Abstract
This thesis examines the relationship between Vedic and Orphic theogonies, both from a mythological and poetic perspective. In both the Rig Veda and in the various Orphic fragments, a primordial god is born from a cosmic egg, which when broken becomes the source of heaven and earth. Both the Vedic Prajāpati and the Orphic Protogonos self-procreate in order to create other gods, humans, and animals. They are also both connected to sacrifice through ritual dismemberment, Prajāpati with the annual disassembling of the sacrificial altar, and Protogonos through his heir, Dionysus. The consistent theme in each mythology is creation through fragmentation from an original source. Therefore, the goal of the religious practitioner is to identify with the primordial god and so share his original creative power. This religious purpose is reflected in the poetic tradition of each culture. The poet uses meter, themes and formulae in order to invoke the god’s completeness and the dualistic nature of the universe. This comparison contributes to a larger picture of interaction between Greece and India in the development of their poetic and religious traditions.
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