.y

r3cotiXx

l.[tv.

E.[...................].calvacr.[

El[

OF11

(Kronos)

ho

id

great

eed ..

Sky,

on f

Night,

e

whofirst

as

king.

From im

n

urn

came)

Kronos,

ndnext

was

contriver36

eus,

seizing

he

ontrivancend

kingly

onor

f

hegods

..... the

sinews...

Theprevioustoryncludeshefollowingacts:

a)

Kronos

did

a

great

eed to

Sky,

hat

s,

castrated

im,

s

is

shown y

Hesiod

Th.

81)

nd

the

unanimous

ythical

radition.

he

phrase

s

allusive

nd

t

seems

o

be

theonly

eferenceo

Sky's

astra-

tion n

the

whole

oem.

believe

his

o

be

so

because,

f

he

castra-

tion

were

made

xplicitn

nother

assage,

he

ommentator

ould

ot

interpret

he llusion

n

different

ense s

he

does

col.

XIV

-9):

35

Cf.

West

983:114.

36 West 983:85; crafty anko.

110




14/36


15/36

Alberto

ernab*

was

in

our

poem

nother

ame

for

Phanes.39

ut,

s I

have

pointed

out,40

hanes

oes

not

ppear n

the

Theogony

f

Derveni. owever,

he

interpretationfpfirTqsa commonoun sperfectly

cceptable.41

The

Orphic oet

reinterprets

n

a

rationalized

ay he

Hesiodic

swallowing

f

the

goddessMetis.

By swallowing

ky's

penis,

Zeus

assumes

he

necessary

it

o

reorganize

reation.

hus,

e

also

xplains

etymologically

oth he

pithet

Lrl-iuEaOF

10.3)

nd

the

verb

lorjoao

(OF

16.1-2),

which

efine

eus' activity.

I

wonder

f

he

poet

has also

etymologically

elated

r'ijoao

ith

pi

sEa

nderstood

s

a

synonym

f

ic5o0ov.

e

find xactly

he

nverse

procedurenOF 89 ealing ithhebirthfAphrodite:

p6SEaa

'

Eq

n

ayo

tnEV

66Ev, &ppi

trotio

XEUKoq

tthXCOUo1V

XiaYGE~O X

aVTOEv

qop6q

Ev

S

tptrMAolp~vcatq

patq

Evtaurrtq

5'tKEV

ntape~vov

aioi'rv,

KZX.

His

genitals

ell

n

he ea

frombove.

Around

hem,

as

they

were

loating

n

thewater,

hite

oam olled

fromveryide.

Later,

hen

he

ycle

f

easons

was

ccomplished,

Year

athered

a

venerable

aiden,

tc.

As n

the

Hesiodic

model

f

his

passage,42

here s

here

double

etymological

llusion.

n

the

one hand,Aphrodite's

ame

s

related

with

&pp6q

foam ;

n

theother

and,

he

epithet

i'oirl

s

explained

by

he

ircumstance

hat

he

goddess

ame

from

ky's

enitals

PiSEa,

understoodsa synonymusf i60iov).43

2)

But,

n

addition

o

the

fijtq,

eus

receives

thecontrivance

and

kingly onor

f

hegods, hat

s,

the

status

hat

llows

him

o

legitimately

se

thewithe possesses.

e

has,

herefore,

oth

plan

o

restructure

he

world

nd

he

legal

r

nstitutional

apacity

o

do

so.

39

West

983:88;

14.

40 Cf. I.6 bove and Bernab6 002:105-112.

41Cf. he onvincingrgumentationyBetegh004:113-115.

42 Hes. Th.188-198.Cf. ommentaryyWest o verses 154-210, 211-227.

43

Cf.

dwards

991:205-206.

112




16/36

The

Derveni

heogony

I

can

ay

nothing

bout

he ontinuation,

here

nly he

word

vaq

sinews

anbe

read.

ts

ustification

n

his

ontext

emains

bsolutely

enigmatico me.

The

digressionn

the orm

f

flashbackbout

he

vents receding

the

storys

concluded t

that

point

n ring-composition.4

he

poet

returns

o

the opic

f

he

wallowing

f

hepenis

n order

o

narrate

the

onsequences

fZeus'

osmic regnancy.

11.8. he

Flashback

Device

I

considert

pertinent

o

say

few

words

bout

he

rhetorical

evice

offlashback.s swellknown,t snotnew,ince heOdysseylready

began

n

medias

es,

oing

ack

from

later

oint

o tell

he

previous

story.

It s

nteresting

o

analyze

he

purposes

f

he

useof

his

rocedure

in

our

poem.

By

narrating

he

facts

n this

rder,

he

poet

urns

eus

into

he

highlighted

oint,

hefocus

f

narration.

eus

s the

center,

around

hich before

nd

n

after

onverge.

he

wo re

ymmet-

rical: he

before

s

the

equence

Night-Sky-Kronos,

ho arried

ut

thefirstrganizationf heworld,ndthe after stherecreationf

the

world.

