On the Many Names of Orphic God, Pt. I

or, On the Multifaceted Nature of Divinity in the Derveni Papyrus

It became apparent at some point during the process of writing this that the subject would benefit from being examined in separate, specific pieces. What follows is part one, where we examine the subject within the Derveni Papyrus. Part two is next to come, and will examine the same subject using the Orphic Hymns.

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It is often argued that Orphism is a henotheism. Merriam-Webster defines ‘henotheism’ as “the worship of one God without denying the existence of other Gods”¹. At first glance, this seems to be an okay descriptor of our religion. There are many Gods, but Zeus is chief among them. Let's first look at His famous Rhapsodic Hymn:

Zeus is the first and the last, the lord of lightning.

Zeus is the head and center, for all things are from Zeus.

Zeus is born male; immortal Zeus comes forth a nymph (νύμφη/female).

Zeus is the foundation of earth and starry heaven.

Zeus is sovereign of all for he is the first cause of all things.

In one divine power, emerging one divinity, the commander of the world.

One regal body in which everything revolves:

Fire and Water and Earth and Aether, and both Night and Day,

and Metis, the first-begotten one and lovely Eros.

For these are all in the mighty body of Zeus.

Behold his head and handsome countenance,

the radiant sky. Around his golden hair

are the gleaming stars twinkling beautifully.

And there are great golden bull’s horns on either side of his head,

the rising and setting (sun), the heavenly pathway of the Gods.

His eyes are Helios, reflected in the Moon.

His mind is kingly truth itself, the immortal Aether,

hearing and considering all: nothing which is,

no word nor cry nor noise nor voice,

escapes the ear of the mightiest son of Kronos.

Thus indeed his immortal head and mind,

now then his radiant body, boundless, undisturbed.

His fearless, strong limbs, exceedingly mighty are formed thus:

the shoulders and chest and broad back of the God,

formed of the air all surrounding. He generates wings

whereupon he flies everywhere. His divine belly is

Earth, the mother of all, with her imposing hills and mountain peaks.

The belt about his middle is a wave of the deep-voiced sea

and ocean! His feet, the foundation of earth,

are dank Tartarus and earth's furthermost limit!

Hiding all things yet causing them to newly emerge into delightful light,

he brings them forth again from his heart, acting in divine wonderment!²

As this hymn has already shown, it isn’t quite as cut-and-dry as Orphism being a henotheistic religion. It isn’t quite that Zeus exists, and also the other Gods exist. As the Hymn teases, the other Gods exist within Zeus. “His eyes are Helios, reflected in the Moon.” “His divine belly is Earth, mother of all.” “His feet are dank Tartarus and earth’s furthermost limit.” Zeus is painted poetically from head to toe, and compared to the cosmos, from above the sky to below the earth. This viewpoint posits that Zeus is the totality of being, bringing Zeus closer to Platonic concepts of ‘The One’ than to ‘the ruling God among Gods.’

Although, it’s not that simple, either. Orphic Zeus is not distant. He isn’t Aristotle’s unmoved mover; He didn’t set things in motion once, forever ago, and then never interact again with His creation. It is better to think of Zeus as divinity itself. The author of the Derveni Papyrus explains this concept throughout what survives of his work. The Papyrus, itself fragmentary, systematically examines a now-lost Orphic poem, explaining that the various names and descriptors of deities and their seemingly human interactions are all a veiled allegory for how the force of divinity exists and operates within the cosmos. In Column 9, writing about Zeus taking power from Kronos, he says:

So in the poem [Orpheus] made the power belong to the strongest, just like a son to his father. But those who do not understand the words spoken think that Zeus takes the power and the daimon from his own father. So, knowing that fire, when mixed with the other things, agitates the things-that-are and prevents them from coming together because of the heat, he removes it to such a distance as to render it unable, once removed, to prevent the things-that-are from condensing. For whatever is ignited is subdued, and having been subdued it is mixed with the others. With regard to the phrase “he took in his hands,” he was allegorizing just as in everything else which formerly seemed uncertain but has been most certainly understood. So, allegorizing he said that Zeus took the power and the daimon by force, just as … of the powerful …³

The Derveni author was a pre-Socratic philosopher, and felt the need to connect his clarification of the myths to his scientific inquiry, which is why he often connects the Gods to elements. A famous element (pun fully intended) of pre-Socratic philosophy is the search for an ἀρχή or a single essential ‘thing’ on which the existence of everything else depends. This was usually presented as one or a combination of the four classical elements; air, earth, water, fire. For the Derveni author, this ἀρχή was a combination of air and earth, likely influenced by Orphic notions of the soul⁴. In the excerpt we’ve already looked at, the author explains that fire, when it mingles with the other elements, dominates them, and that Zeus set fire apart at such a distance so as to allow the other things to come to be. The author elsewhere explicitly equates Zeus with Air:

it existed before it was named. For air both existed before the present things-that-are were set together and will always exist. For it did not come to be but existed. And why it was called air has been made clear earlier in this book. But after it had been named Zeus it was thought that it was born, as if it did not exist before. He also said that it will be “last,” after it was named Zeus and this continues being its name until the present things-that-are were set together into the same state in which they were floating as former things-that-are. And it is made clear that the things-that-are became such because of it and, having come to be, are again in it. He indicates in these words:

“Zeus is the head, Zeus the middle, and from Zeus is everything fashioned.”

