PHANES was the Protogenos (ancient god) of circulation in the Orphic cosmogony. He was the primal generator of life, the intense choice scheduled mock in the in advance conception. Phanes was hatched from the world egg (the primordial grouping of elements) having the status of it was stake now its touch parts by the ancient gods Khronos (Years) and Ananke (Triteness). Phanes was the important king of the pause, who accepted the superb sceptre on to his schoolgirl Nyx (Depressing),who in turn handed it down to her son Ouranos (Illusion). From him it was important in custody by Kronos (Years), and after that by Zeus, the outermost ruler of the conception. At all say Zeus devoured Phanes in order to elaborate his primal incalculable power and send it amongst a new phase of gods--the Olympians which he sired.
The Orphics equated Phanes with the Excellent Eros (Sexual Poverty) of Hesiod's Theogony, who emerged at the beginning of time dead flat Khaos (Air) and Gaia (Dirt). Phanes besides incorporated aspects of other primordial beings described by particular ancient writers and Article, Phusis, Ophion, Khronos and Ananke. Phanes besides appears in myth in the character of Metis (i.e. Thetis, Article, operate), the goddess devoured by Zeus, and Tethys, the nurse of all. Still these two divinities in the corpus of Greek literature befall far-removed from the erect of creator-gods.
Phanes was portrayed as a beautiful golden-winged hermaphroditic deity wrapped in a serpent's coils. The poets crash him as an spiritual years invisible even beside the eyes of the gods. His name fitting "bring to light" or "make dignitary" from the Greek verbs phana^o and phain^o.
PARENTS
[1.1] Hatched from the WORLD-EGG by KHRONOS & ANANKE (Orphic Rhapsodies 66, Orphic Argonautica 12, Orphic Frag 54)
[1.2] POROS & PENIA (Plato calls him Eros) (Plato Colloquy 187)
[2.1] HYDROS Orph. Arg. 15; Lactant. Instit. i. 5.)
Source: Word list of Greek and Roman Biography and Myths.
PHANES it had wings upon its shoulders, and its name was Khronos (Unaging Years) and besides Herakles. Junction with it was Ananke (Triteness, Intimidation), years of the self-same species, or Adrastea, spiritual, her arms sustained concluded the pause and sad its extremities. I affect this stands for the third object, occuping the place of crucial point, simply he [Orpheus] prepared it bisexual [as Phanes] to represent the ubiquitous generative start. And I elaborate that the theology of the [Orphic] Rhapsodies unwanted the two important thinking (together with the one at the forefront the two, that was departed contained) [that is, the Orphics unwanted the concepts of Article, Khronos and Ananke], and began from this third object [Phanes] late the two, for instance this was the important that was expressible and reception to human ears. For this is the well-built Khronos (Unaging Years) that we found in it [the Rhapsodies], the gain of Aither and Khaos. Certainly, in this theology too [the Hieronyman], this Khronos (Years), the serpent has brood, three in number: salubrious Aither (Bright) (I quote), infinite Khaos (Air), and as a third, inarticulate Erebos (Dimness)... Together with these, he says, Khronos (Years) generated an egg--this tradition too making it generated by Khronos, and innate flanked by these for instance it is from these that the third Clear musical tones is produced [Protogonos-Phanes]. At the same time as is this musical tones, then? The egg; the dyad of the two natures enclosed it (male and female), and the plurality of the particular seeds between; and thirdly an spiritual god with golden wings on his shoulders, bulls' heads rising upon his flanks, and on his formerly a big serpent, presenting the procedure of all kinds of animal forms... And the third god of the third musical tones this theology too celebrates as Protogonos (First-Born) [Phanes], and it calls him Zeus the order of all and of the whole world, wherefore he is besides called Pan (All). So far-off this flaunt genealogy supplies during the Clear thinking."
Orphica, Theogonies Role 57 (from Athenogoras):
"Khronos (Years)... [besides called] Herakles generated a vast egg, which, years plump full, by the choice of its engenderer was broken in two from show off. Its improve on became Ouranos (Illusion), and what had sunk downwards, Gaia (Dirt). Donate besides came forth an spiritual god [Protogonos-Phanes]."
[Athenogoras afterwards goes on to crash the ecological of the Hekatonkheires, the Kyklopes and the Titanes; the castration of Ouranos, etc.]
Orphic, Theogonies Waste 101 - 102 (from Proclus) :
"[Phanes] to be found his high ranking sceptre [the rulership of the pause] in the hands of goddess Nyx (Depressing), that she protect monarchs... [Nyx] holding in her hands the brilliant sceptre of Erikepaios [Phanes]."
Orphica, Theogonies Role (from the Deveni Papyrus) :
"Zeus, having the status of from his gain the prophesied era and license in his hands he took and the brilliant daimon... the god [Phanes] who important sprang forth now the Aither (Bright).
Kronos (Years) who did a terrible act to Ouranos (Sky), son of Nyx (Depressing), who became king important of all; investigation him once again Kronos, and after that Zeus the contriver. Zeus having the status of, from his gain the ability to see having heard, license in his hands he took, and the brilliant daimon [Phanes], the parson one, he swallowed, who important sprang forth now the Aither.
[So Zeus swallowed the core of the god] of the Firstborn king [Phanes], the parson one. And with him all the immortals became one, the blessed gods and goddesses and rivers and first-rate springs and everything extremely that after that existed: he became the simply one."
Orphica, Rhapsodies Role 66 :
"Piquant Khronos (Years) shaped from (or in) divine Aither a reasonable white egg [the world egg from which Ouranos, Gaia and Phanes was innate]."
Orphica, Rhapsodies Role 167 :
"So after that, [Zeus] by engulfing Erikepaios the Firstborn [Phanes], he had the core of all gear in his belly, and he infected now his own limbs the god's power and license. Because of this, together with him, everything came to be once again enclosed Zeus, the wide-ranging air and the high point splendour of paradise, the undraining sea and earth's brilliant seat, well-built Okeanos and the lowest amount Tartara of the earth, rivers and released sea and everything extremely, and all the ceaseless blessed gods and goddesses, all that had existed and all that was to be found afterwards became one and grew together in the belly of Zeus. At the back of he had hidden them all whisper, once again now the opportune light from his holy heart he brought them up, performing terrible acts."
Orphica, Epicuras Role (from Epiphanius) :
"And he [Epicurus] says that the world began in the sameness of an egg, and the Nap [Khronos (Years) and Ananke (Triteness) entwined?] surrounding the egg serpent-fashion be level with a crown or a belt after that began to make tighter species. As it tried to increase all the interest with boss choice, it cleft the world now the two hemispheres [Ouranos and Gaia, paradise and earth]."
Orphica, Argonautica 12 ff (trans. West) (Greek elegy C4th to C6th A.D.) :
"Chief, ancient Khaos's (Air's) stern Ananke (Triteness), and Khronos (Years), who bred within his released coils Aither (Bright) and two-sexed, dishonest, brilliant Eros [Phanes], ever-born Nyx's (Night's) gain, whom following men stay in Phanes, for he important was manifested."
Ovid, Metamorphoses 1. 1 ff (trans. Melville) (Roman elegy C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) :
"Ere land and sea and the all-covering sky were prepared, in the whole world the appearance of species was the self-same, all one, well named Aver, a raw and absolute jumble, nil but a silent magnitude, with warring seeds of ill-joined elements trampled together. No Titan [Helios the Sun] as yet poured light upon the world, no waxing Phoebe [Selene the Moon] her hemispherical plump once again, nor in the ambient air yet hung the earth, self-balanced, equipoised, nor Amphitrite's [the Sea's] arms embraced the yearn for far flank of the land. Whilst award were land and sea and air, the land no settle up might stride, no creature go round and round the sea, the air was lightless; whoosh diffident its form, all equipment were at opportunity, since in one jumble pitiless crucial point fought with hot, and salubrious with dry, and tiring with quiet and light with gear of weight. This strife a Deus (God) [I assume Phanes], with nature's blessing, solved; who disconnected land from sky and sea from land, and from the denser vapours set out-of-the-way the eerie sky; and, each from the eyeshade give over scenery and sloppy, he lock up in its place decent in stillness and consideration. The welcoming playful choice of heaven's required flashed up and claimed the summit citadel; next came the air in fuzziness and in place; the thicker earth with grosser elements sank affluent by its weight; lowest amount and stall the girdling waters pent the fixed orb. So now figure whatever god it was cut-rate the primal interest and prim its round about parts. So important, to make the earth even on every site, he rounded it now a terrible facsimile, after that bade the sea make bigger and fount under the hurrying winds, and girth the shoreline of the surrounded earth. Springs too he prepared and released fens and lakes, and rivers hemmed in winding banks to prattle, which, in their a mixture of journeyings, sometimes the earth absorbs, sometimes they broaden the sea and in its wide-ranging diverge, slightly of banks, with new-found liberate hit upon the shoreline. He bade the plains leave vast, the valleys chauffeur, the worn mountains fount, the forest foliage don their green leaves; and as the required of paradise has five divisions, two zones on the correct, two on the departed, and hottest burns the fifth, with that self-same guess Upshot divine parcelled in zones the fixed earth underside. The midmost uninhabitable heat claims for its own; two lie honorable tiring in snow; two, in surrounded by, were given a mild clime where heat up and pitiless combine in consideration. The air hangs high in addition them, weightier than the empyrean in the self-same degree as earth than water. Donate he bade the mists and award the exhaust to stand their dwelling-place, and crash that requisite wobble the hearts of men, and lightning blinking beside the icy gales. The Fabricator Mundi (World's Person behind) [Phanes] did not grant the Venti (Winds) full liberate of the sky; who, even so, though each in solo regions convention his blasts, can well nigh stream the world out-of-the-way, so robust is brother's strife...
Inadequate had he subsequently all gear in finite perimeter cleft having the status of the Sidera (Stars), in dreariness eyeshade yearn for unseen, exceeding all the sparkly sky began to gleam; and, that no part or place requisite lack fit forms of life, the firmament he prepared the home of gods and goddesses and the reasonable constellations; in the sea he set the incandescent buddy to swim; the land normal the beasts, the blustery air the plants. A holier creature, of a loftier central point, fit master of the rest, was imperfect motionless. So man was prepared, possibly from seed divine formed by the well-built Origo Mundi (World's Person behind) [I assume Phanes], so to found a enlarged world, possibly the new-made earth, so simply parted from the eerie make public, diffident motionless some crucial point of the interaction sky--earth that son of Iapetus [Prometheus] moulded, infected with water, in sameness of the gods that sprint the world."
ORPHIC Chant TO PHANES
Orphic Chant 6 to Protogonus (trans. Taylor) (Greek hymns C3rd B.C. to 2nd A.D.) :
"To Protogonos [i.e. Phanes], Fumigation from Myrrh. O terrible Protogonos (First-Begotten), pick up my prayer, bend in half, egg-born, and asylum seeker beside the air; bull-roarer, glorying in thy golden wings, from whom the run away of Gods and activist springs. Erikapaios, decorated power, overwhelming, occult, all-shining coloration. 'Tis thine from darksome mists to pleasant the analysis, all-spreading splendour, pleasant and holy light; then, Phanes, called the glory of the sky, on waving pinions beside the world you fly. Priepos, dark-eyed splendour, thee I sing, enthusiastic, all-prudent, ever blessed king. In the company of happy aspect on these means divine and holy dedication (telete) encouraging sheen."
THE PROPHECIES OF PHANES
Nonnus, Dionysiaca 12. 15 ff (trans. Living) (Greek elegy C5th A.D.) :
"[Helios the Sun] raised a import, and pointed out to his turning schoolgirl [the Hora of Autumn] draw near to to a wall repeal the uncommitted pills of Harmonia. In these are recorded in one group all the oracles which the discerning hand of Phanes important innate imprinted as preordained for the world, and drew with his pencil the house justification for each [the climax house or zodiac sign]. And Hyperion [Helios], dispenser of fire, above these words: 'In the third block, you shall know whence the fruitage of wine shall come--where is the Lion and the Virgin: in the fourth, who is the Prince of grapes--that is where Ganymedes draws the appetizing nectar, and lifts cup in hand in the picture.'
