See Also

Orpheus

In Greek legend Greek mythology

Greek mythology consists in part of a large collection of narratives that explain the origins of the wo... 

, Orpheus was the chief representative of the arts of song and the lyre Lyre

The lyre is a stringed musical instrument [i] well known for its use in Classical Antiquity [i] ... 

, and of great importance in the religious history of Greece. The mythical figure of Orpheus was borrowed by the Greeks from their Thracian Thracians

Thracians in an ethnic sense refers to various ancient peoples who spoke Dacian [i] and ... 

 neighbors; the Thracian "Orphic Mysteries", rituals of unknown content, were named after him. The ancients knew him as a Thracian of Pieria , a magical musician, and also as a priest of Dionysus Dionysus

Dionysus and Dionysos or Dionysius , the Thracian [i] god of wine [i], represents not only t ... 

. Some attribute him as the founder of the Dionysiac rites.

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Encyclopedia



In Greek legend Greek mythology

Greek mythology consists in part of a large collection of narratives that explain the origins of the wo... 

, Orpheus was the chief representative of the arts of song and the lyre Lyre

The lyre is a stringed musical instrument [i] well known for its use in Classical Antiquity [i] ... 

, and of great importance in the religious history of Greece. The mythical figure of Orpheus was borrowed by the Greeks from their Thracian Thracians

Thracians in an ethnic sense refers to various ancient peoples who spoke Dacian [i] and ... 

 neighbors; the Thracian "Orphic Mysteries", rituals of unknown content, were named after him.

The ancients knew him as a Thracian of Pieria , a magical musician, and also as a priest of Dionysus Dionysus

Dionysus and Dionysos or Dionysius , the Thracian [i] god of wine [i], represents not only t... 

. Some attribute him as the founder of the Dionysiac rites.

Overview


The name Orpheus itself belongs to the oldest level of Greek names: those ending in -eus . Such names are pre-Homeric, thus Orpheus does not occur in Homer Homer

Homer was a legendary early Greek [i] poet [i] and rhapsode [i] traditionally credited ... 

 or Hesiod Hesiod

Hesiod , the early Greek [i] poet [i] and rhapsode [i], presumably lived around 700 BCE [i] ... 

, but he was known in the time of Ibycus . Pindar  speaks of him as “the father of songs”.

From the 6th century BC onwards, Orpheus was considered one of the chief poets and musicians of antiquity, and the inventor or perfector of the lyre. By dint of his music and singing, he could charm the wild beasts, coax the trees and rocks into dance, even arrest the course of rivers. As one of the pioneers of civilization, he is said to have taught mankind the arts of medicine, writing and agriculture. Closely connected with religious life, Orpheus was an augur Augur

The Augur was a priest and official in ancient Rome [i]. ... 

 and seer; practiced magical arts, especially astrology; founded or rendered accessible many important cults, such as those of Apollo Apollo

In Greek [i] and Roman mythology [i], Apollo , the ideal of the kouros [i], was the ... 

 and the Thracian Thracians

Thracians in an ethnic sense refers to various ancient peoples who spoke Dacian [i] and ... 

 god Dionysus Dionysus

Dionysus and Dionysos or Dionysius , the Thracian [i] god of wine [i], represents not only t... 

; instituted mystic rites both public and private; and prescribed initiatory and purificatory rituals.

George Grote George Grote

George Grote was an English [i] classical historian [i].
... 

 wrote that "Orpheus is celebrated by Pindar as the harper and companion of the Argonautic maritime heroes."

Several etymologies for the name Orpheus have been proposed. A probable suggestion is that it is derived from a hypothetical PIE verb *orbhao-, "to be deprived", from PIE *orbh-, "to put asunder, separate". Cognates would include Greek orphe, "darkness", and Greek orphanos, "fatherless, orphan", from which comes English "orphan" by way of Latin. Orpheus would therefore be semantically close to goao, "to lament, sing wildly, cast a spell", uniting his seemingly disparate roles as disappointed lover, transgressive musician and mystery-priest into a single lexical whole. The word "orphic" is defined as mystic, fascinating and entrancing, and, probably, because of the oracle of Orpheus, "orphic" can also signify "oracular".

