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 wordπᾶς may include every member of a group, describe a whole object, or stand substantivally for “all things.” Case, number and accompanying nouns are decisive.
- In the Orphic HymnsThe hymns use comprehensive language at different scales.
- TranslationAt X.28 the adopted σὺ ἔσσι, attributed to Hermann, gives “you are”; reported σοὶ εἰσί gives “are for/to you,” changing the relation to totality.
- A place to readPredication and production of all things.
- English renderings
- all; every; whole
Meaning
πᾶς may include every member of a group, describe a whole object, or stand substantivally for “all things.” Case, number and accompanying nouns are decisive. In particular, πάντα can be masculine accusative singular as well as neuter plural. Its many compounds belong to separate entries, since their meaning cannot be read simply as another inflection of πᾶς.
Use in the book
The hymns use comprehensive language at different scales. Hephaistos holds every house, every city and all peoples (LXVI.8); the two instances of πάντα in that line have different agreements. Mnemosyne holds the whole mind at LXXVII.4, not an unnamed collection of things. Nemesis sees, hears and judges everything at LXI.8, where repeated neuter plurals connect totality with oversight. Physis’s “you are all things” is stronger still: X.28 makes a predication about the goddess and follows it with her making all these things. These constructions should not all become one unexamined claim about divine identity. Equally, “all” can be bounded by its noun, as a whole year, every creature or all mortals receiving a benefit.
Places to read
- Hymn X · Line 28Predication and production of all things.
- Hymn LXI · Line 8Three acts of comprehensive scrutiny.
- Hymn LXVI · Line 8Masculine singular and neuter plural πάντα in one line.
- Hymn LXXVII · Line 4The whole mind rather than unspecified things.
- Hymn LXXVIII · Line 12All mortals as recipients in the adopted construction.
Translation
At X.28 the adopted σὺ ἔσσι, attributed to Hermann, gives “you are”; reported σοὶ εἰσί gives “are for/to you,” changing the relation to totality. At LXXVIII.12 printed πᾶσι, attributed to Abel, makes all mortals recipients of livelihood, against reported πάντα. Elided πάντ’ and πάνθ’ require the same attention to their underlying case and number.
Attested forms
πᾶν; πάνθ’; πάντ’; πάντα; πάντες; πάντεσσί; πάντεσσιν; παντός; παντὸς; πάντων; πᾶς; πᾶσα; πᾶσαν; πάσης; πᾶσι; πᾶσιν
Occurrence inventory
103 in total. Prayer.4; Prayer.42; I.7; II.5; II.6; III.2; III.7; III.11; III.12; IV.2 (2 occurrences); IV.5; V.3; VII.6; VIII.17; X.9; X.18; X.28 (2 occurrences); XI.10; XI.19; XII.6; XII.14; XIII.8; XV.5; XV.7 (2 occurrences); XVI.7 (2 occurrences); XIX.20; XXII.8; XXV.2; XXV.6; XXV.9; XXVII.1; XXVII.8; XXVIII.6; XXIX.16; XXXIII.6 (2 occurrences); XXXIV.11; XXXIV.15; XXXIV.16; XXXIV.19; XXXIV.26; XXXVII.4; XXXVII.6; XXXVIII.13; XL.12; XLV.5; XLVII.4; XLVIII.5; L.8; LIV.2; LIV.7; LV.4; LV.5; LV.25; LVI.3; LVII.8; LVIII.4; LVIII.8; LIX.14; LXI.5; LXI.6; LXI.8 (3 occurrences); LXII.6; LXIII.8; LXIII.15; LXIV.10; LXIV.12; LXVI.8 (3 occurrences); LXVII.1; LXVIII.4; LXVIII.8; LXVIII.11 (2 occurrences); LXIX.10; LXX.4; LXXVI.4; LXXVII.4; LXXVII.6; LXXVII.8; LXXVIII.10 (2 occurrences); LXXVIII.12; LXXX.5; LXXXIII.4 (2 occurrences); LXXXV.1; LXXXV.2; LXXXV.3 (2 occurrences); LXXXV.6; LXXXVI.17; LXXXVII.1; LXXXVII.2; LXXXVII.6; LXXXVII.8
Heading and incense rubric evidence
πᾶν · XXVI.rubric. θυμίαμα πᾶν σπέρμα πλὴν κυάμων καὶ ἀρωμάτων
πάντα · LIII.rubric. θυμίαμα πάντα πλὴν λιβάνου, καὶ σπένδε γάλα
Local sense
all seed in the Earth prescription, qualified by stated exclusions
all offerings in the Amphietes prescription, then qualified by an exception