THE STORY OF ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE, as told by Apollonius of Rhodes, Virgil

and Ovid
(and retold by Edith Hamilton in Mythology)

Orpheus: "On his mother's side he was more than mortal. He was the son of one of the Muses and a
Tracian prince. His mother gave him the gift of music and Thrace where he grew up fostered it. The
Thracians were the most musical of the peoples of Greece. But Orpheus had no rival there or anywhere
except the gods alone. There was no limit to his power when he played and sang. No one and nothing
could resist him.

In the deep still woods upon the Thracian

mountains
Orpheus with his singing lyre led the trees,
Led the wild beasts of the wilderness.

Everything animate and inanimate followed him. He moved the rocks on the hillside and turned the
courses of the rivers....

When he first met and how he wooed the maiden he loved, Euridice, we are not told, but it is clear that
no maiden he wanted could have resisted the power of his song. They were married, but their joy was
brief. Directly after the wedding, as the bride walked in a meadow with her bridesmaids, a viper stung
her and she died. Orpheus' grief was overwhelming. He could not endure it. He determined to go down
to the world of death and try to bring Eurydice back. He said to himself,

With my song
I will charm Demeter's daughter,
I will charm the Lord of the Dead,
Moving their hearts with my melody.
I will bear her away from Hades.

He dared more than any other man ever dared for his love. He took the fearsome journey to the
underworld. There he struck his lyre, and at the sound all that vast multitude were charmed to
stillness....

O Gods who rule the dark and silent world,

To you all born of a woman needs must
come.
All lovely things at last go down to you.
You are the debtor who is always paid.
A little while we tarry up on earth.
Then we are yours forever and forever.
But I seek one who came to you too soon.
The bud was plucked before the flower
bloomed.
 I tried to bear my loss. I could not bear it.
Love was too strong a god, O King, you
know
If that old tale men tell is true, how once
The flowers saw the rape of Proserpine,
Then weave again for sweet Eurydice
Life's pattern that was taken from the loom
Too quick. See, I ask a little thing,
Only that you will lend, not give, her to me.
She shall be yours when her years' span is
full.

No one under the spell of his voice could refuse him anything. He
Drew iron tears down Pluto's cheek,
and made Hell grant what Love did seek.

They summoned Eurydice and gave her to him, but upon one condition: that he would not look back at
her as she followed him, until they had reached the upper world. So the two passed through the great
doors of Hades to the path which would take them out of the darkness, climbing up and up. He knew
that she must be just behind him, but he longed unutterably to give one glance to make sure. But now
they were almost there, the blackness was turning gray; now he had stepped out joyfully into the
daylight. Then he turned to her. It was too soon; she was still in the cavern. He saw her in the dim light,
and he held out his arms to clasp her; but on the instant she was gone. She had slipped back into the
darkness. All he heard was one faint word, "Farewell."

Desperately he tried to rush after her and follow her down, but he was not allowed. The gods would not
consent to his entering the world of the dead a second time, while he was still alive. He was forced to
return to the earth alone, in utter desolation. Then he forsook the company of men. He wandered
through the wild solitudes of Thrace, comfortless except for his lyre, playing, always playing, and the
rocks and the rivers and the trees heard him gladly, his only companions. But at last a band of Maenads
[women] came upon him....They slew the gentle musician, tearing him limb from limb, borne along past
the river's mouth on to the Lesbian shore; nor had it suffered any change from the sea when the Muses
found it and buried it in the sanctuary of the island. His limbs they gathered and placed in a tomb at the
foot of Mount Olympus, and there to this day the nightingales sing more sweetly than anywhere else. "

SOURCE:
Commitment to privacy. (n.d.). Virginia Commonwealth University.
https://archive.vcu.edu/english/engweb/webtexts/eurydice/eurydicemyth.html
 THE TRAGIC STORY OF ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE
The tragic story of Orpheus and Eurydice is one of the great love stories of Greek mythology. While many
marriages and love affairs were one-sided or violent, the poet and his bride were a couple who truly had
love for one another.

The pair were doomed, however, to never be able to enjoy their life together. Just as they were united by
marriage, they were torn apart by death.

