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 wordἙρμηνεύς names an interpreter or one who makes meaning intelligible.
- In the Orphic HymnsHermes is interpreter of all things beside dealer in gain and loosener of cares (XXVIII.6).
- TranslationThe translation interpreter is apt provided it is not restricted to translating between modern languages.
- A place to readHermes’s interpreting role stands between comprehensive scope and practical benefits.
- English renderings
- interpreter, expounder
Meaning
Ἑρμηνεύς names an interpreter or one who makes meaning intelligible. The genitive πάντων in the sole assigned verse extends the title to all things. Its breadth is a feature of the praise, not a detailed description of particular languages, texts or interpretive methods.
Use in the book
Hermes is interpreter of all things beside dealer in gain and loosener of cares (XXVIII.6). The line combines explanation with practical benefit. The surrounding hymn also gives him intricate counsel, delight in exercises and deceits, help in work, and formidable power of the tongue. In this company, interpreting belongs to his ability to mediate, articulate and make affairs effective, rather than to a narrowly academic profession.
The final petition’s graces of speech and remembrances reinforce the value of intelligible expression within everyday undertakings. Yet the noun does not itself establish a specialized doctrine of interpretation or a particular ritual office. The title is assigned to the god, not to a human official conducting the hymn. Its relation to speech is therefore secure without reconstructing an institutional role beyond the text.
Places to read
- Hymn XXVIII · Line 6Hermes’s interpreting role stands between comprehensive scope and practical benefits.
Translation
The translation interpreter is apt provided it is not restricted to translating between modern languages. Expounder conveys the broader act of making something understood. The resemblance between the name Hermes and this noun should not become an asserted etymology: the hymn supplies their association in address, not a historical derivation.
Attested forms
ἑρμηνεῦ
Occurrence inventory
1 in total. XXVIII.6