We’ve all heard tales about old Gods and their many relationships, but few of us are familiar with Orpheus and his lovely sweetheart Eurydice. That’s what we’d want to discuss today. You may need to fasten your seatbelts because this one is going to be a doozy.
Orpheus was indeed Apollo’s son.
Apollo is the God of poems and music, as many of you may well know. He was gifted on various instruments, and when his son was born, he had the same blessings. Orpheus inherited his father’s passion for music and particularly enjoyed playing the lyre, a tortoiseshell instrument with a cluster of strings similar to a violin. His music was hypnotizing, and he rapidly outperformed his father when it came to playing this instrument.
However, here is where the narrative begins. Orpheus was playing in the woods one day when a nymph heard him and inquired who was playing the lovely music that had enchanted her. And the minute Orpheus beheld Eurydice; he fell head over heels in love with her remarkable beauty. Their romance was passionate, yet it was short-lived since they married shortly after.
However, Hymenaios, the deity of marriage, had a word of caution for them.
Hymenaeus told them that their marriage would not endure long on the day of their wedding, but nothing could dampen their spirits, and they were in love. And they continued to live happily ever after. Until Aristaeus, a shepherd got in the way. Because Eurydice was famed for her beauty, the shepherd devised a scheme to terminate Orpheus’ life so he could have her all to himself.
As a result, Orpheus was assaulted by the shepherd.
Fortunately, Orpheus managed to flee with Eurydice but soon fell and was bitten by a deadly snake. Orpheus was left to grieve his wife as this abruptly terminated her life. But he refused to give up and sought assistance from his father, Apollo. And it was because to Apollo, Orpheus was granted an audience with Hades, the God of the Underworld. Orpheus’ magnificent music was heard throughout the underworld, and Hades handed him a choice.
On one condition, Hades said he might have his wife back.
Orpheus had to escort his wife back from the underworld without looking back, for if he did, Eurydice would be trapped there indefinitely. This seemed to be a simple assignment, so they set off on their expedition.
As Orpheus saw the light at the end of the tunnel, they were almost there.
However, when Orpheus returned to the overworld, he didn’t see his wife since she was still in the dark. As a result, she was doomed to a life in the underworld, which she would never be able to escape.
