ORPHICA II. THE HIERONYMAN THEOGONY

Abstract

The Orphic “theogony of Hieronymus and Hellanicus” is known thanks to Athenagoras (2nd century) and Damascius (6th century) and our informants approach the text of the theogony in very different ways. Athenagoras reads it literally, thus seeking to show all the immorality of Orphicism, whereas Damascus, in typical Neoplatonic fashion, understands it allegorically and uses it to illustrate his own theological position. We do not know who Hieronymus and Hellanicus are, but the theogony told in their name is remarkable, unique in many respects, and appears as a kind of transitional type between the early Orphic theogony and the later Rhapsodic theogony. This is achieved, above all, by expanding the number of entities involved in the story. Whereas the early theogonies usually began with the figures of Night and Oceanus with Tethys, they are now preceded by Chronos. In addition, in Hieronymus and Hellanicus (if Athenagoras uses only one source) and then in the Rhapsodies, Dionysus appears in the theogony, completing the genealogy of the gods: having copulated in the form of a serpent with Demeter, Zeus gives birth to Persephone, who, also in union with Zeus, becomes the mother of Dionysus. In this article we offer the reader an analytical reading of the extant fragments of this version of Orphic theogony, providing them with a detailed commentary.