Thispurpose

f turning

eus nto

he center

f

the

poem,

nd

correlatively,

lacing

im

n

center

f

he

universe

s

supported

y he

use

of

other

hetorical

evices.

he

poet's

eferenceo

Night's

redic-

tion

nsists

n

this

ole fZeus.

Thegod s the

entre

f

he

plot,

ince

he

resorts

othe

goddess

f

he

past

Night)

o

organize

he

future.

lso

the

hymn

o

Zeus

that

ppears

s

a

climax mphasizes

his

central

characterf hegod.But will eturnothis uestion.45

On

the

other

and,

we

could

find

n

this

echnique

f

narrating

way

f

conceiving

he

history

f

the

universe

hat

s

different

rom

theHesiodic

ne.

TheBoeotian

oet

presents

s

with linear istory.46

After

he

pening f

Chaos

nd

he

uccessive

eizure

f

power

y

ach

god

omes

eus'

reign,

nd

n

he

process

heres

not

ny

kind

f

going

44Betegh 004:131.

45

I.9

below.

46 Cf.Bernabe1990:72.

113




17/36

Alberto

ernab-

back.

Orpheus,

owever,

ffers

s

a

different evelopmental

model

of

the

history

f

the

world's

onfiguration

hich omprises

he

notion

of

return; t s a regressivemodel, s we shallsee later.Thenarration n

flashback

elps

create

his

mpression f

going

back.47

II.9.

The

Cosmic

Pregnancy

Zeus'

cosmic

pregnancys

described

n

a

fragment

f

four

verses

OF

12):

Ipoeroy6vov

aotXow

ic50dou,

Gt

'

ptFpa

rTE

dO6civaToI

poarpuvy

daKapE;OEOI

OClVII

Kal

oToaptol

ai

Kpivati po

Tiparoi

aaX

TE

7

.,

.oooa 6o'

v

yEyaGx',

cr6t

6'

l&pa

o.voý

EyEvro.

of

the

penis

of

he

first-born

ing.

And

on

himwere

gestated48

all

the

mmortals,

lessedgods

and

goddesses

the

rivers,

ovely

prings

nd everything

lse

thathad

then

been

born;

he

himself lone

became.

By

absorbing

he

mmense

enerating

apacity f

Sky'spenis,Zeus

becomes

pregnant

with

he

gods and

goddesses

that

would

have to

be

born

and

n

many

ases,

hat

would

have

to

be reborn).

hus

the

state-

ment

of

he

program

f

he

work

OF

4)

is

fully

onfirmed.

o]i'

Attb6

y.vovwo

InEppEEV]oqP3acoXlioq.

thosewho

were

born

ofZeus

the

almighty

ing

Zeus,

investedwithregal

sovereignty

nd pregnant with

the

world,

eturns

o

the origins

nd

restarts

he

history

f the

universe;

he

becomes

kind

of

universal

mother;'

who

is

going

o givebirth

o

the

gods

again,

but

not

only

o

them.

He

will

also

generate

he

rivers

47

t

would

be

hazardous

to affirm

hat

this

regressive

iew

could

be

related

to

the

Orphic dea,known romaterworks, ccording o which hesoulalso suffers cycleof

fall

nd

return.

48 Grew anko.

114




18/36

The

Derveni heogony

and

all

the

rest; hat

s,

he

restarts

ot only

he theogony,

ut

also

the

cosmogony.

Regrettably, e do not have in thepreservedpartofthe poem

any

allusion to

the way

in

which

the

worldwas

organized

the

first

time.

Maybe

this

topic

was

not

even

alluded

to

in

the work,

but

only

supposed.

However,

t seems

clear that

the

one

(Night)

ecame many

(since

Sky,

nd

presumably

arth

too,

were

born

of

her;

Kronos

and

probably

t

least

Rhea

too,

were

born

of

Sky

nd

Earth,

nd

finally,

f

Kronos

nd

Rhea

was

born,

t

least,Zeus).The

fact

s

that

with

he swal-

lowing

of

Sky's

penis,

now

the

driving

orce

f

evolution

s

a

foreign

activeprinciplehat eemstobe new:Zeus' ntelligencepifjtq).Ashas

been

mentioned

lready

II.8.),

the

evolution

s

regressive,

ince

the

many,

when

Sky'spenis

s

swallowed

y

Zeus,become

gain

one

in

the

god.

