HERMES AND ORPHEUS

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10 Apr 2024

HERMES AND ORPHEUS

Hermes

According to Pierre Grimmel, Hermes is the illiterate son of Zeus and Maya, the nymph of Mount Cyllene in Arcadia. He was born in a cave. However, he gained fame as the thief of Apollo's herd, which consisted of 100 cattle, 12 cows, and 1 bull. After this incident, the invention of the Pan flute is attributed to Hermes. He made the flute from the shell and intestines of a tortoise. Beyond this frame of thought, Hermes is the messenger of Zeus. After the incident with Apollo's herd, Zeus rewarded Hermes and made him his personal messenger. Hermes is depicted with his caduceus staff, winged sandals, and hat. According to Grimmel, in addition to Zeus, Hermes also serves as a messenger to Hades and Persephone.

Hermes is the god of many concepts such as travel, roads, writings, diplomacy, and language. He is the initiator of many things in the world because he is the embodiment of the great power of Zeus. Zeus's grace reaches the Earth through Hermes. He mediates conflicts among many Olympians such as Ares and Giants, Demeter and Hades, Odysseus, and so on, under the observation of Zeus; he is the invisible intervener in events.

Orpheus

Orpheus has many reflections on Earth; shepherd, musician, poet, demigod, prophet, hero. He is the son of Oeagrus (according to some, Apollo) and Calliope, a priestess of Dionysus. According to Homer's writings or hymns, Orpheus's date of birth is not clear. Written sources date him back to the 6th century BCE. His music has an effect on all of nature (even animals and stones). He can tame and domesticate animals and communicate with them through his enchanting and inspiring music.

The beginning of the Orpheus myth is chronologically uncertain. However, some philosophical systems in Greece are attributed to him, so his development is concluded in the light of these studies.

He was one of the Argonauts who set out in search of the Golden Fleece. He helped the Argonauts have a safe journey away from many sea creatures. Orpheus helped calm one sea creature and also put the dragon guarding the Golden Fleece to sleep. His grace comes from his ability to play the lyre and sing.

Orpheus is famous for the myth of Eurydice. Eurydice, Orpheus's wife, is a graceful nymph he admires. "One day, Pan (disguised as Aristaeus, a beekeeper) follows Eurydice in the forest and chases her. While trying to escape from Pan, Eurydice is bitten by a snake on her heel, dies, and descends to the underworld. Orpheus feels great pain in his heart and life. He cannot continue living without her. Thanks to the grace of the gods, Orpheus intends to go down into the cave to find her and bring her back. He manages to convince Hades (the king of the underworld and leader of the dead) about it. Hades will allow the girl to return to the world on one condition. Orpheus will not turn back until he comes out of the underworld, asking, "Is Eurydice there and is she following him?" Orpheus cannot be sure if Eurydice has come out of the underworld and unintentionally turns back to check if she is following him. Eurydice disappears. Orpheus's hands remain empty.

After that, two different stories are told about what happened to Orpheus. The first is the story of Thracian women catching and tearing him apart because they did not allow themselves to approach Orpheus. In this version of the story, Orpheus's head is thrown into the river by women so that he can still make prophecies in that river. In another important story, it is mentioned that these women are the Bacchae of Dionysus and are under his command.

Origins of Orpheus

The origins of Orpheus or Orphism date back to Dionysus and even Ancient Egypt. The Egyptians have very similar concepts regarding health, music, and mysteries. Dionysus is considered to be associated with ancient mysteries and Bacchus ceremonies. There are almost no written sources about Orpheus. However, his hymns come from the heart and are found in Homer's epics and works. It is quite difficult to say whether Hermes influenced Orpheus's work or vice versa.

Hermes and Orpheus are both pioneers of the messenger attributed to them by the gods. In Orphic myths, Hera envies Zagreus - the divine child of Zeus - and incites the Titans against this child who may establish Zeus's possible lineage. The Titans shred Zagreus except for his heart. Zeus protects this heart and places it in the heart of his son, Dionysus. Therefore, the connection between Orpheus's head and Zagreus's heart arises from their belonging to the divine plan. Orpheus's prophecy is a continuation of Dionysian myths and occult teachings. The same wise source follows from Zeus to Zagreus; from Zagreus to Dionysus. As a follower of Dionysus, Orpheus relayed the words of wisdom and knowledge.