The image of Orpheus descending into the Underworld to bring back his lost love is one of the most
enduring and romantic in Greek mythology. His love, and the beautiful way in which he expressed it, had
the power to move even Hades to mercy.

The sad story of Orpheus and Eurydice is more than just a romantic tale, however. It was also a central
tale in the founding of one of the most influential and intriguing secret groups in the ancient world!

THE EARLY LIFE OF ORPHEUS

The story of Orpheus and Eurydice is best-preserved in the works of Roman poets. Ovid and Virgil both
wrote the tale in its entirety, with minor variations.

Historians know, however, that the story was told long before their time. Orpheus himself appears in
many other works and there are references to his love for Eurydice in several ancient Greek texts.

Most sources agreed that Orpheus was the son of Apollo and a nymph. His mother was most commonly
said to be Calliope, the Muse whose particular domain was epic poetry.

Apollo was the god of music and had been given his instrument, the lyre, by his half-brother Hermes.
Poets in the ancient world typically played the lyre as part of their recitations, so Orpheus inherited an
affinity for music and poetry from both of his parents.

Recognizing that his son was naturally inclined toward performance, Apollo gifted Orpheus with a lyre
when he was a young child. He quickly mastered its use and his mother taught him to write beautiful
words to go with his playing.

Orpheus soon earned acclaim as the world’s foremost musician and poet. His acclaim spread, particularly
among those who were devoted to Apollo.

One of these devotees was Chiron, the wise centaur who mentored many heroes and demi-gods. When
he learned that one of the princes he had fostered, Jason, was about to embark on an epic sea voyage,
Chiron advised him to include Orpheus among the crew.

Chiron told Jason that he would need the musician’s services when he sailed by the island of the Sirens.
The Argo and its crew only passed by this island because they were driven thousands of miles off course,
so Chiron may have been inspired by Apollo’s prophetic powers to suggest Orpheus as an Argonaut.
Jason heeded the centaur’s advice and asked Orpheus to accompany him. The musician became one of
the many heroes aboard the Argo, including Heracles, the Dioscuri, Atalanta, and Telamon.

As Chiron had predicted, the Argo passed by the Sirens’ island on its meandering return journey.
Orpheus picked up his lyre and began to sing a song of his own, drowning out the sound of the alluring
sea monsters.

THE WEDDING OF EURYDICE

After his adventures aboard the Argo, Orpheus encountered a beautiful young woman named Eurydice.
They fell deeply in love with one another and prepared to live a long life together.

Ancient sources give two accounts for the misfortune that befell Eurydice. Most accounts said that she
was in the countryside with a group of nymphs when she met with tragedy.

Some accounts claimed that Eurydice was so blissfully happy in her marriage to Orpheus that she danced
constantly. While she danced through a field with her nymph companions, she failed to pay attention
and accidentally stepped on a viper.

Other stories, however, say that she was bitten by the snake while fleeing rather than dancing. Some said
that a satyr was overcome with lust for her, while others claimed that her husband’s half-brother
Aristaeus was her pursuer.

However she came across the snake, Eurydice almost immediately died from its venom.

Orpheus expressed his grief in the manner that came most naturally to him. He sat with his lyre and
composed a poem of such heartbreaking beauty that every living thing mourned along with him.

Later versions of the story added another layer of tragedy to the death of Eurydice. Some writers
claimed that Orpheus lost his bride on their wedding day.

Ovid wrote that Hymenus, the god of marriage, personally oversaw the ceremony that united Orpheus
and Eurydice. Although the pair were deeply in love, the marriage god sadly predicted that their union
and the joy that it brought to them would not last.

In this account, Eurydice was killed during the celebrations held for her wedding. Orpheus lost the
woman he loved before they had the chance to live as husband and wife.

ORPHEUS IN THE UNDERWORLD

Orpheus was so consumed with grief that he resolved to get Eurydice back.

Many versions of the story do not recount how Orpheus made the decision to go into the Underworld in
search of his bride. Some, however, claimed that Apollo or one of the nymphs convinced him to make
the journey.
Few people in Greek mythology successfully entered the Underworld before their own deaths, and even
fewer survived to return to the land of the living again. Orpheus threw caution to the wind, however;
without Eurydice he did not care if he died.