Head … he allegorized that the things-that-are … head … beginning of constitution … to have been constituted …⁵

In the next column, the Derveni author elaborates that Air was also called Moira before it was called Zeus:

and those moving downwards. And by saying “Moira” he makes it clear that this Earth and all else are in the air, being breath. It is this breath that Orpheus called Moira. The other people in their everyday talk say that “Moira has spun for them” and that “it will be as Moira has spun,” speaking correctly but not understanding either what Moira is or spinning is. For Orpheus called thought Moira. This seemed to him to be the most suitable of the names that all people had given. Because, before it was called Zeus, Moira existed, being the thought of God eternally and ubiquitously. But after it had been called Zeus it was thought that it was born, though it existed before too but was not named. This is why he says

“Zeus was born first.”

For first was Moira the thought, later it was held to be sacred being Zeus. But people not understanding the meaning of what is said come to view Zeus as being the first-born God …⁶

The author elaborates further in Column 19, saying that these two ideas (i.e. Zeus in control, Moira controlling fate) are not contradictory:

since the time when the things-that-are were given names, each after what is dominant in it, all things were called Zeus according to the same principle. For the air dominates all things as much as it wishes. So when they say that “Moira spun,” they are saying that the thought of Zeus ratified in what way what exists and what comes to be and what will come to be must come to be and be and cease. And he likens it to a king – for this among the names in use seemed to be suitable for it – saying thus:

“Zeus the king, Zeus the ruler of all, he of the bright bolt.”

He said that it is king because, though the magistracies are many, one prevails over all and performs all that no other mortal is allowed to perform … And he said that it is ruler of all, because all things are ruled through …⁷

According to the Derveni author, each thing is given a name after that part of it which is the majority of its composition, and it is for the same reason that everything is called Zeus. If we strip away the pre-Socratic element, the multifaceted nature of divinity is allowed to shine through. We can say that when Zeus exerts control or dominance over something, it happens because He becomes the majority of the composition of that thing. In other words, the divine force present within that thing is activated and takes over.

If we think of divinity itself in this same way, that its name is given based on that which is dominant in it, then it becomes clear intuitively that the names and descriptors of deities are allegory for different courses of action that the force of divinity can take. The Derveni author gives this overall ‘force of divinity’ the name Mind⁸:

And in support of the fact that the present things-that-are come to be from existent ones, he says:

“Of the First-born king, the reverend one; and upon him all

the immortals grew, blessed gods and goddesses

and rivers and lovely springs and everything else

that had then been born; and he himself became the sole one.”

In these verses he indicates that the things-that-are always existed and that the present things-that-are come to be from the existing ones. As for the phrase “and he himself became the sole one,” by saying this he makes it clear that Mind, being alone, is always worth everything, as if the rest were nothing. For it is not possible for the present things-that-are to exist because of them without mind. Also in the verse after this he said that Mind is worth everything:

“And now he is king of all and will be afterwards.”

It is clear that “Mind” and “king of all” are the same thing. …⁹

For the Derveni author, Mind is the intelligent part of air, which separates fire from the other elements, and carries the soul into living beings. It is called Zeus, and Moira, but also Harmonia, Peitho, and Aphrodite:

For if the things-that-are did not move so that they could first be separated, hot would not join with hot nor cold with cold. By saying “to jump” he makes it clear that the things-that-are, divided into small particles, moved and jumped in the air and by jumping all and each severally were set together with one another. And they continued jumping until each came to its like. Ouranian Aphrodite, Zeus, aphrodising, jumping, Peitho, and Harmonia are established names for the same God. A man having sexual contact with a woman is said in everyday usage to be “aphrodising.” So, because the things-that-are were brought into contact with each other, the god was called Aphrodite. Persuasion because the things-that-are yielded to each other; “yielding” and “persuading” are the same thing. And Harmonia because the god attached closely many things-that-are to each of the things-that-are. For they existed even before, but the term “being born” was used for them after they had been separated. For “being separated” is clearly … prevails so that they separate … now …¹⁰

The Divine Mind is also called by the name of Oceanus, as explained in Column 23:

“And he contrived the great might of wide-flowing Oceanus.”

This verse is composed so as to be misleading; it is unclear to the many, but quite clear to those who have correct understanding, that “Oceanus” is the air and that air is Zeus. Therefore, it was not another Zeus who “contrived” Zeus, but the same one contrived for himself “great might.” But the ignorant ones think that Oceanus is a river, because he added “wide-flowing.” He, however, indicates his own opinion in everyday and conventional words. For those who have great power among men are said to “have flowed big.” The next verse:

“and he placed therein the sinews of silver-eddying Achelous.”

