Orpheus was given the gift of music by his mother, a Muse, goddess of the arts. It was a special gift, and no one who heard him play his wonderful lyre could resist him.
“There was no limit to his power when he played and sang. No one and nothing could resist him.” (page 1)
He fell in love with Eurydice, but right after the wedding, she walked into a meadow and a snake bit her and she died. When people died in mythology, they went to the Underworld, which was ruled by Hades(Pluto in the Roman version).
Orpheus decided that he would travel to the Underworld and charm Hades and Demeter, Hades’s wife,with his music. It was a terrible and frightful journey, but he charmed everyone in the Underworld with his music. When he did, they summoned Eurydice and told Orpheus that he would be allowed to escort her out of the Underworld under one condition. He could not look back at her while she followed him out of the Underworld until they reached the daylight of the Upper World. Orpheus led the way, and Eurydice followed. He knew she must be behind him, but he wasn’t sure. He wanted desperately to check. As he exited the cave and traveled into the sunlight, he turned to see her. However, it was too soon. She was still in the cave. He reached out to clasp her, but she was gone.
Orpheus tried desperately to follow her back into the Underworld, but he was not allowed to enter again. He spent the rest of his days alone.
No comments:
Post a Comment