Genealogy


According to the best-known tradition, Orpheus was the son of Oeagrus, king of Thrace Thrace

Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe [i]. ... 

, which in pre-historic period seems to describe a wider region from Olymbos to the Hellespontos Straits, as the Orphic texts point out that Orpheus was born in Mount Elikon at Livithra , and that his mother was Calliope Calliope

In Greek mythology [i], Calliope was the muse [i] of epic poetry, daughter of Zeus [i] and Mnemosyne [i] ... 

, the Muse Muse

In Greek mythology [i], the Muses are nine goddesses who embody the right evocation of myth, inspired th ... 

 of epic poetry. In other traditions, Calliope and Apollo Apollo

In Greek [i] and Roman mythology [i], Apollo , the ideal of the kouros [i], was the ... 

 were his parents. Orpheus learned music from Linus, or from Apollo Apollo

In Greek [i] and Roman mythology [i], Apollo , the ideal of the kouros [i], was the ... 

, who gave him his own lyre as a gift.

The Argonautic expedition


Despite Orpheus's Thracian origin, he joined the expedition of the Argonauts Argonauts

tory

After the death of King Cretheus, the Aeolian Pelias [i] usurped the Iolcan throne from his half-brothe ... 

. Centaur Chiron Chiron

In Greek mythology [i], Chiron — sometimes transliterated Cheiron or rarely Kiron — was hel ... 

 had warned Argonaut leader Jason Jason

This article is about the Greek mythological [i] hero Jason. ... 

 that only with the aid of Orpheus would they be able to navigate past the Siren Siren

In Greek mythology [i] the Sirens or Seirenes were Naiads [i] who lived on an island called Sirenum scopuli [i] ... 

s unscathed. The Sirens lived on three small, rocky islands called Sirenum scopuli and played irresistibly beautiful songs that enticed sailors and their ships to the islands' craggy shoals. Once shipwrecked on the rocks, the sailors became supper for the Sirens. However, when Orpheus heard the Sirens, he drew his lyre and played music more beautifully than that of the Sirens, thus drowning out their alluring but deadly song.

Death of Eurydice


The most famous story in which he figures is that of his wife Eurydice Eurydice

In Greek mythology [i], there were several characters named Eurydice. ... 

. Eurydice is sometimes known as Agriope. While fleeing from Aristaeus Aristaeus

A minor god in Greek mythology [i], Aristaeus or Aristaios was the son of Apollo [i] and the huntr ... 

, she was bitten by a serpent which brought her to her death. Distraught, Orpheus played such sad songs and sang so mournfully that all the nymphs and gods wept and gave him advice. Orpheus went down to the lower world and by his music softened the hearts of Hades Hades

Hades refers to both the ancient Greek Underworld [i] and the God of the Dead. ... 

 and Persephone Persephone

In Greek mythology [i], Persephone was the queen of the Underworld [i], the Kore' ... 

 , who agreed to allow Eurydice to return with him to earth. But the condition was attached that he should walk in front of her and not look back until he had reached the upper world. In his anxiety he broke his promise, and Eurydice vanished again from his sight. The story in this form belongs to the time of Virgil Virgil

Publius Vergilius Maro , later called Virgilius, and known in English [i] as V ... 

, who first introduces the name of Aristaeus. Other ancient writers, however, speak of Orpheus' visit to the underworld; according to Plato Plato

Plato , whose real name is believed to have been Aristocles, was an immensely influential ancient... 

, the infernal gods only “presented an apparition” of Eurydice to him. Ovid Ovid

Publius Ovidius Naso , a Roman [i] poet known to the English [i]-speaking ... 

 says that Eurydice's death was not caused by fleeing from Aristaeus but by dancing with Naiad Naiad

In Greek mythology [i], the Naiads were a type of nymph [i] who presided over fountains, wells, springs, ... 

s on her wedding day.

The famous story of Eurydice may actually be a late addition to the Orpheus myths. In particular, the name Eurudike recalls cult-titles attached to Persephone Persephone

In Greek mythology [i], Persephone was the queen of the Underworld [i], the Kore' ... 

. The myth may have been mistakenly derived from another Orpheus legend in which he travels to Tartarus and charms the goddess Hecate Hecate

Hecate, Hekate , or Hekat was originally a goddess of the wilderness and childbirth originat... 