The

model

adopted

by

Orpheus

o

deal

with

he

topic

of

one and

many

s

similar

o

the

one

used

by

Empedocles.49

ut

the

difference

s

that

Empedocles'

model

is

cyclical the

return

rom

he

reign

of Love

to

that

of

Hate

and

vice

versa

s

not

stopped

ut

s repeated

gain

and

again),while

t

seems

clear that

for

Orpheus

eus'

regression ivesrise

toa situationhat s stabilized ater.Thefollowingerseclearly hows

this

circumstance,

t

the

same

time s

it

reveals

hat hisnew

creation

has

to

do

also

with

power OF

13):

viv

6'

oai]v

PatIXEUi[q]

ircvw[ov,

c C

c1aGz'

rEk]iza.

now he

is king

f ll

and

will

be

in

future.

The

poet

nsists

n

the

fact

hat

Zeus has

the

power

ver

the

whole

universe

nd

holds

it

forever.

he

distribution

f

divine

power

has

become

stabilized.

he

fights

or

power

have

finished

nd

the

definite

order

has been

achieved.

49 West1983:108, following suggestionby Burkertn a letter o him dated 31 July

1971.On therelationship etweenEmpedocles ndOrphism,f.Riedweg 995andon the

models

of

evolution

rom ne

to

many,

f.

Bernabe1998b.

Betegh

001 points out

simi-

larities

etween

mpedocles'

osmic

ycle

nd

the

plot

of

he

Derveni

heogony.

115




19/36

Alberto

ernabe

II.10.

The Climax

of the

Poem:

The

Hymn

to

Zeus

Wefindnthis oem brief ymnoZeus,50hich ives xpressiono

all

that

he

god

has

become

OF

4):

ZEi

t

pOto

yiVEto,EiU]

o'~ratoq

&apylKpauvoq

ZEWq

Eya[Xf,

ER

iEaO]oga,

tOq

EK

[TI]Wa&V

TXr[UKtaav

ZEiq VOtTEw

vrtV,

E

twdvrwav

TtXETo]

polpa

ZEt.

1

3aos64, ZEbl)

'

&pxq

artdvTovpytKipauvoq.

Zeus

was

born

irst,

eus

f

he

hining

olt

was

ast,

Zeus shead, eus scenter,llthingsrefromeus.

Zeus

s

the

reath

f

ll,

Zeus

he

Moira

f

ll.

Zeus

he

king,

eus uler

f

ll,he

of

he

hining

olt.

The

poet

nsists

n

Zeus'

central osition

n

the

organization

f

the

world.

ncehe

has

acquired

heknowledge

rom

ight

the

first

ancestor),

he

mmense

enerative

apacity

rom

ky

his

second

ancestor)

y

swallowing

is

penis,

nd

the

power rom

ronos

his

father),ehasbecomehe bsoluteenter. ehas oncentratednowl-

edgeand

power,

e

has

assumed

he

previous

istory

nd

tarted

he

later

history.

he

unity

f his

enter

f

four

erses

s

reinforced

y

a

formal

eature:he

use of

he

same

epithet pytKipauvoq

however

traditional,nd

not

very

ignificant

n

this

ontext)n

the

first

nd

n

the

ast

f

hem.

Zeus' central haracter

s

expressed

by

means

of

a

series

of

sentences.

n

the

first

erse, he hange f

ituations

defined,

arked

bytheverbywvEro.aradoxically,hechangeofsituationeadsto

two

opposite

tatements

np roq

ytVEro

..]

ioTraTO(

was

born

irst

...

last ).

n

the

other

hree

erses,

he

name

of

he

god,

epeated,

s

defined

y

a

series

f

ubstantives.

he

second

verse

persists

n

the

paradoxical expression

f

the

first

ne

(ZEiq

KE(pCa[l,

ZEiq

Pioc]qa

Zeus

s

head,

eus s

center ).

owever,he

ontradictions

redicated

of

Zeus

n

hefirst

wo

erses

reonly

pparent.

n

Zeus,

he pposites

50

Cf. he xpanded

ersions

uoted

by

the

author

f

De

mundo

OF

1)

andby

the

Neoplatonichilosophers

OF

43).

116




20/36

The

erveni

heogony

predicatedre harmoniously

ntegrated,

n a

form

f xpression

hat

reminds

s

of

ome

ormulations

y

Heraclitus.51

Tofinishhepurely ormalnalysis,t sworthaying ttention

to the

reiteration

f

the

adjective

all, '

hich

ppears

our

imes

2

[n]i]vTra,tavov

...

avdtov,

&rtdvzwv).lso

nverse

,

thechiasm

rtvoutl

avrwv

ZEb

Idvwa

v

...

poopa

stresses

gain

with

anaphoric

insistence

eus'

central

haracter.

Let

us

analyze

ach

of the

characteristics

hat re

attributed

o

Zeus:

a)

ZE%

ntpW-Toq

y'vEto,

ZEbq] ar1azoq.

eus

is

the

ast

in the gene-

alogyNight-Sky-Kronos-Zeus,uthe hasswallowedintegratednto

his

womb ) he penis

of

the

first-born,

ky.

He

becomes

regnant

with

he

whole

osmos nd

gestates

t

again.

