What is the significance of Orpheus and Eurydice
Myths helped ancient people make sense of their world and explained aspects of their current society. These stories often developed over time and came to represent different things. Many myths played an important part in ancient's societies Cosmology and religion. An excellent example of this is the cycle of myths concerning Orpheus. He was at once a hero, musician, poet, and religious prophet.
His life and death demonstrated to the Greeks the importance of music and poetry. His stories inspired a cult, and a Mystery Religion even developed around the life and supposed teachings of Orpheus. The stories about the singer and prophet were among the most important in the Classical World and have continued to be today.
Origin of Orpheus
Little is known about the origin of the stories of Orpheus, and his origins may lie in the Mycenaean era of Minoan Civilization. The myths of Orpheus often have a Thracian connection, and the Orphic tales may have originated in that region. Some have proposed that his name is based on the Greek word for orphan. A late Roman writer argued that the name Orpheus comes from 'best voice' in Greek. The earliest reference that we have for Orpheus comes from a 6th-century poem. Many allusions to the poet, musician, and prophet in the 5th and 4th centuries BC.
However, there was some doubt expressed as to whether or not Orpheus was a real person at an early date. Most Greeks and later Romans viewed him as an important historical figure [1]. They believed he was a singer or a magician who existed in the generation before the Trojan War. Commentators from the Roman period thought that there was more than one Orpheus. There were up to four individuals known as Orpheus, and they were Greek and Thracians who were magicians, seers, musicians' or prophets.
There were probably others, including poets and religious figures, who adopted the name Orpheus. It is not known if these individuals assumed the name or whether Orpheus was a moniker or title of some sort. Many poems and religious writings were known as Orphic writings in the Graeco-Roman World, which were very popular. These were almost certainly not the work of one figure. The popular version of Orpheus and his life came into its current form in the creation of Virgil and Ovid [2].
The life of Orpheus
As with other myths, there are multiple versions of the life and times of Orpheus. According to one source, he was the son of a King of Thrace. In another set of writings, he was the son of Apollo, the Olympian god of light, reason, and music, and Calliope the Muse of eloquence. It is widely believed that Apollo gave a lyre made of gold to Orpheus. A lyre was a small harp, and those who played the stringed instrument usually sang in verse. In the Classical World, poetry was nearly always performed with music, and they were near synonymous to the Greeks and later the Romans. There are several stories about Orpheus' early life, including that he learned the ancient wisdom of the Egyptians and established the cult of various gods in several cities. In one source, he tutored the fabled King Midas in the lyre.
All the myths praise Orpheus as a great poet and musician. It was asserted that his melodies were so powerful that he could charm any living thing, human or animal. His music was so powerful it could even animate rocks and stones [3]. Moreover, the hero was often shown as calming savage beasts. There was a tradition that Orpheus was one of the Argonauts. These were a group of explorers who sailed to the Black Sea from Greece and reached the land of Colchis (modern Georgia). They were led by the great hero Jason who stole the Golden Fleece. According to the Hellenistic Epic of the Argonautica, Orpheus played a crucial role in the expedition's success. The poem relates how the Centaur Chiron advised Jason to take Orpheus with them on the journey as he had powerful skills.
The musician was shown in the poem to be both a dreamer and someone possessed of great magical powers because of his musical gifts. When the Argonauts were passing the home of the Sirens, their songs beguiled sailors. This caused the sailors to crash their ships onto the rocks and die by drowning. The Sirens' voices were drowned out by Orpheus and his lyre, and thereby he saved his fellow Argonauts. The musician and singer shared in many of the adventures of Jason, and he eventually returned to Greece. In some myths, Orpheus is shown as an early follower of the God of Wine and intoxication, Dionysus. He traveled throughout Greece and devoted himself to his art until he encountered Eurydice, who was exceptionally beautiful and with whom, he fell in love passionately [4].
Orpheus and Eurydice
Orpheus and Eurydice married in a beautiful ceremony, and the musician would play songs, and his wife would dance to them. One day, God Aristaeus, the son of Apollo, saw Eurydice and instantly fell in love with her. He was a minor God and a cultural hero, associated with practical skills such as beekeeping. Aristaeus one day chased Eurydice and tried to abduct her. The wife of Orpheus fled, but as she did, she trod on a snake that bit her, and she died. There is another version of her death, according to Ovid [5]. In this version, Eurydice died on her wedding day, when during a dance, she stepped on a venomous snake. Naturally, Orpheus was devastated, and he was grief-stricken. The gods and the nymphs were so saddened that they decided to help him retrieve his wife from Hades, the realm of the dead. The gods helped Orpheus to descend into the Underworld, which was strictly out of bounds for humans. One myth narrates that Orpheus father, Apollo had Hades grant the musician access to his dead beloved. Another version reports that Orpheus music melted the hearts of the God of the Underworld. He allowed Eurydice to follow Orpheus out of the Underworld because he did not look back as his wife exited the Underworld [6]. However, Orpheus was not strong enough and turned back to see his wife, and immediately Eurydice was drawn back into the realm of the Dead, and she returned to the shadows.
