Orphic Hymns - Western Tradition Classics and Interpretations

Author: Wu Yaling
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: The compiler introduces readers to an ancient sect in the traditional cultural genealogy of ancient Greece through this book: the "Orphic Mysteries." It is a sect as old as, or even older than, the Homeric-Hesiodic tradition (general scholars tend to believe that the Homeric-Hesiodic poetic tradition is a political religion, while the Orphic Mysteries seem to resemble what is now called "folk" religion). It integrates poetry, religious doctrines, and religious life practices. The compiler has collected and organized various documents, compiling "The Orphic Mysteries: Legends and Doctrines," which is one part of this book; followed by the complete Chinese translation of the surviving "original texts" of the Orphic Mysteries, which have been carefully verified; the final appendix translates two research papers to help readers get a general understanding of the recent developments in Western classical scholarship on this issue.