Legendary musician whose playing could charm animals, trees, and stones. His descent into the underworld to reclaim his wife Eurydice is one of the most retold myths in Western literature.
Orpheus's lyre, a gift said to be from Apollo, played music so beautiful that wild beasts grew calm, trees bent to listen, and rivers paused in their courses. He sailed with Jason and the Argonauts, using his music to drown out the deadly song of the Sirens when the crew passed their island, saving the expedition where ordinary willpower would have failed.
The Descent for Eurydice
When his wife Eurydice died from a snakebite, Orpheus followed her down into the underworld, charming Charon the ferryman, Cerberus the guard-hound, and finally Hades and Persephone themselves with his grief-stricken music. The rulers of the dead agreed to release Eurydice on one condition: Orpheus had to walk ahead of her back to the world of the living without looking back to confirm she was following. Just short of the surface, his nerve broke, and he looked back; Eurydice vanished a second time, this time for good.
Death and Legacy
Orpheus's later life, in most versions, ends in violence: grieving and withdrawn from women after losing Eurydice twice, he is torn apart by a group of Thracian maenads, followers of Dionysus, who resent his rejection or his devotion to another god. His severed head is said to have continued singing as it floated down the river Hebrus, and his lyre became the constellation Lyra.
Parentage
Mortal parent: Oeagrus, a Thracian king
His mother is usually named as Calliope, one of the Muses; some sources make Apollo his father instead, matching his gift for music.
Key Deeds
•Sailed with the Argonauts and drowned out the Sirens' song with his own
•Descended into the underworld to plead for Eurydice's return
•Charmed Hades and Persephone into releasing Eurydice under one condition
•Lost Eurydice a second time by looking back too soon
Fate
Torn apart by maenads of Dionysus after retreating from human company in his grief; his severed head is said to have kept singing as it drifted downriver.
Primary Sources
Historical texts and references
“He looked back, and straightway Eurydice slipped down again into the abyss.”
“Orpheus was warned not to turn his eyes back until he had gone forth from the vale of Avernus, or the gift would be void.”
