History and theory of religions. Mythology of Homer and Orphism (most important)

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History and theory of religions. Mythology of Homer and Orphism (most important)

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12. Mythology of Homer and Orphism

The first signs of understanding the world can be found already in the works of Homer. Homer speaks of three first causes, which in a certain sense can be considered the first principles of the world, and calls them Nyx, Okeanos and Tethys. Nyx is the original state, the stage that precedes anything else. Okeanos represents the primordial sea, and Tethys - a certain life-giving force, which is connected to the sea - water. Moreover, all these primary causes, i.e., essential forces, are connected with the earth.

The so-called early Orphic period also goes back to Homer. We are talking about literary works that develop Orphic problems and, in addition, solve theogonic problems.

Orphism is a religious movement that goes back to the mythological singer Orpheus. A significant role in his mythological understanding of the emergence of the world and the gods was played by music - harmony. Orphic views, in particular the understanding of the relationship between soul and body, are reflected in Greek philosophy - Plato, Pythagoras. Heaven and earth are derived from the first principle of Nyx, and everything else is derived from them.

An attempt to explain the origin of the world is also contained in the works of Hesiod. According to Hesiod, the basis of everything is chaos, which is understood as an unlimited, formless mass containing all possible potencies. From it arise the original forms of being. On the one hand, it is Gaia (Earth) and Eros (a certain life force). On the other hand, it is Erebos (darkness) and Nyx (night) as the defining, ruling force. From them then arise Uranus (starry sky), Ether (Ether), light, and gradually other deities.

The later thinker Akusilai ascends to the cosmogonic views of Hesiod. He introduces a new concept into the system of Hesiod's basic principles - Metis, or Nus (mind).

A certain completion of cosmogonic concepts in Ancient Greece are the views of Pherekides and Epimenides from Syrus.

According to Ferekid, the fundamental principle of everything is a special viable matter, which he designates with the name Zeus. This fundamental principle exists in five stages, the development of which results in the emergence of the gods, the cosmos and the earth. Views on the problem of the emergence of gods (theogony) and the cosmos (cosmogony), thus, acquire a single mythological framework.

The five stages of development can also be found in Epimenides, who is half a century older. According to him, at the first stage there is air as primordial matter and night as boundless darkness. Their combination leads to the emergence of the primordial basis (the underworld). From there the Titans rise, from them - an egg, the destruction of which leads to the birth of the world.

Author: Pankin S.F.

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