Orphism is an ancient religion that consist of teachings attributed to the Greek mythical hero Orpheus, famous for revealing the mysteries of the Gods to the masses, for his involvement in the mission of Jason and his Argonauts, and for his descent into the realm of Hades in an attempt to retrieve his lost wife. Extant Orphic texts include the Derveni Papyrus, the Orphic Hymns, the Orphic Argonautica, the Lithika, the various small inscriptions of the Bone tablets of Olbia and the Gold Tablets, as well as a wide swath of fragments, references, and texts influenced by Orphic teachings.

Scholars have long debated the extent of Orphism in the lives of ancient Greeks, how widespread it was, and indeed, some even go so far as to say that Orphism as we think of it didn't exist. However, what those scholars mean to say is usually two-fold: A) that there were no central Orphic "churches" or temples or even one central "Orphic doctrine" in antiquity, and B) that the ideas we associate with Orphism were projected backward by later authors, such as Neoplatonists, into earlier sources. For both points, that someone could examine honestly the breadth of material regarding Orpheus and/or his teachings and followers written between the invention of Greek and the fall of Rome and yet still come to the conclusion that no-one in antiquity believed these things seems illogical. Further, on the second point, consider that just as Neoplatonic thinkers in late antiquity did not think of themselves as "Neoplatonic," so too is it that people following Orphic teachings didn't think of themselves as "Orphic." In that way, the same scholars who say Orphism never existed must also agree that Neoplatonism never existed, which is only to say that those categories didn't have names in those time periods. Now that they do, we can safely call ourselves Orphic, just as we can safely refer to the writings of Plotinus as Neoplatonic.

There is at least one epitaph found in ancient Pantikapaion that praises a man for being self-taught in sacred matters, and also comforts him for having died middle-aged by saying that he has broken free of the "cycle" more quickly that way, referring of course to the idea of metempsychosis, the infinite cycle of rebirths from which Orphism offers escape.  For an Orphic to be self-taught, and especially to be praised for it, what does this suggest of secrecy? It seems to suggest that it was artificial, and meant as only a small barrier to entry. For a modern equivalent, consider Freemasonry in the United States. Is it secret? Yes, it is, in that members don't share information with non-members. However, provided one meets the requirements, all they need to do to open the door to them is ask a current member how to join. Similarly for Orphism, the secrecy is not to keep people out, but so that teaching can be structured in a way that benefits initiates.

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