With

his

oop

in

the

linearity

f

time,

eusbecomes

hefirst

od

of he

recreated

orld.

Thus

he

egressive

odel

f

he

poem's istory

f

he

niverse,

hich

I

discussed

arlier,

s

explicitly

ealized.

b)

ZEiCq

E(pa[XI,

E

ptao]qa,

eus

is

the

head

because

he

is

the

onewho

governs. owever,

y

aying

hat eus

s

also

enter,

rpheus

makesxpliciteus' entralosition,othn he oemnd n heworld

itself,o

which have

eferred

bove.

c) Atq6

'

K

[TI]rwa

O

UKZat.

he

verb

TE6XLw

eans

produce

by

work

r

rt,

specially f

materialhings

LSJ

1).52

he

perfect

arti-

ciple rTErylpEvoq

as the

value

well-wrought

LSJ

2).

Therefore,

according

o

the

poet,

he

world

s

thewell-made

andiworkf

Zeus,

resulting

rom

is

pfinq.

The

perfect

ense

emphasizes

he

stable

and

accomplished

esult f

Zeus' work.

e

in

his

turn

s the

divine

craftsman.hegod hat ormsheworldsthemost irectrecedentf

the

Platonic

emiurge,

powerful

riginal

dea

n

he

Greek

orld.

d)

[ZEUS

rvotq

nivrtwOV

Euq

tnVTWV

rXETro]oipa. Zeus

is

consid-

ered

s a

kind

frevitalising

reath

f he

world,

imilar

o

the

ir

of

Diogenes f

Apollonia

r

even

o Anaximenes'tip.

n

heother

and,

51Heraclit.r. 7MarcovichB 67 D.-K.) Eb'EL prp En(pp6vrl,Etjv 0 poq, t6xEpO

Eipqvrl,

6po0~

p6q

KTX.

52The reading rEX-at, roposed y Diels but f. chol.Galen. .363 p. Moraux

1977:22)

robably

rosefrom

n attempt

o

reinforce

he

contrast

etween

KE(pytXr

understoods principle

nd

he

dea

of end,'

f.

Magnelli994.

117




21/36

Alberto

emabe*

Zeus,

s

recreator

f

he

world,

as

in

himself

he

whole

lan

of

he

universe

nd, herefore,

e

knows

ts

fate.53

e) ZEi. aotlXE6iq,

Eib

6'

&px

b tndvwcThebriefhymn inishes

with

new

reference

o

Zeus'

absolutepower.

aatIXEq

nd

&pX6q

seem

o

be

synonyms,

ut

hey

re

not,

f

we

see

n

&px6R

perceivable

double

ense

etween

he

wo

enses

f

&pxo,

to

govern nd

to

be

the

first

in n order).

et

s

remember

hat

as

been

aid

bout

pxij

in

OF

5.

The

genitive

&rtvrwv,

hose ignificance

s

reinforced

y

he

reiteration

f

he djectiven

the

passage,

loses

his omprehensive

definitionf

he

god

s

the

beginning,

he

enter,

he

divine

raftsman

of heworld, ho ndisputablyovernsverhiscreation,hebreathf

the

universe,

nd

he

destiny

f

ll

things.

II.11.

The

Recreation

f

he world

We would

xpect hat

he

poet

had

included

kind

of

transition

between

he

hymno

Zeus

nd

he

reference

o

the

eappearance

f

he

gods

and

he

omponents

f

he

world,

iven

irth

y

he

god.

West54

sets

here

xempli

ratia

he

ast

verses f

he

Hymn

o

Zeus

nown

y

he

authorfDe

mundo:55

itavra

yap

Kp6acq

aqtu

O

pdoC

qnouyrlO

E

ipFijq

paScirl

VEVcyKccTO,

pPEpa

P(WV

after

e

hadhidden

hem

ll

away,

gain

nto

heglad

light

from

is

holy

eart

e

brought

hem

p,

performing

mighty

cts.56

However,he

commentator

oes

not

seem

very

much

nterested

in

most

f

he

details

f

the

recreation

ftheworld

y

Zeus,

nd

if

53

This

s

the

nly

ossible

eference

o

human

istory

n

the

whole

oem.

his

esig-

nation

as

odo

lso

with he act

hat eus

s

responsibleor he

rganization

f ime,

s

Calame

997:74

oints

ut.

According

o Alderink

981:28,

Moiras

an

attribute

f

Zeus

and

not

xternal

o him.

f.

lso Ricchiardelli

980,

asadesits

995:381-383,

ourdan

2003:80-82,

nd Betegh

004:200-202.

54West 983:115

55

OF31.

56 Translation yWest 983:90.

118




22/36

The

Derveni

heogony

these

same

verses,

r

others

imilar

o them,

xisted

n

the

poem

he

is

commenting

n,

he

chose

not

say

a

word

bout

hem.

