Death and Rebirth of Dionysos in the New Sinai Hexameters
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Abstract
The paper deals with four poetic fragments with Orphic content published in 2021 by Giulia Rossetto. The first two fragments (Ar–Av) depict a hitherto unattested encounter between Aphrodite and Persephone regarding the infant Dionysos; the others (Br–Bv) report the Orphic tale of Dionysos being lured by the Titans but with a variation involving the Giants. Based on the observations of various scholars, the paper draws attention to the similarities between the new fragments and the story of Dionysos Liknites, which frequently involves the death and rebirth of the god. Proposing to reverse the order of the fragments, it is suggested that the Sinai fragments also report this narrative and that the reunion between Dionysos and Aphrodite in Hades represents the god’s rebirth. To conclude, the paper addresses the dating proposed for the fragments (4th century BC), arguing that it might challenge previous beliefs about the earliest known account of Dionysos’ death and rebirth.