THE ORPHIC HYMNS are a collection of 87 short religious poems composed in either the late Hellenistic (C3rd or C2nd B.C.) or early Roman (C1st to C2nd A.D.) era. They are based on the beliefs of Orphism, a mystery cult or religious philosophy which claimed descent from the teachings of the mythical hero Orpheus.

Who wrote Orphic hymns?

Orphic Hymnic Poetry

The collection of Orphic Hymns, most probably composed within some Dio- nysiac thiasos in Asia Minor around the 2nd century ad, starts with a proem addressedto70gods,thelargestnumberofdedicateesinanyextantpoemfrom ancient Greece.

Who did the Orphics worship?

Part of the Orphic ritual is thought to have involved the mimed or actual dismemberment of an individual representing the god Dionysus, who was then seen to be reborn. Orphic eschatology laid great stress on rewards and punishment after the death of the body, the soul then being freed to achieve its true life.