Byrecreatingheworld nanorganizedway, eus ppears s a demi-

urgic

god,57 ho

has

ust

become

pregnant ith

he

whole

universe

nd

has

to give

birth

o

it again,

following

is

pfirtq.

It

seems that

he

bears

Aphroditefirst,

lthough

we

depend

on

indirect nd

not

very

xplicit uotations. y

all

indications,

e

does

it

by ejaculation, f

this

s

indeed

the meaning

we

have

to

apply to

the

strange

word

06pvr.58

'0opvrlt'

6~

XMy[ov] rlxoi

611t

v

rlt di&pl

KOchr'

lKp&

pEplaEtOPIva

KlVETO

Kai

O6pVUTO .. 'Appo6rl O pavia

KaLi

Eib

Kati (ppO6ooaIEV

Ka.i

6pVUO0at aL HrIEl0d

Kai

'Appovia

hcutumw'it

E

W1

6VOpca

EITza.

&Vyep

UVatKi

ploy6pevoq

a&ppo5taoli(Etv'

yEsTac

tai

qopTIv.

OF

15

col.

XXI

1-9

...

saying

by an

ejaculation 59

Orpheus)

eveals hat

the

elements),

divided

into

little

bits,

moved and

mounted

in theAir .. HeavenlyAphrodite, eus,Persuasion, nd

Harmony

re conventional

names

for

he

same

God.

A

man

uniting

exually

with woman

s

said

to

aphrodize, s

the

saying

oes.

It

is

without

doubt

Zeus

who ejaculates

the

goddess.

Aphrodite's

birth

has

to

be situated

t

the

beginning

f

recreation,

ince

t

s

neces-

sary o

have

a

god

responsible

or

exual

reproduction,

o

that

he

new

created

gods

can

have sexual intercourse.

ersuasion

nd

Harmony

would

be

personifications

f the

goddess'

retinue, imilar o

the

ones

we

find

n

Hesiod.60

57 Alderink981:30 efineshis ccount s a monistic'ccount n theorigin f he

world:'

On

the

creator mong

Orphics, f.

Guthrie

952:107-108,

lassen

1962:9-10,

Alderink

981:25-36,

arker

995:492.

58

About

6pvrl

f.

he

proposals

quoted

by Bernab6

002:118-119n132.

anko

002:40

reconstructs

he

fragment:

LZE~iq yEivcao]LtOPVqlJ

/ LIlEttjW

6']

L'ApPIOVIVIJ

TEKai]

LOUpavi1vAyppo5tlTqvj].

59West 983:91:anko(when eus)mounted:'

60 Cf.Hes. Th.201,where Epoq nd IpEpoq ppear.

119




23/36

Alberto

ernab

Later eus

undertakeshe

ecreation

f

he

est f

gods

OF

6):

pjioaro'

aci]

cridv

tr

Kca]

O6pavbv

ibpUiv

iUTCEpOEv,

pilarao

6'

KEaVOOPO

,

(aOVOqEUlpi)ovroq

ivaq

5'

EyKateSEO''AXXEwoiou

pyupo6ivEW,

`

o'

n-aa

Oa'Xaa[oa

He

contrived

he

Earth

nd

wide

ky

bove61

and

ontrived

hegreat

trength

f

wide-flowing

keanos,

he

puts

n

he

might

f

ilver-swirling

chelotis,

from

hich

ll

seas

came62

SkyndEarth ere orn eforeeus,nthe ameway sinHesiod,

but

now

hey ppear

gain eborn.

eus

tarts

gain

he

generation

f

the

universe

rom

he

beginning.

e

generates

lso

Okeanos

nd

the

primeval aters

hat

ustain

im,

ike

he

endons

ustain

he

body.

The

most

nteresting

hing

s

the

repeated se

here

nd

nOF

18)

of

the

verb

jcarrocontrived. '63

eus

ppears

s a

demiurge ho

makes

theworld

ccording

o

a

rational

lan,

rdered,

nsofar

s

it

s

precon-

ceived nd

ntelligent,

s

opposed

o

the

previous

ituation,

hich

was

supposedly ore chaotic,'ominatedyviolencenddisorder.eus'

creation

s a

nuova

reazione

maschile

intellettuale, 64r

better,

a

mental

ct

of

planning

nd

contriving,

nd

not

real

creationism. '65

s

we

know

eus

s

prTinEa

ecause

y

his

wallowing

e has

assumed

n

addition

o

the

power

f he

gods

his

wit

pTrlq F 1).

There

s

here

clear

tymological

elationship

ighlighted

y

he

poet.

Among

he

reserved

ragments

bout

he reation

f

he

world,

e

have

reference

o

the

generation

f

he

Moon

OF

7):

61 Myown ranslation.

62 Myown ranslation.

63 we find similar entence in Parm. 28 B 13 D.-K. tpcWTsoTovEv Epwrca EECv

ptriTOarTo

rcv

(cf.

