Cox, George - Aryan Mythology Vol 2.pdf

THE HARP OP ORPHEUS. 241
Mr. Kelly, following Dr. Kuhn, sees in the Kiblras the CHAP,
v
storm-winds which sweep trees and rocks in wild dance ,
before them by the force of their magic song. 1 But even if
the Sanskrit name can be applied only to the sun, this
would only show that the name of Orpheus underwent in its
journey to the west a modification similar to that of the
name Hermes. It must, however, be noted that Orpheus
acts only by means of his harp, which always rouses to mo-
tion. The action of Hermes is twofold, and when he is
going forth on his plundering expedition he lays aside his
lyre, which he resumes only when he comes back to lie down
like a child in his cradle. Hence the lyre of Hermes only
charms and soothes. Its sweet tones conquer the angry
sun-god, and lull to sleep the all-seeing Argos of the hun-
dred eyes, when Hermes seeks to deliver 16 from his ceaseless
scrutiny. But among the Greek poets the idea which
would connect Orpheus with the sun was wholly lost. In
Pindar he is sent indeed by Apollon to the gathering of the
Argonauts, but this would point simply to a phrase which
spoke of the sun as sending or bringing the morning breeze
and with the poet he is simply the harper and the father of
songs. 2 In iEschylos he leads everything after him by the
gladness with which his strain inspires them. 3 In Euripides
he is the harper who compels the rocks to follow him, 4 while
in speaking of him as the originator of sacred mysteries the
poet transfers to him the idea which represents Hermes as
obtaining mysterious wisdom in the hidden caves of the
Thriai. 5 In the so-called Orphic Argonautika the harper is
the son of Oiagros and Kalliope, the latter name denoting
simply the beauty of sound, even if the former be not a
result of the onomatopoeia which has produced such Greek
words as evxv> 700*9 and olfiwyr). No sooner does he call on
the divine ship which the heroes had vainly tried to move,
than the Argo, charmed by the tones, glides gently into the
sea. 6 The same tones wake the voyagers in Lemnos from
the sensuous spell which makes Odysseus dread the land of
1 Curiosities of Indo-European Folklore
^ 17.
4
s
IpMg. in Aid. 1213.
Bhes. 943 ; Hymn to Hermes, 552.
2 Pyth. iv. 315.
6 Argonaut. 262.
3 Again. 1630.
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