<as with certain ancient Egyptian cosmogonies, the Orphic myth is a curious amalgam of earthiness and intangibility, combining expressions of human (and sometimes animal) fertility with more ethereal principles such as pure light. There are many common elements within the creation myths of ancient cultures, which frequently feature heavenly or winged creatures from the stars mating with the earth to beget mankind. In the Orphic cosmogony there is also the very familiar separation of the light from the dark as one of the first acts of Creation.../>
Professor M.L.West
University of London
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the original script

<the film starts with a representation of 'water and slime' from which Chronos, a serpent with the head of a bull and a lion with the face of a god in-between is born. Chronos, or 'time', coexists in this primordial slime with a second winged serpent 'necessity'. out of Chronos Aither, 'bright shining air' and a great yawning gulf of 'darkness' are born.

in Aither Chronos makes a silvery egg which he coils himself round and squeezes till it splits open. from the egg emerges Phanes, or Eros, the principle of Love who is the first creator deity. Phanes is the 'shining one', with four eyes, golden wings and the voice of both a bull and a glaring lion. he is bisexual and mates with himself to bring forth Night, which unites with Aither to produce Heaven, or Uranus the sky crowned with stars, and Ge the Earth. Uranus and Ge have 20 children, including the 14 Titans, 7 male, 7 female. Uranus is jealous of his children and wants to prevent their birth, pushing them back into the Earth. but Kronos, the last-born Titan, conquers his father by castrating him and liberates his brothers and sisters.

Kronos marries his sister Rhea. they have 6 children, three daughters (Hestia, Demeter, Hera) and 3 sons (Hades, Poseidon, Zeus). Kronos swallows his children at birth to avoid the prophecy that one of them will overthrow him. but when Zeus is born Rhea's mother hides the baby and Rhea gives Kronos a stone to swallow instead. Zeus then frees his brothers and sisters by giving his father a potion which makes him regurgitate all of the children. Zeus then drives Kronos from the sky and chains him in a region beneath the earth and the sea.

Zeus establishes himself as ruler and recreates the world by invoking and recreating Phanes. Zeus then mates with his sister Demeter both taking snake form and bring forth the four-eyed, horned Persephone. Zeus then mates with Persephone and she gives birth to Dionysus. while he is still a child Zeus makes Dionysus ruler of the gods. the jealous Titans tear Dionysus apart and try to eat him. but Dionysus' heart is saved by Athena and Zeus brings him back to life. Zeus burns the Titans to cinders with a thunderbolt and from their ashes, Mankind is born.../>