From the book
The Orphic Collection, Volume I: The Hymns
Attributed to Orpheus · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordThe access label preserves the exact printed Δίῃ because its interpretation is not settled by the supplied text.
- In the Orphic HymnsThe line asks whether Aphrodite delights with bud-faced Nymphs ἐν χθονὶ Δίῃ (LV.22).
- TranslationThe edition translates divine earth.
- A place to readThe only assigned locus places Δίῃ beside χθονί in Aphrodite’s itinerary.
- English renderings
- divine land or Dia, uncertain printed form
Meaning
The access label preserves the exact printed Δίῃ because its interpretation is not settled by the supplied text. It may be the feminine dative of δῖος, divine or illustrious, agreeing with χθονί; it may instead refer to a place called Dia. These possibilities lead to different kinds of information, an attribute of the land or a geographical name.
Use in the book
The line asks whether Aphrodite delights with bud-faced Nymphs ἐν χθονὶ Δίῃ (LV.22). It belongs to an extended sequence of possible locations for the goddess. The preceding line describes her delight in circling dances of sea creatures, and the following one presents a thyiad leaping lightly on sandy shores. This coastal and geographical context leaves a place-name plausible, while the agreeing adjective reading gives an equally intelligible phrase, on divine earth.
The important lexical point is not to force either interpretation through typography. A capital initial records how the edition presents the word, but capitalization by itself does not establish a proper name. Conversely, the English adjective is a choice made by the translator, not independent proof that the Greek must be adjectival. The distinct entry allows a reader to retrieve the passage without silently deciding the question.
Places to read
- Hymn LV · Line 22The only assigned locus places Δίῃ beside χθονί in Aphrodite’s itinerary.
Translation
The edition translates divine earth. Its apparatus at this line discusses the Nymphs’ bud-faced epithet, not an alternative that settles Δίῃ. This lexicon therefore retains the printed capitalized form and both bounded possibilities. It neither normalizes the word into δῖος without notice nor identifies a particular Dia beyond what has been verified.
Attested forms
Δίῃ
Occurrence inventory
1 in total. LV.22