Orpheus
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    Orpheus

    Orpheus

    Mythic poet-musician of Greek tradition whose name became a focal point for 'Orphic' hymns, rites, and esoteric lore. Across antiquity and later periods, Orpheus served as an emblem of sacred poetry, initiation, and the power of song to bridge worlds.

    Read by Thoreau (see Thoreau's Reading & Library)

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    Orpheus [in Greek], Greek and Latin

    Full title: Orphei Argonautica, Hymni, et De Lapidibus

    The Dial's edition: Utrecht, 1689

    A collection of texts attributed to the mythic poet Orpheus: the Argonautica (an epic of the voyage for the Golden Fleece), the Orphic Hymns (ritual invocations to various gods), and the Lithica (a poem on the mystical properties of stones).

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    Read by Thoreau (see Thoreau's Reading) & Thoreau (see Thoreau's Library)