Orpheus And Eurydice – A Myth About Love

The myth with

Orpheus learned music from Apollo. He succeeded so well that Apollo gave him his own lyre as a sign of his fatherly love.

This instrument was created by Hermes, who used a turtle shell to build it. According to history, Orpheus was able to create some of the most beautiful melodies on earth.

He had such a talent that both gods and humans were moved to tears when they heard his music.

Even the wildest creatures calmed down when they heard this music. He was also quite good with women until he met the nymph Eurydice.

Orpheus lived an adventurous life. He therefore offered to go with the Argonauts when they would travel to find the golden sheepskin.

Legend has it that he saved the expedition when some mermaids tried to confuse the sailors with their song. They hypnotized the sailors who threw themselves into the water where they were eaten by these mermaids.

But Orpheus used his talent to prevent this by playing on his own lyre. His music was much more beautiful and he managed to drown out the mermaids’ song. Therefore, only one sailor died.

After the expedition, Orpheus and Eurydice met. She was a very beautiful nymph. The day Orpheus saw her reflection in the water, he immediately fell in love and felt that he could die for her.

He finally managed to get her attention and Eurydice fell in love with him. Then they married. For a time, they lived a happy life full of love and passion.

Eurydice dies

Even when Orpheus and Eurydice lived a happy life in the palace, she never forgot that she was a nymph. She could therefore not stop going to the forest to be among nature.

One afternoon when she went to the forest, she came across a hunter who was hunting a helpless deer calf. When she helped it escape, the hunter became furious.

The man said he could forgive her if she gave him a kiss. She refused because she was a happily married woman and did not want to risk her happiness.

When the hunter tried to force her, she ran away, but she happened to step on a sleeping snake that bit her, and she died instantly.

When Orpheus found out that his wife had died, he became desperate. He decided to go to the underworld and save her from death.

Using his lyre and beautiful singing voice, he convinced the ferryman Charon and the dog Kerberos, who was the guardian of the realm of the dead, to take him to Persephone, the goddess of hell.

She was also moved when she heard his music.

Together forever

In the end, Persephone let Orpheus take his wife back on one condition. On the way back, Orpheus had to walk in front of Eurydice.

He was not allowed to turn around until they were completely out in the sun outside the underworld. Orpheus accepted, but did not believe that Eurydice would follow.

He was afraid that a demon would follow him instead.

When he finally came out of the cave, he could no longer resist and turned around. Eurydike had almost come to the fore in the sunlight, and she died again.

Orpheus became very sad and started playing a sad kind of music that even made the gods cry. Some creatures called menades fell in love with him, but Orpheus did not give in to their attempts to seduce him.

In revenge, they killed him and scattered his remains. This allowed Orpheus and Eurydice to meet again in the underworld.

They were now together forever and ever since then you can hear beautiful melodies among meadows and groves.