.

The story of Orpheus and Eurydice has interesting similarities to the Japanese myth of Izanagi and Izanami, the Akkadian/Sumerian myth of Inanna's Descent to the Underworld, and Mayan myth of Ix Chel Ixchel

In Maya mythology [i], Ixchel or Ix Chel was an earth and moon goddess [i], patroness of weavers a ... 

 and Itzamna. Also it is similar to the story of Lot and his wife when escaping from Sodom. More directly and importantly, the story of Orpheus bears direct similarity to the ancient Greek tales of Demeter captured by Hades and similar stories of Adonis or Apollo being captive in the underworld . This reflection of stories might indeed date back to cosmogenic and deities focal in Greek prehistory before Zeus became central in Greek myth, such as Cronos and Gaia. However, the eventual form of the Orpheus myth was entwined with the mystery cults , the development of Mithrasism and Sol Invictus in Rome, and the predecessors of Orpheus. What Orpheus was before the twists of myth enveloped him with other stories might have been a happy king with a happy wife and many daughters, but perhaps that was a different king and a different time, a different place. Only Lethe is wiser than Klio, although it is said they sip of each other's tongues.

After the death of Eurydice, Orpheus presumably swore off the love of women and took only youths as his lovers Eromenos

In the pederastic tradition [i] of Classical Athens [i], the eromenos ... 

. He is reputed to be the one who introduced pederasty Pederasty in ancient Greece

Greek pederasty, as idealized by the Greeks [i] from Archaic times [i]... 

 to the Thracians, teaching them to "love the young in the flower of their youth".

The story of Eurydice inspired an issue of .

Death of Orpheus


According to a Late Antique Late Antiquity

Late Antiquity is a rough periodization [i] used by historians and other scholars to describe the interv ... 

 summary of Aeschylus Aeschylus

Aeschylus was a playwright [i] of ancient Greece [i].
... 

's lost play Bassarids, Orpheus at the end of his life disdained the worship of all gods save the sun, whom he called Apollo Apollo

In Greek [i] and Roman mythology [i], Apollo , the ideal of the kouros [i], was the ... 

. One early morning he went to the oracle of Dionysus Dionysus

Dionysus and Dionysos or Dionysius , the Thracian [i] god of wine [i], represents not only t... 

  to salute his god at dawn, but was torn to death by Thracian Maenad Maenad

In Greek mythology [i], Maenads were female worshipper [i]s of Dionysus [i], the Greek [i] ... 

s for not honoring his previous patron, Dionysus. Here his death is analogous with the death of Dionysus, to whom therefore he functioned as both priest and avatar Avatar

In Hindu [i] philosophy, an avatar, avatara or avatarim, most commonly refers to the incarnation [i] ... 

.

Ovid Ovid

Publius Ovidius Naso , a Roman [i] poet known to the English [i]-speaking ... 

  also recounts that the Thracian Thracians

Thracians in an ethnic sense refers to various ancient peoples who spoke Dacian [i] and ... 

 Maenad Maenad

In Greek mythology [i], Maenads were female worshipper [i]s of Dionysus [i], the Greek [i] ... 

s, Dionysus' followers, angry for having been spurned by Orpheus in favor of "tender boys," first threw sticks and stones at him as he played, but his music was so beautiful even the rocks and branches refused to hit him. Enraged, the Maenads tore him to pieces during the frenzy of their Bacchic orgies. Medieval folklore puts a Christian spin on the story: in Albrecht Dürer Albrecht Dürer

Albrecht Drer was a German [i] painter [i], wood carver [i], engraver [i], and mathematician [i] ... 

's drawing the ribbon high in the tree is lettered Orfeus der erst puseran .

His head and lyre, still singing mournful songs, floated down the swift Hebrus Maritsa

The Maritsa or Evros is, with a length of 480 km, the longest river that runs solely in the interi... 

 to the Mediterranean Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is a part of the Atlantic Ocean [i] almost completely enclosed by land: on the nor... 

 shore. There, the winds and waves carried them on to the Lesbos Lesbos Island

Lesbos is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea [i]; its inhabitants are called Lesvio ... 

 shore, where the inhabitants buried his head and a shrine was built in his honour near Antissa; there his oracle prophesied, until it was silenced by Apollo . The lyre Lyre

The lyre is a stringed musical instrument [i] well known for its use in Classical Antiquity [i] ... 

 was carried to heaven by the Muses Muse

In Greek mythology [i], the Muses are nine goddesses who embody the right evocation of myth, inspired th ... 

