Greek Alphabet: Unlock the Secrets
  • Home
  • The Greek Alphabet Song
  • Free Mini-Poster
  • About the Author
  • Hymns of Orpheus Translations
  • Learn about Alpha: A (1)
  • Learn about Beta: B (2)
  • Learn about Gamma: Γ (3)
  • Learn about Delta: Δ (4)
  • Learn about E Psilon: Ε (5)
  • Learn about Wau: Ϝ (6)
  • Learn about Zeta: Ζ (7)
  • Learn about Heta: Η (8)
  • Learn about Theta: Θ (9)
  • Learn about Iota: Ι (10)
  • Learn about Kappa: Κ (20)
  • Learn about Lambda: Λ (30)
  • Learn about Mu: Μ (40)
  • Learn about Nu: Ν (50)
  • Learn about Ksi: Ξ (60)
  • Learn about O Micron: Ο (70)
  • Learn about Pi: Π (80)
  • Learn about Qoppa: Ϙ (90)
  • Learn about Rho: Ρ (100)
  • Learn about Sigma: Σ (200)
  • Learn about Tau: Τ (300)
  • Learn about U Psilon:Υ (400)
  • Learn about Phi: Φ (500)
  • Learn about Chi: Χ (600)
  • Learn about Psi: Ψ (700)
  • Learn about O Mega: Ω (800)
  • Learn about Parakuisma: ϡ (900)
  • Contact

Buy Greek Alphabet: Unlock the Secrets on Amazon

Greek Alphabet: Unlock the Secrets 
by Catherine R. Proppe

Go to Amazon.com

Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae, XI. 478

2/5/2014

0 Comments

 
Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae, XI. 478

This hard-to-find-on-the-internet passage, which lists items that are taken from the shrine and distributed to initiates can be found at the link below.

This Loeb translation is, however, 1) slightly less than perfect and 2) leaves the metaphorical meaning unexplored.

I hope to correct those two things in this post.

Find here: http://books.google.com/books?id=Gt2La98uWbkC&pg=PA46&lpg=PA46&dq=he+takes+out+the+contents+of+the+shrine+and+distributes+them+to+all+who+have+brought+round+their+tray.+The+latter+is+an+earthenware+vessel&source=bl&ots=3RY2EIKq7B&sig=tsT-XSfdJw0slMhi8sht45bUMO0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=UHHyUpzhNtPksASosYKYCQ&ved=0CCYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=he%20takes%20out%20the%20contents%20of%20the%20shrine%20and%20distributes%20them%20to%20all%20who%20have%20brought%20round%20their%20tray.%20The%20latter%20is%20an%20earthenware%20vessel&f=false

The Loeb translation is below:

Kotylos speaks: “Polemon, in the treatise On the Sacred Fleece, says: ‘After these preliminaries (the priest) proceeds to the celebration of mystic rites; he takes out the contents of the shrine and distributes them to all who have brought round their tray. The latter is an earthenware vessel, holding within it a large number of small cups cemented together; and in them are sage (ὄρμινοι), white (λευκοί) poppy-seeds (μήκωνες), grains of wheat (πυροί) and barley (κριθαί), peas (πισοί), vetches (λάθυροι), okra-seeds (ὦχροι), lentils (φακοί), beans (κύαμοι), rice-wheat (ζειαί), oats (βρόμος), compressed fruit (παλάθιον), honey (μέλι), oil (ἓλαιον), wine (οἷνος), milk (γάλα), and sheep’s (ὄιον) wool (ἔριον) unwashed (ἄπλυτον).”

The list of items taken from the shrine and placed in the initiates’ multi-cupped tray, in Greek, are:

ὄρμινοι,

μήκωνες λευκοί,

πυροί,

κριθαί,

πισοί,

λάθυροι,

ὦχροι,

φακοί,

κύαμοι,

ζειαί,

βρόμος,

παλάθιον,

μέλι,

ἓλαιον,

οἷνος,

γάλα,

ὄιον ἔριον ἄπλυτον.

-       1. sage (ὄρμινοι)

-       2. white (λευκοί) opium/opium-poppy seeds (μήκωνες)

-       3. wheat (πυροί)

-       4. barley (κριθαί)

-       5. peas (?); more likely: pitch, tar, resin (πισοί)

-       6. vetches (λάθυροι)

-       7. okra-seeds (?); more likely: sweet-peas, Cyprus-vetch (ὦχροι)

-       8. lentils (φακοί)

-       9. beans (κύαμοι)

-       10. zea (ζειαί)

-       11. oats (βρόμος)

-       12. cakes of preserved fruit (παλάθιον)

-       13. honey (μέλι)

-       14. olive-oil (ἓλαιον)

-       15. wine (οἷνος)

-       16. milk (γάλα)

-       17. sheep’s (ὄιον) wool (ἔριον) unwashed (ἄπλυτον)

These food-items could be metaphors for other meanings:

-       1. ὄρμινοι:  starting-point, stimulant

-       2. μήκωνες: lengthen, prolong, long, length

-       3. πυροί: fire, pure

-       4. κριθαί: decision, judgment

-       5. πισοί: trust, believe, put faith in

-       6. λάθυροι: secret

-       7. oὦχροι: pale, wan, pallor

-       8. φακοί: bearing (φα) + kore (κοί)

-       9. κύαμοι: pregnant

-       10. ζειαί: spark-of-life, male fertility principle

-       11. βρόμος: loud noise

-       12. παλάθιον: long-ago (παλά) + harvested/stopped-living/became mortal (θιον)

-       13. μέλι: sweet

-       14. ἓλαιον: loosening, release

-       15. οἷνος: entity/alone (οἷ) + tipping-point (νος)

-       16. γάλα: generative-release; earth/woman (γά) + release (λα)

-       17. ὄιον (lone/entity) + outflow (ἔριον) + Arising Above Pluton          (ἄπλυτον)

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    This blog is a first-pass attempt to translate the Hymns of Orpheus with the help of the Liddell-Scott Greek-English Lexicon.

    I am a research analyst and a native of Detroit, Michigan.  

    Other Translations of Hymns of Orpheus

    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    August 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly