Orpheus And Eurydice
Orpheus
was the son of Apollo and the Muse Calliope. He was presented by his father
with a lyre and was taught to play it, which he did. Orpheus was a great
musician, if not the best. He grew up and fell in love with Eurydice, a
beautiful nymph. They got married and had the time of their life, but only for
a short time. One day, Eurydice was wandering with nymphs and was seen by a
Shepard, Aristaeus who was struck by her beauty. She fled, and got bitten by a
snake in the foot and died. Orpheus was so distraught, he followed her to the
Underworld. He played music to the Guards of the Underworld and Hades, God of
the Underworld. They came to a compromise. Orpheus was allowed to go back with
his wife, only if he never looked back till they reached Earth. But
unfortunately, reaching almost to the end, Orpheus thought it was a trick and
he looked back. Then his wife disappeared and he lost her forever.
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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 supernatural
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 of 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.
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Images
The Movie named,
Orpheous & Eurydice (2000)
Director:
Paul PissanosWriter:
Paul Pissanos
( Retelling one of the most famous Greek myths, Orpheus and Eurydice is considered the ultimate tragic love story. Orpheus, believed to be the son of Apollo, fell in love with beautiful Eurydice. However, their love was not meant to last. )
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