Daniel Malamis is a lecturer of Classics at Rhodes University, South Africa.

“Malamis argues meticulously and supports his claims with a wide range of evidence (...) [His] publication stands as a noteworthy exemplar of a philological study and edition, distinguished by its meticulous and analytical rigor. (...) Last but not least, the presentation and content meet the customary high standards set by Brill’s Mnemosyne series, thus ensuring a reading experience as pleasant as fruitful.” Oscar Prieto Dominguez, in Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2025.11.21

• IntroductionText and TranslationIntroduction to the TextSiglaThe Orphic HymnsNotes on the textSynopsis of Variant Readings1 Scholarship and reception1.1 The occult tradition1.2 The question of authorship from the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries1.3 Criticism of the eighteenth century, the Göttingen School1.4 The question of function1.5 Nineteenth-century criticism: Scepticism and reaction1.6 Inscriptional evidence and the ritual function of the hymns1.7 Otto Kern and the location of the OH community1.8 Theories of authorship1.9 Recent scholarship2 The structure of the collection and the hymns2.1 The collection2.2 Formal features of the hymns: epiclesis, eulogia and euche2.3 Conclusion: The structure of the collection and the hymns3 Sound and patterning3.1 Phonic repetition3.2 Antithetical predication3.3 Formal antithesis, structural symmetry3.4 Conclusion: Sound and patterning4 Formulae4.1 Formulae within the collection4.2 Formulae as intertexts4.3 Conclusion: Formulae5 The generic and poetic contexts of the Orphic Hymns5.1 Greek hymns and catalogues of predications5.2 Sound, patterning, harmony5.3 Orphic hymns5.4 Generic contexts5.5 Function5.6 CompositionConclusionAppendix1: Manuscripts and works cited in the critical apparatusAppendix2.1: Prayer structuresAppendix2.2: InvocationsAppendix2.3: Eulogia: Verse types and longer predicationsAppendix3.1: Phonic repetitionAppendix3.2: Antithetical predicationAppendix3.3: Formal antithesis, structural symmetryAppendix4.1: Formulae and phrasal parallelsAppendix4.2: Formulae: Index of AuthorsAppendix4.3: Formulae: Quantitative analysisBibliographyIndex