Orpheus entered the Underworld through a gate near the town of Taenarum. The cavern there was one
the same gate that Heracles had used on his quest to bring Cerberus out of the realm of Hades.

Orpheus descended through the darkness until he crossed the river that marked the Underworld’s
border. Once he entered the land of the dead, he began to sing.

All things are due to you, and though on

earth
it happens we may tarry a short while,
slowly or swiftly we must go to one
abode; and it will be our final home.
Long and tenaciously you will possess
unquestioned mastery of the human race.
She also shall be yours to rule, when full
of age she shall have lived the days of her
allotted years. So I ask of you
possession of her few days as a boon.
But if the fates deny to me this prayer
for my true wife, my constant mind must
hold
me always so that I can not return—
and you may triumph in the death of two!
-Ovid, Metamorphoses

THE DEAL WITH HADES

Rather than wander through the Underworld in search of his lost bride, Orpheus stood in place and sang
a poem as he composed it.

In his poem, he called on the denizens of the Underworld to help him in his quest. He assured them that
he meant to harm, although he recognized that his appearance in Hades’ realm may have been unlawful,
but he was forced to visit them because of his unbearable grief.

As he sang of his love for Eurydice and the pain he felt since her death, the residents of the Underworld
became entranced by his music. Those that could gathered around as he played, while others strained to
hear the beautiful and heartbreaking song.

Among those who listened to Orpheus sing in the Underworld were:

- Ghosts – Hades’ realm was largely populated by formless spirits of the dead. Ovid claimed that
they all stopped their aimless wandering and wept when they heard Orpheus sing.
 - Cerberus – Many sources said that the hound of Hades was among the first to be attracted to
Orpheus. The enormous three-headed dog sat by the poet’s side, lulled into calm by the music.
- Tantalus – Tormented by constant hunger and thirst, the wicked king stopped grasping at the
food and water that were just out of his reach, forgetting his torture because of Orpheus’s song.
- Ixion – The poet’s song was so captivating that the flaming wheel, which Ixion had been bound
to for attempting to assault Hera, stopped spinning.
- Tityus – The giant who had threatened Leto had his liver ripped out by vultures in the
Underworld. Both he and the vultures stopped to listen to Orpheus’s lament.
- The Danaids – Forty-nine daughters of Danaus had been sent to Tartarus for murdering their
husbands, forced to fill a pool using only leaking jugs. They forgot their labor as well while Orpheus
played.
- Sisyphus – The wicked king, according to Ovid, sat on the rock he endlessly pushed to listen to
the song.
- The Furies – For the first and only time, the Furies wept at the sadness and injustice of a death.

Finally, Persephone and Hades approached the musician. The queen of the Underworld was greatly
moved by his sad words and beautiful playing.

Persephone called the ghost of Eurydice to them so Orpheus could see her once again. Unable to deny
his wife’s request for mercy, Hades agreed to allow Eurydice to return to the land of the living with her
husband.

Allowing a shade to leave his realm was almost unheard of, however, so Hades imposed one condition on
the couple. As a sign of his faith and obedience, Orpheus had to lead his bride to the surface without
ever turning back to look at her.

Orpheus quickly set out for the world of the living. Eurydice trailed a few steps behind him and he was
careful to never glance back at her. Although the path was steep, he did not risk breaking his agreement
with Hades by turning back to help her climb.

As they got closer and closer to the surface, however, Orpheus became more concerned. Eurydice was
climbing behind him in silence, and he worried that she might have fallen behind.

Ovid said that the pair were nearly to the gate when Orpheus’s concerns overwhelmed him and he
turned back to make sure Eurydice was still behind him. Others said that he reached the surface and
excitedly turned back, forgetting that his wife was a few steps behind him and thus still in the
Underworld.

By turning around, Orpheus broke his agreement with Hades. Eurydice was pulled back into the
Underworld once more.

Ovid railed at the loss and tried to make his way back into the Underworld to try again. Charon and the
other guardians of Hades’ realm would not let him pass again, however, and he was forced to admit that
he had lost Eurydice forever.
THE DEATH OF ORPHEUS
According to many writers, Orpheus never recovered from the pain of losing his beloved wife twice. He
shunned women and became a reclusive figure.

