From the book
Stobaeus, Volume I
John Stobaeus · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordDysis is setting, particularly the disappearance of a heavenly body below the horizon.
- In StobaeusThe Orphic cosmic anatomy portrays sunrise and sunset as the two golden horns of Zeus, while sun and moon are his eyes.
- In this edition“Sunset” is appropriate beside sunrise; “setting” works for other stars and planets.
- A place to beginSunrise and sunset form the horns in a poetic cosmic body.
- English renderings
- setting; sunset; west
Meaning
Dysis is setting, particularly the disappearance of a heavenly body below the horizon. It can also indicate the western direction.
Use in the book
The Orphic cosmic anatomy portrays sunrise and sunset as the two golden horns of Zeus, while sun and moon are his eyes. Setting here is incorporated into an image of the divine body encompassing the cosmos. The concrete bodily imagery is part of the poem’s construction, not a technical anatomical claim.
Places to read
- I.1.23bSunrise and sunset form the horns in a poetic cosmic body.
Translation in this edition
“Sunset” is appropriate beside sunrise; “setting” works for other stars and planets.
Source note
Wachsmuth, volume I, printed pp. 30. The poem’s several correspondences should be kept distinct: horns, eyes, hair, and ear represent different cosmic features.