A long long time ago far away from the
humans, that gods and goddesses lived
happily in Mount Olympus. Among them
there lived one handsome young man named
Orpheus. Orpheus was the son of Apollo
and Calliope, the muse. Apollo gave his
son a lion and taught him how to play.
Orpheus did to such perfection that even
Apollo was surprised. The music he played was magical.
It is said that nothing could resist
his music and melody. Neither friends nor
enemies or beasts. Even trees and rocks
were entranced with his music.
One day Orpheus saw Eurydice, a woman of unique beauty. They fell in love and they
got married. Hyman the god of marriage
was called to bless them. But as soon as
Hyman saw them he knew that their
marriage was not going to last long.
What Hyman predicted soon came true.
One day while Eurydice was roaming in
the garden, she was bitten in the foot by
a venomous snake.
Eurydice died immediately of the wound.
Orpheus was speechless with grief.
Orpheus sang his grief with his lyre and
managed to move everything living or not
on the world. Both humans and gods were deeply touched by his sorrow and grief.
Apollo advised Orpheus to go to the
underworld and request Hades to meet
Eurydice. Nobody could enter the
underworld
except when they were dead. But Orpheus
was under the protection of gods.
Armed only with his lyre, the gift of
Apollo, he descended into the gloomy
depths of Hades. He managed to charm
Cerebrus the three-headed dog with his
divine music. You came to the River Styx.
Sharan the ferryman glared coldly at him
demanding how a mortal dared entered the realms of Hades. Orpheus started playing
such sad touching strains that Sharan
begged him to cease. Tears were falling
from the eyes of the dark boatman as he
hastily guided his boat across the river.
Orpheus finally presented himself in
front of the god of the underworld Hades
and his wife Persephone.
Orpheus started playing for them and
even the cold heart of Hades started
melting due to the melodies coming from
Orpheus's lyre. Hades told Orpheus that he could take
Eurydice with him but under one
condition.
Eurydice would follow him while walking
out to the light from the caves of the
underworld but he should not look at her
before coming out to the light because
he would lose her forever. Orpheus was
delighted. He thanked the gods and left
to ascend to the world. He was trying to
hear Euridyce's steps but he could not
hear anything
and he started believing that the gods
had fooled him. Eurydice was behind him.
But as a shadow waiting to come to light
to become a full woman again.
When Orpheus was a few feet away from
the exit, he lost his faith and turned to
see.
As soon as he turned, her shadow was
whisked back to the dead. Eurydice was
now gone forever.
Orpheus tried to return to the
underworld but a man cannot enter the
Hades twice not alive anyway.
The myth of Orpheus and Eurydice is one
of the most famous and beloved Greek
myths. A myth about love and passion, and also about the weakness of the human spirit.