The death of Orpheus
Orpheus was heartbroken and wandered in a daze. Now he could only sing sad and mournful songs, and his only ease was staring at the infinite skies. As he drifted in Thrace, he encountered a group of women. They demanded that he sing for them, but he refused as he was heartbroken. The Thracian women were enraged, and they attacked him, tore the singer limb from limb, and flung his body parts into a river. In other versions of the myth, he is torn asunder by female followers of Dionysus (Bacchus in Roman sources) after rejecting their sexual advances.
According to one story, as his head floated down the river, it was still singing[7]. The Muses and nymphs buried him on an island, and it was claimed that music would rise from the tomb of Orpheus. In another version, the head of the musician became an oracle of his father, Apollo. Many myths show Orpheus and Eurydice being happily reunited in the Blessed Fields, in the Underworld [8].
The meaning of the myth
The myths of Orpheus are essential because they explain the importance of art in human society. In the Orphic cycle of stories, the power of music and poetry is shown to be almost magical and possessing extraordinary abilities. They can affect remarkable changes and even bring peace and order. Indeed, they could even melt the heart of the God of the Underworld.
The myths were often interpreted as showing the power of love. The story of Orpheus and Eurydice in the Underworld was designed to show the power of the Gods and that humanity must abide by their commands. When Orpheus looked back, he disobeyed the Lord of the Underworld, and he lost Eurydice in punishment. This was a common theme in many Greek myths, which often had embedded in their warnings about the nature of the gods and humans lowly place in the cosmos [9].
The religion of Orphism
Many poems, treatises, oracles, hymns, and religious works came to be attributed to Orpheus. By at least the 6th century BC, there was a cult dedicated to the great musician. This was not uncommon. At some point, a whole religion developed based on the alleged prophecies and teachings of Orpheus. These were spread by itinerant priests. Many believe that Orphism, as it is known by modern scholars, was a reform of the cult of Dionysus. Thracian and Pythagorean influences have also been identified on the religion. Orphism taught its followers to live an ascetic life, abstain from eating meat, and eschew all forms of violence.
Some have seen similarities between Orphism and Buddhism, and Jainism. A set of rites and ceremonies played a significant role in Orphism. These led eventually to the famous Orphic Mysteries. This was a Mystery Religion where initiates were given secret knowledge to the initiates. There are only a few sources on the religion which did not have a coherent set of doctrines. It appears that during the rituals that the descent of Orpheus into the Underworld and his dismemberment and death were re-enacted. It has been suggested that these rites originated in the Dionysian Mysteries.
Orpheus and Greek religion: a study of the Orphic movement (Princeton, Princeton University Press, 1993), pp. 125-145</ref>. Evidence communities forming around Orphic texts and rituals have been found from Southern Italy to the Crimea. In many parts of Greece and elsewhere, Orphic shrines were often believed to have oracles that could foretell the future. Orphism taught that the uninitiated would be doomed to be reincarnated and suffer. At the same time, the initiated would go to a Blessed afterlife with heroes such as Orpheus and EurydiceCite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag. The myth of Orpheus and Eurydice was often presented in the plastic arts, and many mosaics depicting scenes from the story have been recovered by archaeologists. During the Renaissance and later, the myth became very popular, and many artists painted scenes from the love story of Orpheus and Eurydice. One of the first great operas, by Gluck, was based on the fable. Many writers and poets have been inspired by the myths of Orpheus, such as John Milton and the great 20th-century German poet Rilke.
Conclusion
The stories of Orpheus are unusual myths in many ways. While a hero or a demi-god, he was very different from others, such as Hercules. He was not famed for his strength but his art. The myths of Orpheus demonstrated the Greeks believed in the power of music and poetry. The tales of the great musician provided the Greeks with moral lessons, such as the need to heed the Gods and respect their power. A set of texts and rituals were attributed to Orpheus, and they became a religion based upon the idea of reincarnation and rituals. This religion was prevalent and influential. However, much about this religion and its evolution is unknown and still mysterious. The myth of Orpheus and Eurydice is one of the most popular in all mythology.
Further Reading
Edmonds, Radcliffe G., K. Dowden, and N. Livingstone. "Orphic Mythology." A Companion to Greek Mythology (2011): 73-106.
The Orphic Hymns. JHU Press, 2013.
Edmonds III, Radcliffe G. Redefining ancient Orphism: a study in Greek religion. Cambridge University Press, 2013.
References
- ↑ Detienne, M. The writing of Orpheus: Greek myth in cultural context (JHU, JHU Press, 2002), p. 14
- ↑ Detienne, Marcel. The writing of Orpheus: Greek myth in cultural context (JHU, JHU Press, 2002), p. 145
- ↑ Liveley, Genevieve. "Orpheus and Eurydice." A Handbook to the Reception of Classical Mythology (2017): 287-298
- ↑ Lively, p. 290
- ↑ Ovid. Metamorphoses, x, vi
- ↑ Ovid Metamorphoses, x, vi
- ↑ Virgil, The Georgics, iv
- ↑ Ovid Metamorphoses, x, vi
- ↑ Heath, John. "The failure of Orpheus." Transactions of the American Philological Association (1974-) 124 (1994): 163-196