, and was placed among the stars. The Muses also gathered up the fragments of his body and buried them at Leibethra below Mount Olympus Mount Olympus

Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece, at 2,919 meter [i]s high and one of the highest, in ... 

, where the nightingale Nightingale

The Nightingale, also known as Rufous Nightingale and Common Nightingale, is a small passerine [i] bird [i] ... 

s sang over his grave. His soul returned to the underworld, where he was re-united at last with his beloved Eurydice.

In Attic vase painting, however, the women who attack Orpheus appear to be normal Thracian women, who are irritated that the bard's songs have stolen their husbands away from them.

Some archeologies believe to have found the thomb of Orpheus near Tatul Tatul

Tatul is a village in Momchilgrad [i] municipality, Kardzhali Province [i] located in the Eastern Rhodopes [i] ... 

 in Bulgaria.

Orphic poems and rites


A number of Greek religious poems in hexameter were attributed to Orpheus, as they were to similar miracle-man figures like Bakis, Musaeus, Abaris, Aristeas, Epimenides Epimenides

Epimenides of Knossos [i] was a semi-mythical [i] 6th century BC [i] Greek [i] seer [i] ... 

, and the Sybil. Of this vast literature, only two examples survive whole: a set of hymns composed at some point in the 2nd 2nd century

The 2nd century is the period from 101 [i] - 200 [i] in accordance with the Julian calendar [i] in the Christian Era [i]... 

 or 3rd 3rd century

The 3rd century is the period from 201 [i] - 300 [i] in accordance with the Julian calendar [i] in the Christian Era [i]... 

 century AD, and an Orphic Argonautica composed somewhere between the 4th 4th century

As a means of recording the passage of time [i], the 4th century was that century [i] which lasted from ... 

 and 6th 6th century

The 6th century is the period from 501 [i] - 600 [i] in accordance with the Julian calendar [i] in the Christian Era [i]... 

 centuries AD. Earlier Orphic literature, which may date back as far as the 6th century BC, survives only in papyrus Papyrus

Papyrus is an early form of paper [i] made from the pith [i] of the papyrus plant, Cyperus papyrus [i] ... 

 scraps or in quotations by later authors.

In addition to serving as a storehouse of mythological data along the lines of Hesiod Hesiod

Hesiod , the early Greek [i] poet [i] and rhapsode [i], presumably lived around 700 BCE [i] ... 

's Theogony, Orphic poetry was recited in mystery-rites and purification rituals. Plato Plato

Plato , whose real name is believed to have been Aristocles, was an immensely influential ancient... 

 in particular tells of a class of vagrant beggar-priests who would go about offering purifications to the rich, a clatter of books by Orpheus and Musaeus in tow . Those who were especially devoted to these ritual and poems often practiced vegetarianism Vegetarianism

Vegetarianism is the practice of not consuming meat [i], with or without the use of other animal derivat... 

, abstention from sex, and refrained from eating eggs and beans — which came to be known as the Orphikos bios, or "Orphic way of life".

The historian William Mitford wrote in 1784 that the very earliest form of a higher and cohesive ancient Greek religion was manifest in the Orphic poems.

W.K.C. Guthrie wrote that Orpheus was the founder of mystery religions and the first to reveal to men the meanings of the initiation rites.

The post-classical Orpheus

In the late thirteenth or early fourteenth century, the tale of Orpheus was mixed with Celt Celt

The term Celt, normally pronounced // , refers to a member of any of a number of peoples in Europe u... 

ic fairy Fairy

A fairy is a spirit [i] or supernatural [i] being that is found in the legend [i]s, folklore [i], and mythology [i] ... 

 lore in the Middle English metrical romance Romance (genre)

As a literary genre [i], romance or chivalric romance refers to a style of heroic prose [i] and verse [i] ... 

