Severed Heads and Cosmic Eggs: Orpheus and Esotericism

In this episode of The Secret History of Western Esotericism Podcast (SHWEP), Earl Fontainelle introduces Orpheus as a mythological figure and esoteric author. He discusses Orpheus's role as a musician with magical powers, his journey to the underworld to retrieve Eurydice, and his eventual dismemberment. The episode also explores the Orphic Theogony, a creation myth attributed to Orpheus, which differs from Hesiod's account and involves primordial deities, a cosmic egg, and the birth of Phanes. Fontainelle touches on the existence of Orphic religious practices and texts, including the Orphic hymns, and sets the stage for the next episode's discussion on the Orphics themselves and related esoteric materials like the Derveni papyrus and gold tablets. The episode concludes with a reading from a gold tablet offering instructions for navigating the underworld.