Orpheus

Nationality/Culture

Greek

Pronunciation

OR-fee-uhs

Alternate Names

None

Appears In

Ovid's Metamorphoses, Virgil's Georgics

Lineage

Son of Calliope and Apollo

Character Overview

In Greek mythology , Orpheus is a musician who sang and played so beautifully that even animals, rocks, and trees danced to his tunes. He was the son of Calliope (pronounced kuh-LYE-uh-pee), the Muse of epic poetry, and of the god Apollo (pronounced uh-POL-oh). It was Apollo who gave Orpheus his first lyre, the musical instrument that he always played.

Orpheus accompanied Jason and the Argonauts (pronounced AHR-guh-nawts) on their quest for the Golden Fleece and used his music several times to ease their journey. On one occasion, he calmed the sea with his playing; another time, he saved the Argonauts from the deadly Sirens by playing so loudly that they could not hear the Sirens' songs. Also, he stopped the Argonauts from quarreling with a song about the origins of the universe.

Orpheus fell in love with the nymph Eurydice (pronounced yoo-RID-uh-see). Shortly after their marriage, Eurydice was bitten by a snake and died. The grieving Orpheus refused to play or sing for a long time.

Finally he decided to go to the underworld , or land of the dead, to find Eurydice. His playing enchanted Charon (pronounced KAIR-uhn), the ferryman who carried the souls of the dead across the river Styx (pronounced STIKS) into the underworld. Charon agreed to take Orpheus across the river, even though he was not dead. Orpheus's music also tamed Cerberus (pronounced SUR-ber-uhs), the monstrous three-headed dog who guarded the gates of the underworld. Even Hades (pronounced HAY-deez) and Persephone (pronounced per-SEF-uh-nee), king and queen of the underworld, could not resist his playing. They agreed to let him take Eurydice back to earth on one condition: he was not to look back at her until they had both reached the surface. Orpheus led his wife from the underworld, and as soon as he reached the surface, he was so overjoyed that he looked back to share the moment with Eurydice. But she had not reached the surface yet, and she immediately disappeared into the underworld.

Orpheus spent the rest of his life grieving for his lost wife. In time his grief infuriated the Maenads (pronounced MEE-nads), a group of women who worshipped the god Dionysus (pronounced dye-uh-NYE-suhs). To punish Orpheus for neglecting their attentions, they tore him to pieces. The Muses gathered up the pieces of his body and buried them, but the Maenads threw his head and his lyre into the river Hebrus. The head continued to sing and the lyre continued to play, and both eventually floated down to the sea, finally coming to rest on the island of Lesbos. The head became an oracle, or being that communicated messages between the gods and humans. Eventually the head of Orpheus rivaled the famous oracle of Apollo at Delphi. The gods placed his lyre in the heavens as a constellation.

Orpheus in Context

Orpheus was much more than a mythological musician to many ancient Greeks. In fact, he was often viewed as a real person who had brought significant religious teachings to his followers. He was said to be the creator of the Orphic Hymns, a body of myth that is similar to more traditional Greek beliefs, but emphasizes the importance of certain figures, such as Dionysus and Persephone. Although very little is known about the details of the Orphic religion, its followers appear to have believed in the eternal nature of the human soul, and an afterlife that was designed to reward the deserving and punish the undeserving. This was different from traditional Greek views of the underworld as a rather dismal place where nearly all dead people went, regardless of their virtue.

Key Themes and Symbols

One of the main themes of the myth of Orpheus is the power of true love. After Eurydice dies and passes on to the underworld, Orpheus pursues her out of love. The power of music is also a recurring theme in the stories of Orpheus. The lyre of Orpheus symbolizes this power. Orpheus uses it to drown out the Sirens so the Argonauts do not fall victim to them, and later defuses an argument between the sailors with one of his songs. While pursuing Eurydice, Orpheus uses his lyre to gain entrance to the underworld, and his skill at playing music convinces Hades to let him take Eurydice back to the land of the living. Another important theme in this myth is obedience to the gods. When Orpheus disobeys Hades by looking back at Eurydice before they reach the surface, he breaks his agreement with Hades and Eurydice must return to the underworld.

Orpheus in Art, Literature, and Everyday Life

Over the centuries, the myth of Orpheus has endured as a tragic tale of love lost. Renaissance painters, such as Rubens and Titian, created depictions of Eurydice and Orpheus, and several operas were written about the pair during the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. The most famous of these is Jacques Offenbach's 1858 burlesque operetta Orpheus in the Underworld, which includes one piece known popularly as the music played during the French dance called the “Can Can.”

More recently, the story of Eurydice and Orpheus was adapted for the 1959 film Black Orpheus by Marcel Camus. The 1997 Disney animated film Hercules used the plot from the myth of Eurydice and Orpheus, but instead had Hercules travel to the underworld in an attempt to save his love, Megara. Eurydice and Orpheus also appear in The Sandman, a comic series written by Neil Gaiman.

Read, Write, Think, Discuss

In modern times, many schools are cutting back on music and other arts-based programs in order to focus available funds on core classes, such as science and math. Do you think music programs should be considered necessary for schools? Why or why not? Do you think music is more or less important now than it was in past cultures? Why?

SEE ALSO Argonauts; Eurydice; Muses; Underworld