 Sir Orfeo. It recasts the tale to Orfeo's rescue of his wife Heurodis from the King of Fairy Fairy

A fairy is a spirit [i] or supernatural [i] being that is found in the legend [i]s, folklore [i], and mythology [i] ... 

, whose realm contains both people thought to be dead but merely taken by the fairies, and the actual dead. This story lasted long enough to be collected in the Child ballads as King Orfeo .

In the Divine Comedy The Divine Comedy

The Divine Comedy , written by Dante Alighieri [i] between 1308 [i] and his death in 1321 [i], is wi ... 

 Dante sees the shade of Orpheus along with those of numerous other "virtuous pagans" in Limbo Limbo

According to some Roman Catholics [i], limbo is the temporary status [i] of the soul [i]s of good person ... 

.

This story of Orpheus and Eurydice has been the subject of opera Opera

Opera is a dramatic [i] art [i] form, originating in Italy [i], in which the emotional content or... 

s and cantatas through the history of western classical music:
  • Jacopo Peri's Euridice
  • Claudio Monteverdi Claudio Monteverdi

    Claudio Monteverdi was an Italian [i] composer [i], violin [i]ist and singer [i].

... 

's Orfeo
  • Louis-Nicolas Clerambault's "Orphee"
  • Georg Philipp Telemann's "Orpheus"
  • Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer's Musikalischer Parnassus comprises nine dance suites dedicated to the Muses; it is thought the final dance of the Uranie suite tells the story of Orpheus & Eurydice.
  • Christoph Willibald Gluck Christoph Willibald Gluck

    Christoph Willibald Gluck was a German [i] composer [i], one of the most important opera [i] com ... 

    's Orfeo ed Euridice
  • Johann Gottlieb Naumann's Orfeo ed Euridice
  • Friedrich August Kanne's Orpheus
  • Jacques Offenbach Jacques Offenbach

    Jacques Offenbach , composer [i] and cellist [i], was one of the originators of the operetta [i] f ... 

    's operetta Orpheus in the Underworld Orpheus in the Underworld

    Orpheus in the Underworld is an opra bouffe [i] in two acts by Jacques Offenbach [i].... 

    , known as "Orphée aux enfers",
  • Darius Milhaud Darius Milhaud

    *Morton Subotnick [i]
  • Dave Brubeck [i]

... 

's Les malheurs d'Orphée
  • Stravinsky Igor Stravinsky

    Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky was a Russian [i]-born composer [i].

... 

's "Orpheus" .
  • Harrison Birtwistle Harrison Birtwistle

    Sir Harrison Paul Birtwistle CH [i] is one of Britain [i]'s most signi... 

    's The Mask of Orpheus
  • Philip Glass Philip Glass

    Philip Glass is an American [i] composer [i].... 

    's "Orphee" .

In addition, the story served as a basis for Angelo Poliziano Poliziano

Angelo Ambrogini, best known as Poliziano was a Florentine [i] classical scholar [i] ... 

's "Orfeo", a musical renaissance Renaissance

In the traditional view, the Renaissance was understood as a historical age in Europe [i] that follo ... 

 play which is considered by some scholars to be an important forerunner of the opera genre.

In a 1985 article in 19th Century Music musicologist Owen Jander controversially argued that the 2nd movement of Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven was a German [i] composer [i] and pianist [i]. ... 

's 4th Piano Concerto was programatically modelled after the Orpheus myth.

The Tennessee Williams Tennessee Williams

Thomas Lanier Williams III , better known by the pen name [i] Tennessee Williams, was a major American [i]... 

 play Orpheus Descending is a modern retelling of the Orpheus myth set in 1950's America. Sarah Ruhl's play Eurydice Eurydice

In Greek mythology [i], there were several characters named Eurydice. ... 

is an interpretive retelling of the myth of Orpheus from the point of view of his wife, Eurydice. Jean Anouilh's Eurydice Eurydice

In Greek mythology [i], there were several characters named Eurydice. ... 

sets the story among a troupe of performers in 1930s France.

Film retellings and reinterpretations include:
  • Orphée Orphée

    Orphe is a 1949 [i] movie [i] directed by Jean Cocteau [i] starring Jean Marais [i]. ... 

    , directed by Jean Cocteau Jean Cocteau

    Jean Maurice Eugne Clment Cocteau was a French poet [i], novelist [i], dramatist [i], designer [i], boxing [i] ... 

