Once upon a time, a
long time ago, there lived a gifted musician named Orpheus. Orpheus was the son of Apollo
and Calliope (one of the muses.) It was no wonder that Orpheus was a
gifted musician, with such talented musical parents. The truth is, Orpheus was more
than gifted. His music was magical. When he played the lyre, as his
father had taught him, his songs could cast spells and soothe savage
beasts.
Orpheus loved his wife,
Eurydice. When she died, he traveled into the Underworld. He begged
his great uncle Hades to allow his wife to come back to earth as
herself, not reborn as someone else.
Ever a soft touch,
Hades agreed. Hades had one condition. Hades agreed to let
Eurydice follow her husband back to earth and life. But, during the
trip, Orpheus had to promise not to look back until both he and his
wife were safely back on earth.
Orpheus was
worried. He was afraid that perhaps his wife might need his help - it
was a very scary trip back to the surface. He worried that perhaps
Hades would not send her after all. To reassure himself that all was
fine, he risked a quick look behind him, and lost his wife forever.
Orpheus
(son of Apollo)
Orpheus
and the Underworld
Orpheus
and Eurydice