The tales told of Orpheus are legion. He is said to have been an Argonaut - and to have saved Jason's life. Did Orpheus, in fact, exist? His influence on Greek thought is undeniable, but his disciples left little of substance behind them. This work attempts to uncover and define Orphism by following its circuitous path through ancient history.
Author Biography
W.K.C. Guthrie was Professor of Classics at Cambridge University. His books include the six-volume History of Classical Philosophy (Cambridge) and The Greeks and their Gods (Methuen).
Reviews
[T]he books ascribed to Hermes ... fall into two divisions, the technical and the philosophical, which Fowden treats separately... [His] scholarly survery makes an excellent foundation for further study of points of detail and of paganism in general. Shadow
