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The Orphic Argonautica or Argonautica Orphica (Ancient Greek : Ὀρφέως Ἀργοναυτικά) is a Greek epic poem dating from the 4th century CE. [1] It is narrated in the first person in the name of Orpheus and tells the story of Jason and the Argonauts. It is not known who the real author is. The poem is found in manuscripts either on its own or together with the Orphic Hymns and other hymns such as the Homeric Hymns and those of Proclus and Callimachus. The poem was lost, but in the fifteenth century it was found and copied in a manuscript (Codex Matritensis gr. 4562) by the Neoplatonic Greek scholar Constantine Lascaris, who is considered a Pythagorean Orpheus. [2] Another related work is the Lithica (describing the properties and symbolism of different stones).
The narrative is basically similar to that in other versions of the story, such as the Argonautica of Apollonius Rhodius, on which it is probably based. The main differences are the emphasis on the role of Orpheus and a more mythological, less realistic technique of narration. In the Argonautica Orphica, unlike in Apollonius Rhodius, it is claimed that the Argo was the first ship ever built.
A nymph is a minor female nature deity in ancient Greek folklore. Distinct from other Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature; they are typically tied to a specific place, landform, or tree, and are usually depicted as maidens. Because of their association with springs, they were often seen as having healing properties; other divine powers of the nymphs included divination and shapeshifting. Nymphs, like other goddesses, were immortal except for the Hamadryads, whose lives were bound to a specific tree.
Rhea or Rheia is a mother goddess in ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Titan daughter of the earth goddess Gaia and the sky god Uranus, himself a son of Gaia. She is the older sister of Cronus, who was also her consort, and the mother of the five eldest Olympian gods and Hades, king of the underworld.
In Greek mythology, Phineus or Phineas, was a king of Salmydessus in Thrace and seer, who appears in accounts of the Argonauts' voyage. Some accounts make him a king in Paphlagonia or in Arcadia.
In Greek mythology, Euphemus was counted among the Calydonian hunters and the Argonauts, and was connected with the legend of the foundation of Cyrene.
In Greek mythology, Erato is one of the Greek Muses, the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. The name would mean "desired" or "lovely", if derived from the same root as Eros, as Apollonius of Rhodes playfully suggested in the invocation to Erato that begins Book III of his Argonautica.
In Greek mythology, Oileus or Oïleus was the king of Locris, and an Argonaut.
In Greek mythology, Nyx is the goddess and personification of the night. In Hesiod's Theogony, she is the offspring of Chaos, and the mother of Aether and Hemera (Day) by Erebus (Darkness). By herself, she produces a brood of children which are mainly personifications of primarily negative forces. She features in a number of early cosmogonies, which place her as one of the first deities to exist. In the works of poets and playwrights, she lives at the ends of the Earth, and is often described as a black-robed goddess who drives through the sky in a chariot pulled by horses. In the Iliad, Homer relates that even Zeus fears to displease her.
In Greek mythology, Laothoe can refer to the following women:
Orphism is the name given to a set of religious beliefs and practices originating in the ancient Greek and Hellenistic world, associated with literature ascribed to the mythical poet Orpheus, who descended into the Greek underworld and returned. Orphics revered Dionysus and Persephone. Orphism has been described as a reform of the earlier Dionysian religion, involving a re-interpretation or re-reading of the myth of Dionysus and a re-ordering of Hesiod's Theogony, based in part on pre-Socratic philosophy.
In Greek mythology, Aether, Æther, Aither, or Ether is the personification of the bright upper sky. According to Hesiod, he was the son of Erebus (Darkness) and Nyx (Night), and the brother of Hemera (Day). In Orphic cosmogony Aether was the offspring of Chronos (Time), and the brother of Chaos and Erebus.
In Greek mythology, King Cyzicus or Kyzikos was the ruler of the Dolionians, a tribe that inhabited the southern shore of the Propontis. He gave his name to a city of the same name, Cyzicus, his capital.
In Greek mythology, Orpheus was a Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet. He was also a renowned poet and, according to the legend, travelled with Jason and the Argonauts in search of the Golden Fleece, and even descended into the underworld of Hades, to recover his lost wife Eurydice.
Phlias or Phlius or Phliasus was the son of Dionysus and Chthonophyle in Greek mythology. A native of Araithyrea in Argolis, he is mentioned as one of the Argonauts.
In Greek mythology, the name Chthonia may refer to:
In Greek mythology, Phalerus or Phalereus (Φαληρεὺς) may refer to the following characters:
In Greek mythology, the name Laodocus or Leodocus (Λεωδόκος) may refer to:
In Greek mythology, the name Dolops may refer to:
In Greek mythology, Philyra or Phillyra was one of the 3,000 Oceanids, water-nymph daughters of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys.
In Greek mythology, Idmon was an Argonaut seer.
In Greek mythology, Phalerus was the son of Alcon from Athens. He is counted among the Argonauts.