The Orphic Hymns: A New Translation for the Occult Practitioner

Although Dunn wrote this book with the occult practitioner in mind, it should be noted that it is in fact an extremely accurate and graceful translation of the Greek text of the Orphic hymns, far more so than the antiquated rhyming-couplet translation that one had to make do with because there was nothing else available. I have had significant experience with this Greek text, having read it all the way through at least once, and certain hymns many times over. This is the best there is in English, whether your interest is literary or academic or…otherwise. If you read Greek, you will see for yourself: Dunn’s translation is on the left and the original text on the right, allowing for quick reference. If you do not read Greek, you will have a reading experience as close to the original as one can possibly get.

I’m a practicing worshiper of the Greek pantheon. I have relied primarily of the Orphic writings in my worship. This translation and the practical information in the first few chapters is really well researched and written. The translations are fantastic. I've used the Athanassakis translations during prayer for many years. I'm not a huge fan of the Taylor translations because of the Latinization of names and overall erasure of the original Greek language. But I always wished for a more lyrical version and this seems to fit the bill. I also have interests in the occult side of things, so the practical information on using the hymns in wider occult practices was interesting. The summary of Orphism was great - but, I am still reliant on the footnotes from Athanassakis for understanding the hymns from an historical and religious perspective. I'm happy to be using these translations in my worship now.

So far, I'm really enjoying this book. The book includes the history of the Orphic Hymns, how to use them for the worship of Greek deities, using them in a meditative manner, and how to use them in spells and ceremonial magic. I especially like how there are correspondences between the Hermetic Tree of Life and a list of uses for the various hymns...like one uses the Biblical Psalms for workings.Also, I highly appreciate that it is a hardcover book!

This book is a must-have for any pagan with Hellenic leanings.

I started this book with no familiarity with the Orphic Hymns, so I appreciated Patrick Dunn's Foreword, Introduction to the Orphic Hymns, and On Translation sections. Following the introductory sections were thorough discussions of possible uses of the hymns in Ancient Greece and for modern practitioners. The section on meditating on the hymns particularly resonated with me.The Hymns themselves were presented in Greek with a facing translation. I love this format for translations. I appreciated the relatively simple and direct choices that Patrick Dunn made in his translations - his additional notes at the end of the hymns clarified points as necessary. The Concordance and Glossary at the end of the translation were immensely helpful. I know I will refer to them frequently. It was a nice touch to include Thomas Taylor's translations from 1792, which make for an illuminating comparison to Dunn's translations.I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a thoughtful introduction to the Orphic Hymns.Thank you to Netgalley and Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I love how the Hymns can be used in a ritual or ceremonial magic. Everything you need to use including, the correct herbs, candles, which direction you need to face as well as what God you should use to complete the ritual. The most historically accurate use of the hymns, is to show devotion to the gods they represent. If you want to use this Hymns in worship, then you may wish to know how things were done Ancient Greece. A quote from the book really helped me understand a lot of this and really helped when I used them The quote was" There are two ways to use the hymns in ceremonial magic. You can use the hymns as pre-made invocations, often suitable at the beginning of a ceremony, or as the foundation of an entire ritual. ". You can feel that the author took time to study this subject. It is very well written and interesting. I don't ever remember reading a book about this subject and it seems, I was missing something that was very important .It should be in everyone's library as a go to book.. I enjoyed reading it. I received this book from Net Galley and Llewellyn Publishing for an honest review and no compensation otherwise. The opinions and views are my own.

The book is pure rubbish. Classic toilet reading by Llewellyn Publications. The author, Patrick Dunn, has made a history of attacking other authors and individual systems of practice, and even overt plagiarism. Not exactly the proper behavior of a community college adjunct professor. The man is a gaff to the practice of the occult, as silly as it has been rendered. It stinks of new-age claptrap. It's insulting to the true practitioner. Incredibly redundant and irrelevant to the occult scholar--Buyer beware!

Expertly written and highly knowledgeable. I would most definitely recommend whether the reader is seasoned or just beginning on this path.

Para quem lê em inglês ( e se souber grego, melhor ainda) esse livro é excelente para quem quer utilizar os Hinos Órficos em sua prática devocional. A edição é linda!