Οἱ Διαδικτυακοὶ Ὀρφικοὶ Ὕμνοι The Orphic Hymns Online

The Orphic Hymns are among the most fascinating works of ancient devotional literature. Long of interest to scholars and occultists the world over, they comprise eighty-seven hymns to various Gods, Goddesses, and assorted Dæmons thought to have been invoked by an Anatolian mystery-cult in the tradition of Orpheus. (Only thirteen have been added to this page so far. It’s a work in progress.)

They are, at least by classical standards, quite easy to find online, but their presentation tends to leave something to be desired. These pages present the original Ancient Greek (with romanisation) opposite an exquisite Georgian-era translation by the great Thomas Taylor, including a treasure trove of footnotes elaborating on the hymns’ philosophical background. (He referred to the Gods by their Roman names; by default, these have been swapped out for the original Greek, but you can read his versions using the toggle in the top left corner.)

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The original Greek versions were sourced from Wikisource; Taylor’s translations were transcribed by the Internet Sacred Text Archive. Both are, of course, in the public domain, owing to their age.