Deméter en el Papiro de Berlín BKT 5.1, pp. 7-18, no I 2

Abstract

[Demeter in the Berlin Papyrus BKT 5.1, pp. 7-18, no I 2] The versus of the Berlin Papyrus BKT 5.1, pp. 7-18 no I 2, dated to the second-first bce, comprises the commentary of an ancient Orphic poem about the rape of Persephone and her search by her mother Demeter. The very fragmentary text contains a prose account in which there are some quotations of a poem attributed to Orpheus, but very similar to the Homeric Hymn to Demeter. The hymn has traditionally served as the main reference for the study of the papyrus, but the myth of Persephone was very popular in Antiquity, so the papyrus text may reflect other traditions, such as the Sicilian or the Orphic ones. In the present paper, I compare the role of Demeter in the papyrus with her role in other versions of the myth in order to examine whether these versions are directly or indirectly reflected in the papyrus and to what extent they can serve as a support to reconstruct the fragmentary text. Firstly, I begin by recalling some data about the papyrus (date, origin and editions). Secondly, I speak briefly about the different versions of the rape of Persephone. And finally, different episodes, in which Demeter is the main agent in the papyrus, are analyzed and compared with other versions. The analysis and comparison of individual episodes is essential to determine which aspects correspond to the tradition testified by the Homeric hymn, which are related to other traditions such as the Sicilian one, and which are found only in the Orphic one.