GREEK MYTHOLOGY

Orpheus-Eurydice

rpheus, the great Thracian hero, was the son of king Oeager and the Muse Calliope. His renown spread throughout Greece thanks to his unique skills in music and epic poetry. Almost all the writers of antiquity praised his ivinely-
inspired talent on the lyre, from which he was able to coax sounds that could tame wild beasts as well as bewitching the human ear. During the voyage of the Argo, the melodious song of Orpheus was capable even of drowning out the song of the Sirens, which until then had proved fatal to all the travelers who heard it. Orpheus the inspired singer was successful in taming Hades. According to the myth, his beloved wife Eurydice died at an early age after being bitten by a snake. Orpheus descended into the Underworld, determined to bring her back. The sound of Orpheus' lyre struck deep into the hearts of all the denizens of the kingdom of darkness: Cerberus lay down at peace for once, the torments of those in punishment were suspended for a while, and even the terrible Furies were reduced to tears. Hades resolved that Orpheus would be allowed to take his wife away with him - but on condition that he did not turn round to look at her until he was safely back in the land of living. The couple set off in silence,
but shortly before they emerged through the gates of the Underworld Orpheus was suddenly struck by doubts as to the honesty of Hades, known to be a wily character;
he turned round to check that Eurydice really was following him, and in a trice she was gone for ever. Orpheus was shattered by the irretrievable loss of his loved one, and in one version of the myth, himself died shortly after. Other traditions blame the Bacchae of Thrace for his demise: they dismembered him and scattered the pieces because Orpheus had shown a lack of respect for the mysteries of Dionysus. A third school of thought held that the tragic hero had been put to death by Zeus himself, for daring to reveal divine mysteries to mankind.

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