His mother Calliope had married the king of Thrace, so Orpheus spent his later years near her. Although
he lived in his mother’s kingdom, however, he took little consolation from being near her.

The most well-known account of his death said that Orpheus shunned the gods as well as other people.

The poet was angry that none of the gods of Olympus had intervened to save Eurydice. While he had
once composed beautiful hymns in honor of the gods, he turned his back on all of them except Apollo.

One morning, Orpheus went out to pay his respects to Apollo as the sun rose. He did so near an oracle of
Dionysus, however.

A group of Thracian Maenads, in a frenzy from their worship of the god of wine, recognized the musician
who had once honored their god as well. Furious that he had abandoned his worship of Dionysus, they
tore him to pieces.

Another story of his death also included a group of Thracian women, but their reason for killing him was
much different.

This story claimed that Orpheus had, in fact, become a devoted follower of Dionysus in his later years.
The wine god’s cult allowed him to forget his pain.

Orpheus spread the cult of Dionysus to many places, including Thrace. The women there not only
embraced Dionysus, but were attracted to the beautiful music and poetry of Orpheus as well.

After the death of Eurydice, however, Orpheus had sworn off the love of women. While he had some
affairs among the young men of Thrace, he paid no attention to the women that surrounded him.

The Thracian women were unaccustomed to this type of inattention and were infuriated by it. Enraged,
they killed him for refusing their advances.

While the details of these stories differed, both ended with his death at the hands of Thracian Maenads.
After he was torn to pieces, his head and lyre floated downriver toward the sea.

Although he had died, Orpheus continued to create his beautiful, sad music. Lyre playing and singing
were heard as his remains floated by.

The people of Lesbos recovered his head and built a shrine around it. When Apollo learned of this, he
finally silenced his son’s songs.
The remains of Orpheus were eventually returned to the Muses. They made his lyre a constellation and
buried what was left of his body at the foot of Mount Olympus.

The poet’s soul returned to the Underworld, where he was granted a place in the Isles of the Blessed.
There, he was finally reunited with Eurydice, never to be parted from one another again.

A third, less common, version of the poet’s death claimed that he was killed by Zeus.

When Orpheus returned to the world of the living, he had knowledge that no one else did. He was the
only man alive who had seen the Underworld and spoken to its inhabitants.

Orpheus began to tell people about the things he had seen and learned in the realm of Hades. Because
this violated the natural laws that separated the living from the dead, Zeus struck him down for sharing
these secrets.

The secret wisdom of Orpheus would become the basis for some of the most well-known cults in the
ancient world.

MYSTERY CULTS
Most of the well-known Greek myths were widely shared in temples and public spaces of the ancient
world. The poems, plays, and books that we base our knowledge off were widely-read and based off of
stories that most Greek people would have been familiar with.

Another, more secretive version of Greek religion existed in the ancient world, however. In addition to
the mainstream religion, several sects preached different versions of the myths and gods of their
neighbors.

These groups were known as the mystery cults. Several such schools existed throughout the Greek world
during the Classical and Hellenistic eras.

Many of these cults were intensely focused on the secrets of the Underworld and what happened to
people after death. As someone who had descended to the land of the dead and survived, Orpheus was
an important figure in their teachings.

One school, Orphism, claimed that their sect had been established by Orpheus himself. They claimed
that their secrets, which were not shared with anyone outside of their group, had been given to them by
the poet.

Orphics claimed that Orpheus was a follower of Dionysus. He had reformed the god’s worship, however,
to put emphasis on wine as a symbol rather than an intoxicant.

Some historians believe that early Orphic teachings may have seen the poet as an aspect of Dionysus.
While more traditional myths closely tied Orpheus to Apollo, the Orphics emphasized his connection to
Dionysus.
To them, Dionysus was a god of the Underworld. They taught that he had been incarnated twice; his first
incarnation was the son of Zeus and Persephone.

Seeing Zeus and Hades as aspects of the same god, this made the god of wine the offspring of the god
and goddess of the Underworld. Orpheus revered him not for the wine he made, but for his ties to
Persephone and the realm of the dead.

