Passage 9.30.4
Ὀρφεῖ δὲ τῷ Θρᾳκὶ πεποίηται μὲν παρεστῶσα αὐτῷ Τελετή, πεποίηται δὲ περὶ αὐτὸν λίθου τε καὶ χαλκοῦ θηρία ἀκούοντα ᾄδοντος. πολλὰ μὲν δὴ καὶ ἄλλα πιστεύουσιν οὐκ ὄντα Ἕλληνες καὶ δὴ καὶ Ὀρφέα Καλλιόπης τε εἶναι Μούσης καὶ οὐ τῆς Πιέρου καί οἱ τὰ θηρία ἰέναι πρὸς τὸ μέλος ψυχαγωγούμενα, ἐλθεῖν δὲ καὶ ἐς τὸν Ἅιδην ζῶντα αὐτὸν παρὰ τῶν κάτω θεῶν τὴν γυναῖκα αἰτοῦντα. ὁ δὲ Ὀρφεὺς ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν ὑπερεβάλετο ἐπῶν κόσμῳ τοὺς πρὸ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπὶ μέγα ἦλθεν ἰσχύος οἷα πιστευόμενος εὑρηκέναι τελετὰς θεῶν καὶ ἔργων ἀνοσίων καθαρμοὺς νόσων τε ἰάματα καὶ τροπὰς μηνιμάτων θείων.
Beside Orpheus the Thracian there stands a figure representing Initiation, and around Orpheus are animals, sculpted in stone and bronze, listening to his singing. The Greeks indeed believe many other improbable things as well; among these are the claims that Orpheus was a son of Calliope the Muse rather than of the daughter of Pierus, that animals were attracted and charmed by his music, and that, while still alive, he descended into Hades to ask the gods of the Underworld to return to him his wife. In my opinion, Orpheus excelled beyond all poets who preceded him in elegance of verse and achieved such remarkable influence because he was believed to have devised rites concerned with the gods, purifications for impious deeds, cures for diseases, and ways of averting divine wrath.