Ophion
/oʊˈfaɪ.ən/noun
A primordial serpent deity in Orphic and later Greek myth, said to have ruled the heavens before being overthrown by Cronus and Rhea.
Did you know?In Orphic tradition, Ophion and Eurynome were associated with the cosmic egg from which creation emerged, linking the serpent with primordial birth rather than merely evil.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₁ogʷʰis
“Reconstructed word for “snake” or “serpent”.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ὄφις (óphis)
“Snake or serpent.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
Ὀφίων (Ophíōn)
“Ophion, literally associated with the serpent; the name of a primordial mythic serpent.”
3rd–2nd Century BCE
Greek
Ὀφίων
“A figure in Orphic cosmology, described in surviving mythographic traditions as an ancient ruler of the heavens.”
Late Antiquity
Latin
Ophion
“Latinized form of the Greek mythological name.”
Modern English
English
Ophion
“The name of the primordial serpent deity in discussions of Greek mythology and Orphism.”
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