Many historians also believe that the involvement of Eurydice in the story may have been a later
element that was not original to Orphic belief. Instead, they think that he may have gone into the
Underworld for another reason, possibly to bring Hecate into the world of the living.

The Orphic mysteries are attested from at least the 5th and 6th centuries BC. It was one of the most
well-established and widely-followed mystery cults of the ancient world.

In fact, many well known writers of the Classical Era included elements of Orphic teachings in their
works. While members of the mysteries were forbidden to disclose all that they knew, many people
seem to have been aware of at least some teachings of the Orphics.

Plato, Socrates, Herodotus, and Euripedes all included some Orphic beliefs in their writings. While they
often approached these legends from a philosophical point of view rather than as doctrinal proof, their
familiarity with the material suggests that they had some grounding in the Orphic tradition.

Some scholars believe that known Orphic texts may have been written by some of these figures.
Pythagoras in particular is linked to many of the cult’s works.

The teachings of Pythagoras so closely mirrored those of the Orphic mysteries that many historians
through the ages believed that it was obvious that he had been initiated into the cult. Some even
claimed that he wrote many of the texts that survive today.

While the Orphics claimed that their poems and hymns had been written by the mythical poet himself,
many have credited at least some of them to other notable Greek writers. Whether or not Pythagoras
and other well-known philosophers wrote the Orphic hymns may never be known, but historians believe
that they were generally familiar with the teachings of the mystery cult.

THE TRAGEDY OF ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE

In Greek mythology, Orpheus was a skilled poet and musician. He was usually said to be the son of
Apollo and the Muse Calliope.

He was brought on as one of Jason’s Argonauts in the quest for the Golden Fleece. By playing his lyre and
singing loudly, he drowned out the song of the Sirens and saved the crew from being tempted by them.

After returning from his voyage, he fell in love with a young woman named Eurydice. They were married,
but she was tragically killed by a snakebite on the day of their wedding.
Bereft, Orpheus descended into the Underworld to find his lost love. He sang a lament of such beauty
and sadness that the residents of the Underworld were moved to pity.

Even Hades was inspired to show mercy after hearing the poet’s song. He agreed to release Eurydice
back to the world of the living.

To retrieve her, though, Orpheus would have to lead her back to the surface without turning around to
look at her. When he violated this agreement just before they were both safe in the world of the living,
Eurydice was taken back to the realm of Hades forever.

Various legends existed regarding the poet’s own death. The most common stories have him being killed
by Thracian Maenads, either for neglecting the rites of Dionysus or for refusing their advances.

Orpheus and his descent into the Underworld were popular in mainstream Greek religion, but they were
particularly important stories to the secretive mystery cults that proliferated in the 5th and 6th
centuries. One of these, Orphism, claimed that the poet had revealed the secrets of death to his
followers.

While these cults were secretive by nature, the writings of several prominent philosophers demonstrate
a familiarity with Orphic teachings. Whether men like Pythagoras and Socrates were initiated into the
cult may never be known, but their writings show that Orphism was an important aspect of ancient
belief.

SOURCE:
Greenberg, M., PhD. (2022). Orpheus and Eurydice: A Complete Guide (2023). MythologySource.
https://mythologysource.com/orpheus-and-eurydice/
 ORPHEUS
The story of Orpheus
The mythical story and history of Orpheus
BY E.M. BERENS

THE MYTHICAL STORY OF ORPHEUS

The renowned singer Orpheus was the son of Apollo and Calliope, the muse of epic poetry, and, as might
be expected with parents so highly gifted, was endowed with most distinguished intellectual
qualifications. He was a poet, a teacher of the religious doctrines known as the Orphic mysteries, and a
great musician, having inherited from his father an extraordinary genius for music. When he sang to the
sweet tones of his lyre, he charmed all nature, and summoned round him the wild beasts of the forests,
who, under the influence of his music, became tame and gentle as lambs. The madly rushing torrents
stopped their rapid course, and the very mountains and trees moved from their places at the sound of
his entrancing melodies.

