Orpheus was overwhelmed with grief by the death of Eurydice. He ceased to sing and play and instead moped around in silence. Finally he resolved to search for the entrance to the underworld so that he could at least see— and, if possible, retrieve—his lost love. When he found the entrance in southern Italy, he made his way into the passage. Once inside, he began to play his lyre again. The
Enduring Myth
The story of Orpheus is one of the oldest Greek myths. Its enduring popularity has given rise to many variations on the basic legend, as each new teller has added his or her own embellishments. In particular, the imagery of the story of this musical hero, master of the lyre and inventor of the cithara, was adopted by the esoteric religious movement known as Orphism to reinforce and legitimize its doctrine. It has also been invoked by many poets for inspiration. As an allegory, the pagan story even found its way into early Christian iconography. In the catacombs of Jerusalem, for example, Jesus was depicted in the guise of Orpheus with the lyre. In some later Christian tombs Orpheus is shown delivering the Sermon on the Mount or acting as "the Good Shepherd."
One of the myth's most potent and enduring images is of the power of music to achieve effects that are unattainable by other means. Orpheus used his celestial harmonies in an attempt to raise Eurydice from the dead and influence the shades of the underworld. If he had not made the mistake of looking back, he would probably have succeeded—the technique was faultless, only the practitioner was flawed by his humanity. Such ideas are more than artistic fantasy. A modern form of psychological treatment known as music therapy uses harmonious sounds to calm anguished people and improve their state of mind.
Above: This oil painting by the German artist Friedrich Brentel (1580—1651) depicts the ascent of Orpheus from the underworld. Eurydice is dragged back into Hades when Orpheus turns to look at her.
Music that he played charmed Charon, the boatman of the Styx River, and Cerberus, the three-headed dog that guarded the entrance to Hades, into letting him pass. All the inhabitants of the underworld were likewise captivated by Orpheus’s music: even Tartarus stopped torturing the souls of his victims. In Metamorphoses, Roman poet Ovid (43 BCE—17 CE) described the scene this way: “Tantalus stopped reaching for the receding waters, the wheel of Ixion stopped in wonder, the vultures ceased tearing at the liver of Tityus, the Danaid sisters left their urns empty, and Sisyphus sat on his throne to listen.” In the Georgies, Virgil (70—19 BCE) described how thousands of flitting shades and spectral images of the departed flocked to see Orpheus, moved by his music. The Furies abandoned their vengeful ways to listen to his song. Death itself seemed suspended.
Even the gods Hades and Persephone were softened and were temporarily rendered speechless by the sound of Orpheus’s lyre. The grieving hero took this opportunity to explain to them how his bride Eurydice had died before her time. He implored them to let her return with him to earth, pointing out that they would inevitably have her back in their kingdom one day, so a temporary reprieve would make no difference. Desperately, Orpheus then announced that he would not, and could not, return without her. Moved by his appeals and the intensity of his devotion, the gods decided to let Orpheus take Eurydice, but on one condition: he must lead the way out of the underworld and not look back at her until they reached the upper air. Orpheus agreed. So he departed, his beloved behind him, his eyes fixed ahead.
While he was leading her up the steep path through the black vapors, however, just as the end of the passage was in sight and light was visible ahead, he could not refrain from turning and gazing at his wife’s face—he wanted to make sure that she was still with him. At that very moment, Eurydice turned into a mist. Orpheus tried to grab her but could not prevent her from being sucked back into the underworld. Hermes, the escort of souls, led her down the path into the dark abode. Orpheus tried to follow, but this time even his music failed to overcome the guards. Charon would not allow him back on the boat.
Above: Orpheus leads Eurydice out of the underworld. This painting is one of the greatest works by the French painter Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (1796-1875).
Orpheus reluctantly returned to the world above and became like a lost soul on earth, wandering here and there, living as a recluse, avoiding the company, above all, of women. He still sang, but only songs of mourning and lament. He remained attractive to women, however, and many of them tried to cajole him out of his devotion to his dead lover. Yet Orpheus remained adamant that he would have nothing to do with any other female.
World History
