The elusive nature of Orphism has been the
subject of numerous studies the last two hundred years or
so. Recent publications of several important sources; some
newly published gold tablets, a series of small texts
engraved on thin gold leaves and put in the graves of their
deceased owners, and the Derveni Papyrus, has made it
possible to take a new look at some of the controversies
within this field. Through analyses of ritual and mythical
references in the so-called Orphic texts I argue...