West

983:109,

urkert

998:390n18)

ee also

B

38

ZEix

lPrETo

'pya,

etc. andJourdan 003:23n2.

64 ScaleraMcClintock988:143.

65 Tarin 1971:407n162 cf. his note to Parm. B 13). See also Burkert 968:102n16,

1969:3n7,1997:173, chwabl 1978:1330,RicciardelliApicella 1980:125-126and n82,

Casadestis

995:453.

120




24/36

The

erveni

heogony

]

aopEXl lq66

ii

oxxoiq

aivet

pEp6oTIE(t

'

&It

Tpova

yaiav.

equal-limbedMoon)...

who

hines or

many

mortals

cross

he

ndless

arth.

The

Moon

s

intimately

elated

o

time's

measuring

ince t

marks

a

basic

unit:

he

month.

o

Zeus

ntroduces

lso

n

his

creation he

chronological

rderingf

theuniverse.

he ogic

f

hingsmakes

s

suppose

hat e

would

lso

create

he

un

s

guarantor

f he ourse

f

the

years,

ut

his

s

usta

plausible

onjecture.

n

ater rphic

heogo-

niesTime ppears s characternthebeginningf he osmogony,ut

he

s

clearly

bsent

rom

urpoem.

II.12.

The

ncest

The

toryakes hen

curious

irectionOF

18):

a5z]r]&p

E]~ir

[6l v]ia

Atb[q

pi

pl]oar[o

pycr,

OE~XE

lrpbq

P

LXO1EvatCX

v

q6vq1r.

Butwhen hemind fZeushad ontrivedlldeeds67

Zeus

wished

o

unite

with is

mothern

ove.

The

first

erse

unctions

s

a

transition

o he

new

pisode,

o

which

thepoet

passes

with

his

usual

narrative

peed.

He

indicates hat

he

process

f

reationf heworld

s

closed the

djective adv]ra

ppears

again). he

whole

rocess

s

due

to

the

god's

ypptjv

nd

t

s

defineds

somethinghat

he

god

has intellectually

onceivedagain,

he

verb

pijoato).

The

econd

erse

ells

us

that

he

god

wants

ow o

unite

with is

mother.

lthough

e does

not

ayhername,

he

has o be Rhea,

s

in

the

common

radition.

urthermore,

hea

n

the

Rhapsodies

s

identi-

fied

with

emeter.68

n

the

commentary,

hea

s

also

dentified

ith

66 Perhaps e an ead withWest983:115) pEao60Ev]OOl.lEXqirtdTrl.

67 Myowntranslation.

68

Cf.

OF

206

'PEIr

r

Trpivoioaa,rtE Alt

E'ýXETO

lrtrlp, AqprpTp

y

yovE who

formerly

as

Rhea,

when

he was

Zeus'

mother,

he

became

Demeter.

121




25/36

Alberto

ernabe

Demeter

nd withMother

Earth,69

ut

we

do

not

know

whether

his

identification

s

due to

something xpressed n

the poem

or

is

ust

the

result f heanalyticwork fthecommentator.

We

have

to

observe

hat

f

Zeus

had

harbored

nside

of

him

all

the

gods

(OF12),

we

suppose

that

he had

also

harbored

his

mother. nd

f

he

had generated

ky

n

the

new

creation

f

the world,

we must

hink

that

Rhea

s either orn

of

Sky

or,

more

ikely, eborn

f

Zeus

himself.

In

spite

of

verything,

he

goddess

keeps

her dentity

nd,

even

reborn,

she

keeps

he

role

of

mother.

In

the

same way

that

Zeus,

by

swallowing

ky's

penis,

became

the

father fthe first od and thuswas able to restart he structure f

the

cosmos,

o

by

committing

ncestwith

his

mother,

e

becomes

his

own

son

and

succeeds

himself s

a

last

resort

o

stabilize

power.

Zeus,

by

uniting

with

his

mother,

reaks

the

cycle

of succession.

His

ances-

tors

had

lost

power

t

the

hands

of

theirrespective

escendants.7o

y

becominghis own

son,

Zeus

succeeds

himself

nd

avoids

the

conflicts

for

power

that

had

been

characteristic

f

the

first

reation.

o

he

also

definitively

eutralizes

he

distinction

etween

he

two phases

of

world reation.71

II.13.

An

xAbrupto

nding

The papyrus

nds

with

blank

sheet. The

last

verse

eft

s

withZeus'

intention

o

commit ncest.

t

is possible

that

the

poem

stopped

here

and

left

ther opics

onlyhinted

at,

some

of

them

as

fundamental

o

Orphic

eligion

s the

birth

f

Dionysos.

Equally

bsent

from

he

poem

is

the

combination

f

the

theme of

the world's

organization

with

hat

offate

nd

salvation, topic

characteristic

f

ater

Orphicworks.

