Orpheus and Eurydice, a tragic love story from Greek mythology that has inspired many
great artists in the centuries since. A story that speaks of the power of music to form
unbreakable bonds whilst also challenging notions of faith in the word of the Gods.
So, who were these star-crossed lovers, and how did it all go wrong for them? Let’s
find out together, right now. Orpheus was a talented young man from Thrace
who was famous for his mastery of the musical arts. It is claimed by some that he was the
son of the god Apollo and that the muse Calliope was his mother. His skill with various musical
instruments was uncontested, but his most magical gift was his singing voice. Such was
its beauty that he was able to charm both mortal and God alike with his majestic performances.
He was known also to have an adventurous spirit, taking part in many expeditions, accompanying
even Jason and the Argonauts on their quest where his musical gift and its soothing power
played a pivotal role in their success. His own personal tale however, truly begins
with the chance meeting of the love of his life. At one of his many glorious musical
performances, his eyes fell upon a beautiful and shy young wood nymph and from the moment
his gaze caught hers, neither would ever be able to look anywhere else again.
The name of the captivating female creature was Eurydice.
As the music swelled around them in that moment, so did their hearts and the phrase love at
first sight was never more applicable. From that day forth, they were inseparable,
spending every waking moment together and before long, they took the seemingly inevitable
decision to marry. Their wedding day was a glorious affair with a great feast blessed
by the Gods and the young couple seemed destined for a wonderful and happy life together.
However, as we have learnt from the many love stories across the variety of mythologies
we discuss here, very few ever end happily. And so it was, their joy was destined to be
short lived. Unknown to Orpheus, another man had also fallen
for the graceful charm of Eurydice, a shepherd known as Aristaeus, and he was determined
to win the girl for himself. One day as the young lovers took a gentle
stroll through the woods, the shepherd made his move. Springing from his hiding place
amongst the bushes, Aristaeus leapt towards Orpheus, intending to kill him. Luckily Orpheus
had sensed the movement and was able to avoid the attack, grabbing the hand of his wife
and running quickly away with her. The shepherd took chase immediately and the pursuit through
the woods was frantic and long. All of a sudden, Orpheus felt his wife stumble
beside him and saw her fall, letting go of his hand. He stopped immediately and rushed
to her side, shocked to find an awful colour to her face and her breathing sharp and panicked.
It was then he realised what had happened, spotting the nest of deadly vipers nearby
that Eurydice had accidentally run through. Aristaeus was nowhere to be seen, witnessing
what had happened and abandoning all hope. For he knew as well as Orpheus, that the bite
of the viper was deadly and that there was no cure.
Eurydice died in the arms of her husband who was left a broken shell, his heart ripped
from his chest before his very eyes. As the days passed, Orpheus was unable to
comprehend a life without his beautiful wife and so hatched a desperate plan to bring her
back. He would travel down into the underworld himself and plead with Hades to release Eurydice
back into the land of the living. It was a plan with very little chance, but
at least some chance. Afterall, a tiny glimmer of hope is better than no hope at all.
Using the power of his song, Orpheus was able to navigate the dark underworld, even soothing
the mighty three headed Cerberus with his melody to successfully pass by the beast.
Reaching the Lord of the Underworld Hades and his wife Persephone, Orpheus played the
most beautiful song he had ever created, telling the desperate tale of the passing of his wife
and his infinite sadness. No being, mortal or God, would have been able to resist the
emotive power of that song and even mighty Hades was drawn to tears. Hades made a promise
to Orpheus that he would release Eurydice from his realm and that she would follow him
back out to the world of the living. However, he warned Orpheus that he must not turn and
look back for his wife at any point until they were both safely back into the light.
If he did so, all hope would be lost and she would be confined to the underworld forever
more. Orpheus rejoiced, overcome with joy at the
thought of holding his wife again. All he had to do was simply walk back out and they
would be together once more. He set off, walking slowly and listening intently for the sound
of footsteps behind him. He made his way through the dark caverns until he was almost at the
exit where he suddenly realised he was no longer able to hear any footsteps. Anxiety
surging throughout his veins and fearing that he was being tricked by the Gods for their
own amusement, he struggled and fought to resist the urge to turn but was unable to
stop his body moving as his head swivelled, desperately looking for his beloved Eurydice.
There he saw her, in the form of a shade, right behind him just as Hades had promised.
But the deal had been broken, and he collapsed to his knees as the shade of his wife disappeared
before his eyes, slipping back into the depth of the underworld, his final chance lost.
Unable to return to the underworld again, Orpheus was forced to live on alone, consumed
each day by the knowledge that his lack of faith had cost him the chance of saving his
wife. Several versions of the myth exist to describe
the death of Orpheus. Some suggest he was killed by beasts whilst others mention his
death at the hands of a group of scorned women who were devastated by his lack of interest
in them. Either way, the death of Orpheus came as a relief to him with the perhaps comforting
thought that his soul travelled down to the underworld where he would finally be reunited
with Eurydice, albeit not in the way he had intended.
A truly tragic love story that remains one of the most popular tales from Greek mythology.
It is a story that has inspired a host of creative art projects across the years including
music, literature, paintings, films and even video games. You could consider the moral
of the story to be a lesson of faith and trust, in both the Gods and in love itself, or perhaps
instead a message of logic over emotion. However you interpret the story, I hope you enjoyed
this retelling and will join me again soon.