M.’s thorough study of Orphic theogonies provides a sophisticated and documented contribution to the debate on Orphic literature, examining the role played by theogonic texts in Orphism and how the analyses of such sources have influenced our understanding and definition of the Orphic phenomenon.
Throughout the volume M. places emphasis on a few themes such as the fluidity of the diverse and complex Orphic literary corpus, the application of the theoretical lens of bricolage to the composition of Orphic poems and the importance of a detailed contextualisation of the texts focusing on Neoplatonic interpretations. Furthermore, M. stresses the importance of elements such as the influence of Near Eastern theogonic texts, the relationship and mutual influence between Orphic theogonies and different philosophical traditions, and the re-evaluation of the role of Zeus together with a re-shaping of the importance of the Zagreus Myth.
An overview of the Orphic question and ancient theogonic traditions is provided in the first part of Chapter 1 and prepares the ground for the analysis that will be carried out in the rest of the volume. In addition to delineating the main elements of the modern debate between maximalists and minimalists, M. attempts to redefine the importance of anthropogony and eschatology in the study of Orphism, trying to move beyond modern reconstructions based on Christian models. For anyone interested in the issues that have engaged scholars of Orphism in the last decades, this introduction is a good place to start.
By borrowing the concept of ‘bricolage’ from C. Lévi-Strauss, M. aims to interpret each text as the individual composition of a bricoleur whose creative activity was influenced by different contexts as well as theogonic and philosophical traditions, thus giving life to a fluid and varied literary corpus.
Of particular interest is the study of the role played by Orphic orpheotelestai and their relationship with Eastern traditions in the transmission of mythical motifs, particularly in light of the creative process generated by so-called Orphic bricoleurs. M. interestingly argues throughout the volume that, whenever an Orphic theogony differs from Hesiod's version, a parallel can be traced to an (older) Eastern theogony.
In the second section of Chapter 1 M. introduces the coinage of the term ‘theogonic hymns’, which represents the result of the application of the bricolage theoretical lens to Orphic theogonic texts. The metaphor of bricolage is employed in order to present Orphic theogonies as shorter poems instead of lengthy, comprehensive and fixed narratives. M. convincingly supports his argument stating that the ultimate aim of such a reading of Orphic theogonic texts would be to do justice to the wide variety, aims and settings of the different texts attempting to reframe the discussion on the role played by Orphic theogonies.
Chapter 2 aims at offering a helpful reconstruction of the Derveni poem together with an analysis of the relationship between the text and Orphic ritual, trying to delineate the performative context of the Derveni theogony. The chapter raises the question of the first appearance and role of Phanes and Night in Orphic literature and draws the reader's attention to the primary role of Zeus and his act of swallowing.
In Chapter 3 M. goes on to examine early Orphic poetry by focusing on the Eudemian theogony interpreted as a collection of poems belonging to the wider Orphic theogonic tradition made up of different ‘competing’ theogonies, each one created by a different bricoleur. M. offers a review of the main primordial deities and analyses what he calls different Orphic ‘Hymns’ to Zeus, convincingly describing Stoic influence on the text(s) and the artistic choices of bricoleurs who adapted different poems and mythological traditions to their audience, thus giving life to a ‘continuous exercise in bricolage’ (p. 113).
The analysis in Chapter 4 offers a thorough discussion of the Hieronyman theogony, starting with a comprehensive description of how the Neoplatonist Damascius and the Christian apologist Athenagoras, interestingly viewed as bricoleurs themselves, made use of this text in order to support their arguments. What M. seems to insist upon is the importance of the analysis of these later interpretations in the study of the Orphic fragments in order to provide them with their context of transmission. It is the opinion of this reviewer that this methodological approach, aimed at explaining how later interpretations can inform our own reading of Orphic texts, represents one of the most important contributions of this volume to the study of Orphic theogonies. That being said, it is worth mentioning that M. does not always give a full explanation and description of the activity of the different bricoleurs. Although he speaks, for example, of possible ‘sub-literary channels’ (p. 143) and of contacts between Persian magi and Orphic orpheotelestai to explain the influence of Eastern myths on Orphic texts, the modalities of this process and evolution of narrative patterns are sometimes missing throughout the volume.
Chapters 5 and 6 represent the core of the book and are dedicated to the analysis of the Rhapsodies and their primordial deities. M. focuses once again on the major themes of the influence of Eastern myths, points of contact between myth and philosophy, the emphasis on the figure of Zeus elevated to a superior status and the idea that the Rhapsodies could be seen as a collection of 24 theogonic hymns perhaps included in rhapsodic performances.
Having addressed these themes, M. turns to a comprehensive description of the most relevant texts on the Zagreus Myth and a summary of their different modern interpretations. M. is (as in the rest of the book) careful in providing the reader with a neutral account of all the competing positions. He soon thereafter questions the centrality attributed to the Zagreus myth by previous scholars without, however, dismissing the possibility that Dionysus indeed played an important role in Orphic mythology and ritual. M. later concludes that the Zagreus myth contained in the Rhapsodies ‘may not have been the central myth of Orphism, but it truly was the Orphic myth of Dionysus’ (p. 278) and goes further arguing that it served to confirm the rule of Zeus. Indeed, Dionysus appears to accomplish things in addition to Zeus, thus conveying an idea of complementarity that, however, M. does not describe in detail.
In the conclusions M. interestingly tries to join the long-standing debate on the definition of Orphism by dividing Orphic material into three main categories: telestic, literary and interpretative. Early fragmented poems and telestic rituals characterised by more fluidity would belong to the first type of activity, thus defined as ‘telestic Orphism’. Later texts dated from the Hellenistic period to Late Antiquity, and characterised by a higher degree of reflection and complexity, are grouped under the label of ‘literary Orphism’. Lastly, M. creates a third category – the so-called ‘interpretative Orphism’, meaning all the texts and authors that interpreted Orphic texts mostly by means of allegory from the Derveni author to Plato, the Neoplatonists and finally Christian apologists. Such a thought-provoking distinction may have deserved a more in-depth examination, but it certainly serves the purpose of highlighting both the extreme fluidity and relative coherence of the Orphic phenomenon.
By trying to contextualise in detail Orphic myths and to describe their main features, themes and influences, highlighting the role of so-called bricoleurs in their composition and finally differentiating between different types of Orphic activity (to name a few of the volume's main aims), M. offers a fascinating and very important contribution to the debate on Orphic literature. Readers will therefore hopefully gain a better understanding of such a complex topic, although M. does not provide a clear definition of ‘Orphism’ or ‘Orphic literature’. What he offers instead is a thorough overview of the most relevant features of Orphic theogonies as well as the main tools to interpret them, and one can hope that this will prompt further discussion on the issue.