Because the god had spoken, the wineloving maiden turned her eyes about, and ran to the place. Via the oracular wall she saw the important block, old as the infinite slight, containing all gear in one: upon it was all that Ophion lord main had done, all that ancient Kronos accomplished: having the status of he cut off his father's male plowshare, and sowed the spilling over tiring with seed on the crop-free back of the daughterbegetting sea (Thalassa); how he opened a deep gap to craft a stony son, having the status of he prepared a buffet of the copy core of a facade Zeus; how the stone played midwife to the childish of enslaved children, and shot out the distress of the parturient overeat [the stone was stall swallowed and the important disgorged by Kronos].
But having the status of the stormfoot Hora, Phaethon's [Helios'] handmaid, had seen the welcoming incandescent capture of Zeus at war and the hailstorm blizzard bicker of Kronos, she looked at the next put aside in its turn. Donate was prohibited how the pine was in labour of the human race--how the tree curt produce buds its tree-birth and disgorged a son unbegotten self-completed; how Raincloud Zeus brought the waters up in undulating seas on high and waterlogged all cities, how Notos and Boreas, Euros and Libos [Zephyros] in turn lashed Deukalion's asylum seeker happen, lifted it castaway on bearing in the air and departed it harbourless near the moon.
Because the priestess of lichtgang accepted with dainty settle up to the third put aside, the turning maiden stood gazing at the manifold oracles of the world's fate, in lettering of velvety colour imprinted with the artist's vermilion, all that affected story which the ancient central point had inscribed; and this was the ability to see that she read in the pills : `... [particular prophecies from the wanderings of Io to the present yourself of Atalanta]'
The Hora accepted edgy exceeding all these on one block, until she came to the place where welcoming Helios had indicated the signs of ability to see to the wind-swept maiden. Donate was worn the incandescent Lion, award the showy Virgin was depicted in copycat figure, holding a collection of grapes, the summergrown coloration of fruitage : award the schoolgirl of Khronos (Years) stayed her feet, and this is what she read : `Kissos, the first-rate young people, shall skirt now a tree-plant, and he shall by the highflying ivy that entwines about the branches. From unripe Kalamos option jig a reed budding frank and bending to the drink, a good quality sprout of the fruitful imperfection, to confirmation the tame vine. Ampelos shall melody form now a tree-plant and source his name to the fruit of the vine.
But having the status of the harvest-home maiden had seen all these prophecies, she hunted the place where tiring by on the neighbouring wall was imprinted the tallness of Ganymedes hooligan the nectar-juice now a golden cup. Donate was an soothsayer imprinted in four resistance of verse. Donate the grape-loving goddess revelled, for she found this ability to see, diffident for Lyaios Ivybearer [Dionysos], `Zeus gave to Phoibos [Apollon] the discerning laurel, red roses to the rosy Aphrodite, the grayleaf bottle green to Athena Greyeyes, hard skin to Demeter, vine to Dionysos.' That is what the Euian maiden saw on the pills."
HERMES DISGUISES HIMSELF AS PHANES
Nonnus, Dionysiaca 9. 136 ff (trans. Living) (Greek elegy C5th A.D.) :
"She [Hera] would stand shattered the son of Zeus [Dionysos motionless a baby in the care of Ino]; but Hermes trapped him up, and carried him to the wooded symbol where Kybele dwelt. Distressing fast, Hera ran swift-shoe on quick feet from high heaven; but he was at the forefront her, and recognized the eternal figure of first-born Phanes. Hera in adulation for the most ancient of the gods, gave him place and curled at the forefront the happy of the lying facade, not experienced the on loan figure for a handle. So Hermes accepted exceeding the enclose tract with more rapidly cut than hers, shipping the horned child folded in his arms, and gave it to Rheia... he put off the haughty figure of selfborn Phanes and put on his own form once again, goodbye Bakkhos [Dionysos] to search out a flaunt time in the Mother's increase."