The Orphic Poems

by M.L. West

An important influence on Plato and the Platonic tradition, the Orphic myths speak of the mysteries of the unfolding universe and the journeyings of the soul within its coils.

Genres: Poetry, Literary Criticism, History, Religion

304 pages, Hardcover

First published March 8, 1984

About the author

Martin Litchfield West was an Emeritus Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford. His many publications include Ancient Greek Music (OUP, 1992), The East Face of Helicon (OUP, 1997), and Indo-European Poetry and Myth (OUP, 2007).

Reviews

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gives a thorough account of the various theogonies, although I did find it rather dense, and unless you have a decent grasp of Greek theogony, you might find yourself reading a lot of words. The author assumes a basic understanding on the subject.

I was however, a little disappointed that the book spent the majority of its pages dissecting and comparing the various theogonies as opposed to looking at what we have of the Orphic Poems themselves.

Still, a good read with lots of information.