Numerous allusions in both sources favorable to him (like Plato) and those that are hostile (like Aristophanes) make it clear that Sokrates did not have just a casual interest in Bacchic Orphism. He was an initiate, and quite possibly a practitioner i.e. one of those Orpheotelestai his star pupil was so quick to lambast (despite Plato likely being an initiate himself.) Among those who helped shape the mind of Sokrates the two likeliest candidates for introducing him to (and possibly initiating him into) Orphism are Diotima (note that Protogonos is also called Eros; also consider that there were many female Orpheotelestai and Sokrates really liked women, enough to marry them two at a time) or Aglaophamos who was part of the “golden chain” including Pythagoras, Orpheus and Hermes. (A third possibility, of course, is Euthyphro though with the age difference and personality clash I just don’t think he’s a likely candidate. It is interesting that Sokrates meets him in that dialogue at the Courtyard, where Euthyphro was waiting to bring his father up on charges of murder considering the subject matter of so much Orphic myth.) And then, thinking about the Orphic hexameters from Sinai it hit me — where is one’s deepest religious convictions formed? At the knee of the mother (or nurse.) And anyone recall what the mother of Sokrates was named? Phainaréte. Which is formed by joining ἀρετή (“excellence, virtue”) with φαίνω (“to shine, to bring forth into the light”) from which we get Φάνης, the primary Orphic divinity (at least in the 24 Rhapsodies.)
Mother is the name for God on the lips and hearts of all children
5 thoughts on “Mother is the name for God on the lips and hearts of all children”
Comments are closed.

Euthyphro is likely not a human.
LikeLike
That’s actually a note in his favor in my book.
LikeLike
In the dialogue Euthyphro, we are introduced to the character of Euthyphro’s father, who is left nameless. This is odd, as it is likely Socrates and even Plato would have known the fathers name and could have used that name in the dialogue. It should be said here that the namelessness of the Demiurge in the Timaeus mirrors the namelessness of the father. It’s also interesting that both of the servants are left nameless, and I would go so far as to say that due to this, they are the same servant. The later servant brought up in the dialogue murdered the one mentioned earlier, and so was “chained to a low place”, “exposed to the elements” by the father as punishment. The servant himself, then, seems to have lived a previous life that resulted in his rebirth, where he is chained to materiality again as a human. And after all, to be born is to die.
So then it seems under this reading the “father” of Euthyphro is none other than the Demiurge, implicating that Euthyphro himself is no human at all. Instead, “Right Thought” is likely an agatho daimon, and very likely the agatho daimon of Plato, who must veil who it really is speaking to this spirit as it’s previous mention saw his own mentor slain.
LikeLike
A final note: Just as Socrates is bereft at the end of the dialogue, not having received the answer he expected from Euthyphro, it should be also noted the symmetry between the two subjects, since we also never learn of the verdict delivered against the Father/Demiurge.
LikeLike
That’s …. fucking deep, man.
I just assumed that since most of the characters in the dialogues are at least based on historical figures (even if artistic license was taken and many of them were just presented as foils to move the discussion along) so was Euthyphro, who represents a stereotyped “Orphic” religiosity, with all of the annoying personality traits that go along with that (many of which I myself possess!) … but your interpretation is way better. Thanks for chiming in, you’ve given me much to think about.
LikeLike