Welcome
Welcome to the Orphicaeum Encyclopedia!
This is a work-in-progress. Thank you for your patience. If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Our Encyclopedia is split into three sections (Orphism, Orphicaeum, and HellenicGods[dot]org), as seen below.
Orphism (also called the Orphic Mysteries) is a specific subset of the ancient Greek polytheist religion, named after its mythical founder figure Orpheus. It is a philosophical reform of more ecstatic Bacchic Mysteries focused on purifying the soul to escape the cycle of reincarnation and realize one's own divinity.
Gods & Goddesses
Heroes
Primary Sources
Orphicaeum is a modern Orphic Temple & Academy, dedicated to the reconstruction, revival, and cultivation of the ancient Orphic religion.
Essays (In Order of Publication)
- On Orphic Self-Initiation
- On Long, Snow-Clad Olympus
- On the Soul and its Σῶμα / Σῆμα
- On the Many Names of Orphic God, Part I (in the Derveni Papyrus)
- On the Many Names of Orphic God, Part II (in the Orphic Hymns)
- On the Relaxed "Secrecy" of Orphism
- On the Question of Orphic Authorship
- On Cracking the Orphic Egg
- On Thyrsus-Bearers and Mystics
- On the Year as Cyclical Purification
- On Orphic Funerary & Burial Practices
- On the Allegory of the Orphic Argonautica (original parts 1-3, using Madeła’s translation)
- Months (Northern Hemisphere)
1. Libra
2. Scorpio
3. Sagittarius
4. Capricorn
5. Aquarius
6. Pisces
7. Aries
8. Taurus
9. Gemini
10. Cancer
11. Leo
12. Virgo - Months (Southern Hemisphere)
1. Aries
2. Taurus
3. Gemini
4. Cancer
5. Leo
6. Virgo
7. Libra
8. Scorpio
9. Sagittarius
10. Capricorn
11. Aquarius
12. Pisces - Festivals (In No Particular Order)
The contents of this section are hand-copied from HellenicGods.org, which was originally hosted by "Kallímakhos" James Van Kollenburg (1951 - 2023). With his passing, it is uncertain how much longer his website will remain active. Orphicaeum recognizes the value of his work, and has made an effort to preserve it here for posterity. Over time, external links will become inactive, and email addresses likely already have. However, the efforts of this project are to ensure the work of Kallímakhos will not disappear.
If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.
- FAQ / Mission
- Glossary
- Resource
- Hellenismos
- A Universal Religion
- The Four Pillars of Hellenismos
- Gods, Heroes, and Philosophers
- Orphic Theogony
- The Nature of the Gods
- The Goodness of the Gods
- [...]
- Hellenic Zodiacal Calendar
- Natural Laws of the Olympians
- The Soul and the Orphic Egg
- Mystic Materialism
- Art
- Λόγος
- Contact