  • Black Orpheus Black Orpheus

    Black Orpheus is a 1959 Brazil [i]ian film [i] by French [i] director Marcel Camus [i] based ... 

    , directed by Marcel Camus
  • Orfeu, directed by Carlos Diegues , essentially a remake of Black Orpheus.


The Czech-German poet Rainer Maria Rilke Rainer Maria Rilke

Rainer Maria Rilke is generally considered the German language [i]'s greatest 20th century poet [i].... 

, sometimes called the last of the romantic authors, wrote the Sonnets to Orpheus immediately following the Duino Elegies.

The English poet John Milton John Milton

Milton redirects here, for other uses, see Milton [i]
... 

 repeatedly made allusions to the figure of Orpheus in his work, most centrally in "Lycidas" .

The Polish poet Czeslaw Milosz wrote Orpheus and Euridice as an elegy to his late wife Carol in 2003.

The myth of Orpheus was also retold in The Sandman comic books by Neil Gaiman Neil Gaiman

Neil Richard Gaiman is an English [i] Jewish [i] author of numerous science fiction [i] and fantasy [i]... 

, and in the Hugo Hugo Award

The Hugo Award is given every year for the best science fiction [i] or fantasy [i] works ... 

 and Nebula-winning novella, Goat Song by Poul Anderson Poul Anderson

Poul William Anderson was an American science fiction [i] author of the genre's Golden Age [i] ... 

.

Russell Hoban Russell Hoban

Russell Conwell Hoban is an American [i] writer of fantasy [i], science fiction [i], mains ... 

's "The Medusa Frequency" alludes heavily to the Orpheus myth. In fact, the head of Orpheus is a central character, albeit inside another character's mind...

Thomas Pynchon Thomas Pynchon

Thomas Ruggles Pynchon, Jr. is an American writer [i] based in New York City [i]. ... 

's novel "Gravity's Rainbow Gravity's Rainbow

Gravity's Rainbow is a novel written by Thomas Pynchon [i] and first published in 1973.
... 

" uses the Orpheus myth as one structure, with Slothrop as Orpheus and postwar Germany as Hades. There are many references to the afterlife in Slothrop's "descent" into the continent, the yacht the Anubis Anubis

Anubis is the Greek [i] name for the ancient jackal [i]-headed god [i] of the dead in Egyptian mythology [i] ... 

 being one example.

Salman Rushdie Salman Rushdie

Salman Rushdie is a British [i]-Indian [i] essayist and author of fiction, most of ... 

 used the Orpheus and Eurydice Eurydice

In Greek mythology [i], there were several characters named Eurydice. ... 

 narrative as a mythic underpinning to the magical realist novel Novel

A novel is an extended, generally fiction [i]al narrative [i] in prose [i]. ... 

 The Ground Beneath Her Feet The Ground Beneath Her Feet

The Ground Beneath Her Feet is a novel [i] written by Salman Rushdie [i].... 

.

A modernised version of the myth of Orpheus is told in Nick Cave Nick Cave

[i], [[screenwriter]... 

's song The Lyre Of Orpheus from the double album Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus.

W. H. Auden W. H. Auden

Wystan Hugh Auden, known more commonly as W.... 

 wrote a beautiful poem called "Orpheus" about the conflicting desires "to be bewildered and happy or most of all the knowledge of life".

Orpheus appears as a member of Odysseus Odysseus

Odysses Lartides , or simply Odysseus, is the main character in Homer [i]'s epic poem [i]... 

's last voyage from Ithaca in Nikos Kazantzakis Nikos Kazantzakis

Nikos Kazantzakis was a Greek [i] novelist [i], poet [i], playwright [i] and philosopher [i]. ... 

' epic poem .

XTC XTC

XTC are an influential new wave [i] band from Swindon [i], England [i]. ... 

's Andy Partridge and Slapp Happy Slapp Happy

Slapp Happy was a German [i]/British [i] avant-garde [i] pop [i] group ... 

's Peter Blegvad spend 13 years, on and off, creating the album , a dense mix of music, poetry and spoken word.

Sonya Taaffe's "Shade and Shadow" presents the Orpheus myth in relation to the modern fear of death and isolation.