Orpheus became united to a lovely nymph named Eurydice, the daughter of the sea-god Nereus, whom
he fondly loved. She was no less attached to him, and their married life was full of joy and happiness. But
it was only short-lived; for Aristaeus, the half-brother of Orpheus, having fallen in love with the beautiful
Eurydice, forcibly endeavoured to take her from her husband, and as she fled across some fields to elude
his pursuit, she was bitten in the foot by a venomous snake, which lay concealed in the long grass.
Eurydice died of the wound, and her sorrowing husband filled the groves and valleys with his piteous
and unceasing lamentations.

His longing to behold her once more became at last so unconquerable, that he determined to brave the
horrors of the lower world, the Underworld, in order to entreat Hades to restore to him his beloved wife.
Armed only with his golden lyre, the gift of Apollo, he descended into the gloomy depths of Hades,
where his heavenly music arrested for a while the torments of the unhappy sufferers. The stone of
Sisyphus remained motionless; Tantalus forgot his perpetual thirst; the wheel of Ixion ceased to revolve;
and even the Furies shed tears, and withheld for a time their persecutions. Undismayed at the scenes of
horror and suffering which met his view on every side, he pursued his way until he arrived at the palace
of Hades. Presenting himself before the throne on which sat the stony-hearted king and his consort
Persephone, Orpheus recounted his woes to the sound of his lyre. Moved to pity by his sweet strains,
they listened to his melancholy story, and consented to release Eurydice on condition that he should not
look upon her until they reached the upper world. Orpheus gladly promised to comply with this
injunction, and, followed by Eurydice, ascended the steep and gloomy path which led to the realms of
life and light.

THE MYTHICAL LOVE STORY OF ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE IN THE UNDERWORLD

All went well until he was just about to pass the extreme limits of Hades, when, forgetting for the
moment the hard condition, he turned to convince himself that his beloved wife was really behind him.
The glance was fatal, and destroyed all his hopes of happiness; for, as he yearningly stretched out his
arms to embrace her, she was caught back, and vanished from his sight for ever. The grief of Orpheus at
this second loss was even more intense than before, and he now avoided all human society. In vain did
the nymphs, his once chosen companions, endeavour to win him back to his accustomed haunts; their
power to charm was gone, and music was now his sole consolation. He wandered forth alone, choosing
the wildest and most secluded paths, and the hills and vales resounded with his pathetic melodies.

At last he happened to cross the path of some Thracian women, who were performing the wild rites of
Dionysus (Bacchus), and in their mad fury at his refusing to join them, they furiously attacked him, and
tore him in pieces. In pity for his unhappy fate, the Muses collected his remains, which they buried at the
foot of Mount Olympus, and the nightingale warbled a funeral dirge over his grave. His head was thrown
into the river Hebrus, and as it floated down the stream, the lips still continued to murmur the beloved
name of Eurydice.

THE MYTH AND HISTOY OF ORPHEUS

The Myth of Orpheus
The story of Orpheus is featured in the book entitled "A Hand-Book of Greek and Roman Mythology. The
Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome" by E.M. Berens, published in 1894 by Maynard,
Merrill, & Co., New York.

The Myth of Orpheus - the Magical World of Myth & Legend

The story of Orpheus is one of the stories about the history of ancient gods and goddesses featured in
ancient mythology and legends. Such stories serve as a doorway to enter the world of the Ancient
Greeks and Romans. The names of so many of the heroes and characters are known today through
movies and games but the actual story about such characters are unknown. Reading a myth story about
Orpheus is the easy way to learn about the history and stories of the classics.

THE MAGICAL WORLD OF GODS, GODDESSES, MYTH AND LEGEND

The Short Story and Myth of Orpheus
The myth about Orpheus is featured in the book entitled The story of Orpheus is featured in the book
entitled "A Hand-Book of Greek and Roman Mythology. The Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and
Rome" by E.M. Berens, published in 1894 by Maynard, Merrill, & Co., New York. Learn about the the
gods and goddesses of Ancient Greece and Rome that are available on this website.