It

is possible,

oo, that

the

poem

continued

nd

dealt

withone

or

more

of

these

topics,

ut

that

the commentator

as

not nterested

n

them.

However,

here

s

an argument

hat

makes

me

prefer he

idea

69 Cf. 01o. XII 7-10 rFS 6 Kai Mir~Trp ai 'Pfa Kai Hpf r a6ri .... Aprlprrlip86]

wvopldoerl

OTrEp

f

i

Mrtrrlp

Earth,

other,hea,

ndHera

re

he

ame

..

she

was

called

Demeter

ike

Ge Meter.

70

On therelationship etween he fight ordivinepower nd the attempts o altering

the

normal

ourse

f

enerations,

f.

ernab6

989.

71

Calame

997:74.

122




26/36


27/36


28/36

The

Derveni

heogony

demiurge

f

he

econd

nd

definitive

orld

reation,

hich

ollows

rational

rinciples.

It s tothis entralurposehat he est f he lementsnthe tory

are

subordinated.

s

for

he previous

tory,

t

does

not

seemto tell

anything

bout

how

he

first

ods

re

born, or o give

details

bout

how

he

fight

or

ower

rose mong

hem,

ven

he

presence

f

he

female artners

f

the

different

ods

s

presupposed

ut

t

s

never

alluded

o.

Asregards

he

ubsequent

pisodes

f

he

tory, hich

eal

with he

rdered

reation

f he

world

nd he ncest

ith

he

mother,

they

re

only

lluded

o. The

eventual

ontinuation

f

the

world's

creation, ionysos' irth,rtheorigin fmenhaveno place nour

story

ither.

III.2.

Zeus,Center

f

the

Poem

ndof

he

World

The

most

nteresting

hing

s

that

he

Derveni

heogony

resents

eus

as

the

enter

f

oth

he

poem

nd

heworld.

et

s

sum

p

the

ways n

which

hese

deas

re

xpressed:

a) Already

n

he

plan

f

he

work

OF )

the

im

s

to

tell

he

tory

of hegods orn fZeus, otof ky ndEarth,s nHesiod.

b)

The

story

egins

precisely

when

Zeus

seizes

power

nd

the

strength

fhis

father

OF

).

c)

Zeus isits

ight

the

irst

ncestor,

F

),

receives

he

predictions

of

his

father

OF

),

nd

wallows

hepenis

f

his

grandfather

OF

).

So

he

gathers

rom is

ancestors

nformation,

trength,

nd

the apacity

to

generate,

n

ddition

o

the

pqirt

nd

he

tpirj

f

he

ods.

d)

He s

the

king

f

verything

n

the

present

nd

n

thefutureOF

13)and nsomeway,nthepast oo, incehereturnsothe px'i.His

power,

ymaking

loop

n

time,

ecomes temporal.

e)

The

fundamental

osition

n

the

poem s

occupied

y he

brief

hymn

hat

ummarises

is

characteristics.

everal hetorical

evices

(e.g.

flashback)

ighlight

his

centrality

f

hehymn

tself.

f)

Zeus

onverts

any

gain

nto

ne

nd

he

generates

any gain.

Thus,

e s

a kind

f

harmonization

f

ontradictions

a characteristic

that

eminds

f

Heraclitus'

ormulationsf

he

divine).

o he

s thefirst

and he ast, ead nd enter.

125




29/36

Alberto

emabe*

g)

In

ater

versions

f

the

hymn

e

is

said to

be

bothmale

and

a

young

woman v6i


30/36

The

Derveni

heogony

to

this

ne

the

old

Homeric

ymns,

n

the

one

hand

nd,

n the

other,

the

so-called

rpheus'

estament,

eally

late

Epboq

6yoq

ritten

y

hellenizedews.77nfact,he ommentatoralls t hymn, 78hereas

Janko79

refers

o

consider

t

iepb6q

yoq.

Despite

ts

hort

ength,t

points

ut n

nuce

ome

lements

hat

will e

further

eveloped

n

ater

oems:

a)

Night

s

the

first

eing

nd

the

beginning

f

verything.

b)

The

rder ky-Kronos-Zeus

s

thenucleus

f

he

ivine

enealogy

that eads

o

the

present

rder

f

hings.

c)

Againsthe

inearity

f

he

Hesiodic

reation,

n

this

poem,

he

process eturnso theorigin,inceZeusswallowsky'spenisand

becomes

regnant

o

recreate

he

world.

Maybe

he

poet

ntends

o

create

hereby

kind f

cyclicalmodel

f

the

alternation

f

times8o

placing

imself

n

a

problem

referred

y

osmogonicoets nd

preso-

cratic

hilosophers:

he

lternative

etween

ne

nd

many.

his

yclical

model ould

e

also

consistent

ith

he

Orphic

message

ccordingo

which

he

ouls

have o

go

through

ertain

yclical

eriodsn

order

o

achieve

heir

efinitive

alvation;

owever,

his

s

merely

possibility.