In The Sandman, Orpheus is the son of Dream and Calliope, and his head lived on as an oracle, protected by a priesthood created by his father. This lasted up to the twentieth century, when .

In the TV series Angel Angel

An angel is a supernatural [i] being found in many religion [i]s. ... 

, Orpheus is the name given to a drug taken by humans to give them a rush when their blood is drunk by a vampire. Faith uses it in the series to take down Angelus Angel

An angel is a supernatural [i] being found in many religion [i]s. ... 

.

There is a role-playing game developed by White Wolf Game Studios White Wolf, Inc.

White Wolf, Inc. is an American [i] gaming [i] company [i] ... 

 titled Orpheus Orpheus

In Greek legend [i], Orpheus was the chief representative of the arts of song and the lyre [i] ... 

. In it players take on the role of projectors, individuals who can project their souls into the lands of the dead.

  • In a recent episode of the cartoon TV series Family Guy Family Guy

    Family Guy is an American [i] animated comedy [i] created b ... 

    , the Griffins' house is taken over in fashion similar to the 1982 film, Poltergeist as a result of Peter's desecration of an Native American skull he unearthed. After the house is properly exorcised, the Griffins are told to walk away from the house and not look back. Unable to resist, Peter looks back at the house, which immediately returns to its haunted state. This alludes to Orpheus' desire to stare back at his wife as they left the realm of Hades.


The 2001 film Moulin Rouge! Moulin Rouge!

Moulin Rouge! is a 2001 [i] Academy Award [i] winning musical film [i] directed by Baz Luhrmann [i] ... 

 is reminiscent in its plot of the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice. The character Christian has the gift of song and follows the Bohemian/Dionysian ideals. A loose allegorical connection can be made between most characters and events in the two tales. The film appears to be almost equally inspired by Orpheus & Eurydice and by La Boheme, a cunning act of synthesis by writer/director Baz Luhrmann Baz Luhrmann

Baz Luhrmann is an Australian [i] film director [i]. ... 

.

The name of the New York-based Orpheus Chamber Orchestra was inspired by the mythical figure.

The name Orpheus is used in the cartoon television series The Venture Bros. The Venture Bros.

The Venture Bros., sometimes elongated to The Venture Brothers, is an American [i] ... 

. Doctor Byron Orpheus Doctor Byron Orpheus

Dr. Byron Orpheus is a major supporting character [i] on the Adult Swim [i] ... 

 is a necromancer who lives in a converted wing of Dr. Venture Doctor Thaddeus Venture

Dr. Thaddeus S. "Rusty" Venture is one of the main characters [i] on t ... 

's lab. In a somewhat ironic scene, Dr. Orpheus visits his master and teacher, who has taken the form of Cerberus Cerberus

In Greek mythology [i], Cerberus or Kerberos , was the hound [i] of Hades [i]—a monstrous three-headed [i]... 

. The intended nature of this scene is unknown, and the meeting of the two in that manner may be entirely coincidental.

Orpheus's theatrical qualities are memorialized in the name of the numerous "Orpheum" theaters in cities across the United States, once part of a chain of vaudeville and motion picture theaters [see Orpheum Circuit, Inc.].

Canadian electronic musicians Orphx allude to various aspects of the Orpheus mythos in their work.

The Crüxshadows The Crüxshadows

The Crxshadows are a gothic [i]/darkwave [i] band from Florida [i], formed in 1992 [i] by Rogue [i]... 

 song Eurydice is a retelling of the story of Orpheus and Eurydice.

Spoken-word myths - audio files


Orpheus myths as told by story tellers
Bibliography of reconstruction: Pindar, Pythian Odes, 4.176 ; Roman marble bas-relief, copy of a Greek original from the late 5th c. ; Aristophanes Aristophanes

Aristophanes was a Greek [i] Old Comic dramatist.
... 

, The Frogs 1032 ; Phanocles, Erotes e Kaloi, 15 ; Apollonios Rhodios, Argonautika, i.2 ; Apollodorus, Library and Epitome 1.3.2 ; Diodorus Siculus, Histories I.23, I.96, III.65, IV.25 ; Conon, Narrations, 45 ; Virgil Virgil

Publius Vergilius Maro , later called Virgilius, and known in English [i] as V ... 