ORPHEUS
- Short story of Orpheus
- A Myth Story of the Ancient World
- The gods, goddesses of the ancient Myth Stories & Legends
- The ancient deities of classical Mythology
- History and Information
- The story of Orpheus by E.M. Berens
- A famous Myth Story of the Ancient World for schools and kids

SOURCE:
Story of Orpheus ***. (n.d.). https://www.talesbeyondbelief.com/myth-stories/orpheus.htm
 ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE

The story of Orpheus and Eurydice is the ultimate tragic love story. Perhaps one of the most famous
Greek myths, it has inspired many important painters, such as Peter Paul Rubens and Nicolas Poussin.
Moreover, many operas, songs and plays have been composed to honour these two great lovers who
tragically lost the chance to enjoy their love. The story of Orpheus and Eurydice has been told in many
versions with a few differences between them. The earliest account comes from Ibycus (circa 530 BC), a
Greek lyric poet. Hereby we present you a mixture of these various versions.

ORPHEUS, TALENTED AT PLAYING MUSIC

Orpheus is known as the most talented music player of the ancient times. It is said that god Apollo was
his father, from whom took his extreme talent in music, and the Muse Calliope was his mother. He was
living in Thrace, on the northeastern part of Greece. Orpheus had a divinely gifted voice that could
charm everyone who heard it. When he was presented first the lyre as a boy, he had it mastered in no
time at all. The myth says that no god or mortal could resist his music and even the rocks and trees
would move themselves to be near him.

According to some ancient texts, Orpheus is accredited to have taught agriculture, writing and medicine
to the mankind. He is also attributed with having been an astrologer, a seer and founder of many mystic
rites. The strange and ecstatic music of Orpheus would intrigue the mind of people to things over natural
and had the power to broaden the mind to new unusual theories.

However, apart from a musical talent, Orpheus also had an adventurous character. He was believed to
have taken part in the Argonautic expedition, which is the voyage of Jason and his fellow Argonauts to
get to Colchis and steal the Golden Fleece. In fact, Orpheus played a vital role during the expedition
because, playing his music, he put to sleep the "sleepless dragon" that was guarding the Golden Fleece
and thus Jason managed to get the Fleece. Moreover, the music of Orpheus saved the Argonauts from
the Sirens, the strange female-like creatures who were seducing men with their nice voice and then they
were killing them.

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

Orpheus used to spend much of his early years in the idyllic pursuits of music and poetry. His skill had far
surpassed the fame and respect of his music. Humans and beasts alike would be enchanted by it and
often even the most inanimate of objects would yearn to be near him. Well into his youth he had
mastered the lyre and his melodious voice garnered him audiences from near and afar. It was at one
such gathering of humans and beasts that his eyes fell on a wood nymph. The girl was called Eurydice,
she was beautiful and shy. She had been drawn to Orpheus enamored by his voice and such was the
spell of beauty in music and appearance that neither could cast their eyes off each other. Something
inexplicable tugged the hearts of the two young people and soon they feltl dearly in love, unable to
spend a single moment apart. After a while, they decided to get married.

Their wedding day dawned bright and clear. Hymenaios, the god of marriage, blessed their marriage and
then a great feast followed. The surroundings were filled with laughter and gaiety. Soon the shadows
grew large, signaling an end to the revelry that had lasted much of the day and the wedding guests all
took leave of the newly-weds, who were still sitting hand-in-hand and starry eyed. They soon both
realized that it was time they were on their way and departed for home.

THE SNAKE-BITE
However, things would soon change and grief would ensue happiness. There was one man who was
despising Orpheus and desired Eurydice for his own. Aristaeus, a shepherd, had plotted a plan to
conquer the beautiful nymph. And there he was, waiting in the bushes for the young couple to pass by.
Seeing that the lovers were approaching, he intended to jump on them and kill Orpheus. As the
shepherd made his move, Orpheus grabbed Eurydice by the hand and started running pell-mell through
the forest.

The chase was long and Aristaeus showed no signs of giving up or slowing down. On and on they ran and
suddenly, Orpheus felt Eurydice stumble and fall, her hand slipping from his grasp. Unable to
comprehend what had just happened, he rushed to her side but stopped short in dismay, for his eyes
perceived the deathly pallor that suffused her cheeks. Looking around, he saw no trace of the shepherd
for Aristaeus had witnessed the event and had left. Few steps away, Eurydice had stepped on a nest of
snakes and had been bitten by a deadly viper. Knowing that there was no chance of survival, Aristaeus
had abandoned his try, cursing his luck and Orpheus.