Both deas the yclicalmodel f ime elatedotheproblemf nevs.

many,81

nd

he

nterestn

he alvationf

he

ouls)

oexist

n

he

work

ofEmpedocles,

n

author

ho

had

strong

nfluence

n

Orphic

models.

d)

Zeus

s

thedemiurge

f

he

universe,

onceiveds

a

well-done

and

finished

ork f

rt.

e)

Zeus

s

considered

he

center

f verything,

eginning

nd

end,

male nd

female,

reath

ndfate

f

ll

beings.

f)

Zeus

ommits

ncest

with is

mother.

Theschemabecomesmorecomplicatednlater heogonies,n

which

more pisodes

re

addeduntil

hey each

he

greatestength

n

77 Cf.Riedweg 993.

78 According o Tsantsanoglou's reconstruction f the col. VII 2 {S]Pvovy'by].ýKal

OEp

t].&

yo[vta

(cf.

Tsantsanoglou

997:95).

Most

1997:125

alls

t

an

Orphic

hymn.

On

the

difficulties

f

his

proposal,

f.

Betegh2004:135-138.

79

Janko

986:158.

80 Cf.Bernabe 990.

81

Cf.Bernabe 1998b. dentifying eus withMind, he commentatorriesto combine

the

religious

rphic

octrines

with

philosophical

nes

as

Anaxagoras'

or

nstance).

127




31/36

Alberto ernabe

the

Rhapsodies,

poem

with

systematic

lan

nd

whose

ength

an

be

compared ith

hat

f

he

liad.

Therewas,however,noldOrphicheogony,nalternativeothe

one appearing

n

the

Derveni

apyrus,

n

which

he

central

pisode

was

the

reation

f

cosmic

gg

nhabited

y

Eros,

which

will

be the

origin

f

he

world. uch

cosmogonys

alluded

o

by

Aristophanes

and

probably

y

Euripides.82

lready

n

the

theogony

yHieronymus

and

Hellanicus

nd

ater

nthe

Rhapsodieshere

s a

coalescence

f he

theogony

f

Nightnd

the

ne

of

he

gg.

The ituation

s

summarized

in

the

able

n

the

ollowingage.83

Eudemus'heogonyries oconciliateheOrphicheogony ith

the

Homeric

ne,

which onsiders

keanos

nd

Thetis

s

parents

f

he

generation.84

his

olution

ill

nothave

ontinuity,

nd

he

lternative

proposal

yHieronymus

nd

Hellanicus,

nwhich

heprimevallement

was

water,

ill

ot

have

teither.

In theRhapsodies

he

different

revious

osmogonic

raditions

re

included.

ollowing

he

model

by

Hieronymus

nd

Hellanicus,

he

Firstborn

s

dentified

ith

heEros

orn

f

he

egg.

This

haracter

s

also dentifiedithMetis,norder oapproximatehe wallowingf

Phanes

with

heone

of

Metis

n

Hesiod

nd so

explain

n

a

different

wayZeus'

pithet

Trrisca.

hile

n

the

Derveni

heogony

eus

swal-

lowsthe

penisof

the

firstbornky,

n

Hieronymus

nd

Hellanicus'

version,

ollowedy

he

Rhapsodies,

e

swallows

he

Firstborn

imself.

The

effects

re

the

ame:

he

cosmic

regnancy

nd

therecreation

f

the

world.

III.4.TheRoleof heCommentator

On

the

other and,

he

xegesis

f

heir

wn

exts

s

characteristic

f

theOrphics.85ur

ommentator

s

a

good

xample

f

t.

n

his

ownway

he

tries

o

make

rogress

ithin

he

perimeterset

by

he

poet

himself.

82 Ar.Av. 90-702, . Hypsip. r. 58a.1103-1108Kannicht, ho mentions he first-born

and

Night.

83 Cf.Bernab6 003.

84

II. 14.201.

85 Cf. 1.Men. 1a,quoted n I.1 above.

128




32/36

TheDerveni

Theogony

129

COSMOGONIES

OF

THE

NIGHT

COSMOGONIES

OF

THE

EGG

Hieronymus-

Derveni

Eudemuss6

Aristophanes 7

Hieronymus

Rhapsodies

Hellanicus

Water

(Primeval

Night)

Night

Night

Chaos-Night

Time

Time

Aether/Chaos

Aether/Chaos

Egg

Egg88

Egg

Eros

Phanes

Phanes

Sky

Sky/Earth

Sky/Earth

sky/Earth

Kronos

Kronos

Kronos

Kronos/Rhea

Z

Documents

Bernabé, Alberto_The Derveni Theogony. Many Questions and Some Answers_HSPh, 103_2007!99!133