Hermes is the messenger of the wisdom born from Zeus. He is responsible for conveying the wisdom necessary to put the world in order. He appears in the role of an intermediary in different myths because Zeus must maintain his order for Gaia (Mother Earth) to remain balanced. Thus, Hermes takes on the role of Zeus's hand. He informs people/gods and helps them live together, which is his role as a peacekeeper. Orpheus also takes on the role of reconciling nature and humans. They have different tools, but they have the same mission. While Orpheus plays his lyre and sings, indirectly reminding people of the universal order and harmony hidden in nature, Hermes indicates the order and sometimes seems to distort the truth, intervening in events to change their course and try to help people. Both try to fulfill Zeus's words as representatives of wisdom.

Another common point between Hermes and Orpheus is that they both have a psychopompic character. An example of this is Orpheus bringing his wife out of the underworld and Hermes accompanying Odysseus while he enters the underworld. Therefore, they are both guides to the human soul. They indicate the path of wisdom in the earthly realm.

Orpheus's Philosophical System

The early stages of the Orpheus myth are based on Argonautica, the adventures of Jason and the Argonauts in the 4th century BC. As Broquet points out, Orpheus is seen both in Ovid's Metamorphoses (8th century) and Virgil's Georgics (23 BCE). The general concept of Orpheus is that he is the founder of Mysterical schools or Hellenic Mysterical Schools. His philosophy is deep thinking through music and forgotten mysteries about nature. Orpheus is a human reflection of Dionysus.

From a divine perspective, Orpheus has another form. Today, it is thought that Orpheus brought the Greek tradition of mythology that we know today. He left many teachings related to the origin of the universe and associated with Ancient Greek traditions. Therefore, his teaching is still considered one of the most mysterious and profound teachings. Orpheus strives to find a way for humanity to touch the unseen side of nature through music and mysteries in his hymns. Generally, Orphics settled in small communities and led an ascetic and mystical way of life. Orpheus not only provided peace and harmony for animals and plants but also enabled humans to live much better and harmoniously compared to all other living beings by making them more civilized and conscious.

Influences of Orpheus on (Approximate) Contemporaries

Many famous Greek philosophers and poets were influenced by Orpheus's approach to nature and cosmogony. Novalis (German Romantic writer and philosopher) says, "an intelligent poet is always a priest." Orpheus is the best example of this quotation. The influence of Orpheus reached the works and thoughts of Heraclitus, Plato, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Pindar (Ancient Greek poet 522-443 BCE), and Pythagoras. Pythagoreans, famous for their music and vegetarianism in Greece, who prove the mysteries of numbers, are followers of Orpheus. Plato's book, Timaeus, refers to Orphic rituals.

Homer, Hesiod, and Pindar repeatedly mention Orpheus in their writings and refer to his myths and especially his hymns. It is believed that Orpheus's mastery of hidden teachings came from Ancient Egypt. Broquet says that Orpheus conveyed his teaching in Ancient Egypt and brought this tradition to Greece.

Effects of Orpheus throughout History

He is considered the founder of Greek Theology and is credited with influences on Christian Gnosticism. The Renaissance gained momentum because in this period, each work was portrayed symbolically. The inner meanings of great works were filled with ancient texts and wisdom.

Greek philosophers consider Hermes as an embodiment of an idea, "logos," in human form. He has become the symbol of heavenly knowledge and wisdom. The Egyptians revered Thoth, another reflection of Hermes in Egypt, as sacred. Thoth is considered the creator of writing, communication, knowledge, etc. in the pantheon.

In the Middle Ages, Orpheus myths were repeatedly told as moral stories and allegories. With the help of the richness of ancient texts, Marsilio Ficino began to awaken the spirit of Humanism, also under the influence of the translation of the Corpus Hermeticum. Therefore, the influence of Hermetism began to increase rapidly. Ficino had a great interest in Orpheus and brought his ideas back to life. Marsilio Ficino first translated Orpheus's Hymns.
Hermetism dominated Europe for 200 years and thus remembered by 18th-century artists. The influences of Hermetism and Orphism are encountered in the poetry of 18th-century poets such as Rilke, T. S. Eliot, and Pierre Emmanuel.

References:
Eliade, M. History of Religious Beliefs and Ideas 2 & 3. (Histoire Des Croyances Et Des Idees Religieuses II - III). Kabalcı Publishing. 2003.
Apiryon, T. Orpheus. Ordo Templi Orientis.1995
Taylor, T. The Mystical Hymns of Orpheus.
Broquet, A. The Rediscovery of Orpheus during the Renaissance.
http://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Hermes.html
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/655359/Zagreus

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