, Georgics, IV.456 ; Horace Horace

Quintus Horatius Flaccus, , known in the English-speaking [i] world as Horace, wa ... 

, Odes, I.12; Ars Poetica 391-407 ; Ovid Ovid

Publius Ovidius Naso , a Roman [i] poet known to the English [i]-speaking ... 

, Metamorphoses X.1-85, XI.1-65 ; Seneca Seneca the Younger

Lucius Annaeus Seneca was a Roman [i] philosopher [i], statesman [i], dramatist [i], and in ... 

, Hercules Furens 569 ; Hyginus, Poetica Astronomica II.7 Lyre ; Pausanias, Description of Greece, 2.30.2, 9.30.4, 10.7.2 ; Anonymous, The Clementine Homilies, Homily V Chapter XV.-Unnatural Lusts ; Anonymous, Orphic Argonautica ; Stobaeus, Anthologium ; Second Vatican Mythographer, 44. Orpheus

Honours

Orpheus Gate Orpheus Gate

Orpheus Gate is a 548m high, 250m wide, pass in eastern Livingston Island [i], Antarctica [i] bounded by ... 

 on Livingston Island Livingston Island (South Shetland Islands)

Livingston Island is an Antarctic island in the South Shetland Islands [i], Western Antarctica [i] lying ... 

 in the South Shetland Islands South Shetland Islands

The South Shetland Islands are a group of islands [i] in the ... 

, Antarctica Antarctica

Antarctica is the southernmost continent and encompasses the South Pole [i]. ... 

 is named for Orpheus.

Notes

C.H. Moore, p. 52
G. Grote, p.21
C.H. Moore, p. 56: "The use of eggs and beans was forbidden, for these articles were associated with the worship of the dead".
William Mitford, The History of Greece, 1784. Cf. v.1, Chapter II, Religion of the Early Greeks, p.89. "But the very early inhabitants of Greece had a religion far less degenerated from original purity. To this curious and interesting fact, abundant testimonies remain. They occur in those poems, of uncertain origin and uncertain date, but unquestionably of great antiquity, which are called the poems of Orpheus or rather the Orphic poems [particularly in the Hymn to Jupiter, quoted by Aristotle in the seventh chapter of his Treatise on the World: ?e?? p??t?? ?e?et?, ?e?? ??at??, x. t. e]; and they are found scattered among the writings of the philosophers and historians."
W.K.C. Guthrie, Orpheus and Greek Religion: a Study of the Orphic Movement, p.17. "As founder of mystery-religions, Orpheus was first to reveal to men the meaning of the rites of initiation . We read of this in both Plato and Aristophanes

References

  • Ovid Ovid

    Publius Ovidius Naso , a Roman [i] poet known to the English [i]-speaking ... 

    , Metamorphoses X, 1-105; XI, 1-66; Apollodorus, Bibliotheke I, iii, 2; ix, 16 & 25; Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica I, 23- 34; IV, 891-909.
  • Albertus Bernabé , Orphicorum et Orphicis similium testimonia et fragmenta. Poetae Epici Graeci. Pars II. Fasc. 1. Bibliotheca Teubneriana Bibliotheca Teubneriana

    The Bibliotheca Teubneriana, or Teubner editions of Greek [i] and Latin [i] ... 

    , München/Leipzig: K.G. Saur, 2004. ISBN 3-598-71707-5.
  • George Grote, A History of Greece, 1846.
  • William Keith Chambers Guthrie, Orpheus and Greek Religion: a Study of the Orphic Movement, 1935.
  • William Mitford, The History of Greece, 1784. Cf. v.1, Chapter II, Religion of the Early Greeks.
  • Clifford H. Moore, Religious Thought of the Greeks, 1916.
  • Erwin Rohde, Psyche, 1925. cf. Chapter 10, The Orphics.
  • William Smith, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, 1870, article on Orpheus,
  • The Mystical Hymns of Orpheus , 1896.
  • Martin Litchfield West, The Orphic Poems, 1983. There is a sub-thesis in this work that early Greek religion was heavily influenced by Central Asian shamanistic practices. One major point of contact was the ancient Crimean city of Olbia.

External links

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