He gives the name Achelous to water in general. And … to place the sinews therein is to push them down therein; because the … each …¹¹

The Derveni author tells us here that Oceanus, commonly thought of as the river encircling the earth due in part to epithets such as ‘wide-flowing,’ is actually air, and that the air is Zeus. Earlier in this essay, it was presented that the ἀρχή for the Derveni author is a combination of air and earth, and that assumption rests partly on his treatment of Oceanus. If water were its own element, Oceanus may not have been necessary to equate with air. However, the assumption also partly rests on Column 22, in which the author equates a handful of Goddesses with each other:

So he named everything in the same way as best he could knowing the nature of men, that not all have the same nature nor all want the same things. When they possess power they say whatever happens to come into the heart of each of them, whatever they happen to desire, never the same things, since they are induced by greed and to some extent by ignorance as well. Ge, Meter, Rhea, and Hera are the same. She was called Ge by convention and Meter because everything comes to be from her; Ge and Gaia according to each man’s dialect. She was named Demeter like Ge-Meter, one name from both; for it was the same. It is also said in the Hymns:

“Demeter, Rhea, Ge, Meter, Hestia, Deio.”

For she is also called Deio because she was ravaged during engendering; it will be made clear that, according to the poems, she had profuse parturitions. Rhea because many and all kinds of living creatures were born having flowed forth from her; Rhea and Rheie according to each man’s dialect. She was named Here because …¹²

It is significant that these Goddesses are all linked together, but not with Zeus. As we have seen, the Derveni author is not afraid to equate traditionally female divinities with Zeus. The fact that Zeus remains separate could mean that the connection is made in an area of the work that is lost, but I would argue that the separation along with the fact that Gaia is among the Goddesses mentioned here points toward a dual ἀρχή system, where Air is the intelligent force that acts upon Earth. The author’s treatment of Water and Fire seem to imply that they are subservient to air, or that they are opposites present within everything. It is worth noting that this would bear a resemblance to the so-called ‘secret doctrines’ of Plato¹³. This proposed dual ἀρχή system of the Derveni author complicates the argument at hand, but only slightly.

It allows for two principles of existence; Mind and Matter, both divine, and both multifaceted. When the Divine Mind works to encircle Gaia, it is Oceanus. This hermeneutical process is spelled out elsewhere for the names Kronos and Ouranos:

to spring out of the brightest and hottest one having been separated from itself. So he says that this Kronos was born from Helios to Ge, because it was on account of the Sun that the things-that-are were induced to be struck against each other. For this reason he says:

“who did a great deed.”

And the verse following:

“Ouranos, son of Euphrone, who was the first to become king.”

Because Mind was striking the things-that-are against each other, he named it Kronos (Striking Mind) and says that he did a great deed to Ouranos; for the latter was deprived of the kingship. He gave it the name Kronos after its action and the other names according to the same principle. For when all the things-that-are were not yet being struck, Mind, as determining the creation, received the designation Ouranos (Determining Mind). And he says that it was deprived of its kingship when the things-that-are were being struck …¹⁴

When the Divine Mind works in its capacity to determine boundaries, or to strike particles and create new things-that-are, it is called Ouranos or Kronos respectively. As we have seen, it is also called Harmonia, Aphrodite, Peitho, Moira, Oceanus, and many other names we have not yet examined. It is thus very clear that the names of the Gods in Orphism refer either to the Divine Mind which strikes matter, or to the Divine Matter which yields to striking.

So, to conclude Part 1, we will return to its opening: Is Orphism henotheistic? The Derveni Papyrus points us away from this. Instead of having many Gods and one chief among them, Orphism recognizes a single divine nature that permeates everything. Even in the Derveni author’s dual ἀρχή system, Mind and Matter are referred to in relation to each other. All of this points toward a sort of philosophical monism. More to come.

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Works Cited

“Henotheism Definition & Meaning.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/henotheism. Accessed 13 July 2025.

Gaiser, Konrad, et al. The Other Plato: The Tübingen Interpretation of Plato’s Inner-Academic Teachings. SUNY Press, 2012.

Kouremenos, Theokritos, et al. The Derveni Papyrus. Leo S. Olschki Editore, 2006.

van Kollenberg, Kallímakhos. “Orphic Rhapsodic Hymn to Zeus.” HellenicGods.Org, http://www.hellenicgods.org/orphic-rhapsodic-hymn-to-zeus. Accessed 15 July 2025.

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Footnotes

1. “Henotheism” Merriam-Webster

2. Quoted in Porphyry, preserved by Eusebius, translated by Kallímakhos van Kollenberg for his website HellenicGods.org. Kallímakhos preferred a unique transliteration method, but I have adjusted the names of Gods to match more common spellings.

3. Derveni Papyrus Column 9

4. For more on the Orphic soul, see On the Soul and its Σῶμα / Σῆμα

5. Derveni Papyrus Column 17

6. Derveni Papyrus Column 18

7. Derveni Papyrus Column 19

8. Although the Derveni Papyrus is not the first application of that name, it is notable that Mind also came to be used in Platonic thought for the first emanation of the One.

9. Derveni Papyrus Column 16

10. Derveni Papyrus Column 21

11. Derveni Papyrus Column 23

12. Derveni Papyrus Column 22

13. For more on Plato’s ‘secret doctrine,’ see The Other Plato

14. Derveni Papyrus Column 14