A SUPER NATURAL PLAN

After the death of his beloved wife, Orpheus was no more the same carefree person he used to be. His
life without Eurydice seemed endless and could do nothing more than grief for her. This is when he had a
great but yet crazy idea: he decided to go to Underworld and try to get his wife back. Apollo, his father,
would talk to Hades, the god of the Underworld, to accept him and hear his plea.

Armed with his weapons, the lyre and voice, Orpheus approached Hades and demanded entry into the
underworld. None challenged him. Standing in front of the rulers of the dead, Orpheus said why he was
there, in a voice both mellifluous and disquieting. He played his lyre and sang out to King Hades and
Queen Persephone that Eurydice was returned to him. Not even the most stone-hearted of people or
Gods could have neglected the hurt in his voice.

Hades openly wept, Persephone's heart melted and even Cerberus, the gigantic three-headed hound
guarding the entry to the underworld, covered his many ears with his paws and howled in despair. The
voice of Orpheus was so moving that Hades promised to this desperate man that Eurydice would follow
him to the Upper World, the world of the living. However, he warned Orpheus that for no reason must
he look back while his wife was still in the dark, for that would undo everything he hoped for. He should
wait for Eurydice to get into the light before he looked at her.

With great faith in his heart and joy in his song, Orpheus began his journey out of the underworld, joyful
that he would once again be reunited with his love. As Orpheus was reaching the exit of the Underworld,
he could hear the footfalls of his wife approaching him. He wanted to turn around and hug her
immediately but managed to control his feelings. As his was approaching the exit, his heart was beating
faster and faster. The moment he stepped on the world of the living, he turned his head to hug his wife.
Unfortunately, he got only a glimpse of Eurydice before she was once again drawn back into the
underworld.

When Orpheus turned his head, Eurydice was still in the dark, she hadn't seen the sun and, as Hades had
warned Orpheus, his sweet wife was drowned back to the dark world of the dead. Waves of anguish and
despair swept over him and shuddering with grief he approached the Underworld again but this time, he
was denied entry, the gates were standing shut and god Hermes, sent by Zeus, wouldn't let him in.

THE DEATH OR ORPHEUS

From then on, the heart-broken musician was wandering disoriented, day after day, night after night, in
total despair. He could find no consolation in anything. His misfortune tormented him, forcing him to
abstain from contact with any other woman and slowly but surely he found himself shunning their
company completely. His songs were no more joyful but extremely sad. His only comfort was to lay on a
huge rock and feel the caress of the breeze, his only vision were the open skies.

And so it was that a group of irate women, furious for his scorn towards them, chanced upon him.
Orpheus was so desperate that he did not even try to repulse their advances. The women killed him, cut
his body into pieces and threw them and his lyre into a river. It is said that his head and his lyre floated
downriver to the island of Lesvos. There the Muses found them and gave Orpheus a proper burial
ceremony. People believed that his grave emanated music, plaintive yet beautiful. His soul descended
down to Hades where he was finally reunited with his beloved Eurydice.

THE COMPARISON TO A BIBLE SCENE

If you observe the above myth closely, you will find a comparison between this ancient Greek myth and a
scene from the Bible. The myth of Orpheus and Eurydice is similar to the story of Lot. The analogy of
"not looking back" is of great importance to both stories.

In the Book of Genesis, when God decided to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, two cities drowned in sins,
he ordered a good man, Lot, to take his family and leave the area. God told them to head for the
mountains without looking back the city being destroyed. While they were leaving the city, Lot's wife
couldn't resist and turned around to see the burning cities. She was immediately transformed into a
pillar of salt! This may be inferred as a direct and terrifying consequence of disobedience towards God.

SOURCE:
Greekacom. (n.d.). Myth of Orpheus and Eurydice - Greek Myths | Greeka. Greekacom.
https://www.greeka.com/greece-myths/orpheus-eurydice/