Prophecies and the Divine Order: An Analysis of Fragment A of the Sinai Palimpsest Ar. NF 66
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14409/argos.2025.54.e0080Keywords:
Orphism, Dionysos, palimpsest, prophecy, divine successionAbstract
This study aims to reconstruct the fragmentary testimony of the prophecy delivered by Night to Zeus and repeated by Persephone to Aphrodite in the Underworld, transmitted in Fragment A of the recently discovered Sinai Palimpsest Ar. NF 66. This testimony consists of four fragments grouped into two narrative episodes. Its fragmentary nature prevents us from knowing the exact content of the prophecy; therefore, in this article I will attempt to reconstruct and analyze the fragments pertaining to the oracle according to the categorization proposed by Fontenrose (1978) for the tradition of oracular verse, while also seeking to contextualize this prophecy within the Orphic theogonic myth of Dionysus and Zeus. Finally, in order to understand the narratological function of Night’s recitation of the prophecy to Zeus, I will briefly compare the messages of the various oracles addressed to Zeus with the prophecies delivered to mortal kings.
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