Orpheus was wandering through the forests of his father’s kingdom, when one day he came upon a dryad. She introduced herself as Euridice, and Orpheus was taken by her beauty. They continued to meet, and their love for one another grew to endless bounds. Soon they were married, and as a wedding gift, Orpheus’ father gave him a cottage in the forest to live with his bride so that she would never have to be too far away from her tree. They lived happily for several years, and there were no bounds to the love that they had for one another.
One day, Orpheus returned to the kingdom for a regular visit with his mother and father. Euridice chose to stay home and tend to some chores for the time that he was gone. He bid her farewell, and set off to see the king. Euridice continued on with her chores for the day, and soon spotted a man off in the distance. She thought it was Orpheus returning from the meeting early, and ran out into the clearing to meet him. As she came closer to the man in the field, she saw that it wasn’t her husband, but a hunter. The hunter looked over, and saw the beautiful nymph staring at him. Euridice saw the look in the man’s eyes deepen, and a menacing smile creep across his rugged face, as he slowly walked towards her. She immediately spun on her heel, and began to run full speed back to her tree where she would be safe. He flew after her, close to her heels the whole time that she ran. She could feel his hot breath on the back of her neck, and feel his hands reaching for her hair that was whipping out behind her as she ran. Terror closed its icy fingers around Euridice’s heart as she ran faster still, not watching where she was going. She knew the field and all of the creatures living there as well as she knew herself, but fear blinded her to this. She strayed to one side of the field, and stepped into a nest of serpents that made their home there. She was bitten several times at once, and felt the burning pain of the deadly venom coursing through her veins. She fell to the ground, her lifeless body skidding to a halt in the lush grass that carpeted the entire valley. The hunter’s face went white with shock at the death of the nymph. He quickly looked around to see if anyone had witnessed Euridice’s death, and saw nobody. He quickly turned and sped back into the forest, leaving the body where it lay.
Orpheus returned that night from the meeting, and found the house to be empty. The fire that had been burning in the hearth was reduced to glowing embers. Euridice must have gone somewhere for the day; she had always kept the fire burning. He looked in all of the rooms of the house, and found nothing that even suggested where she might be. Worried, he wandered into the forest, bathed in the radiance of the sun setting on the horizon, to the place where Euridice’s tree was. To his horror the branches on the tree had begun to wilt, and the bark was falling off in several places. From what he knew of the union of a dryad with her tree, seeing the tree in this state must mean that something horrible had happened to Euridice. The bond between a nymph and her tree was great; if one were to die, so would the other.
He ran through the vast field surrounding his home, shouting Euridice’s name, and listening carefully for any response. He was running through an area of lush grass when he stumbled and fell over something that lay unseen in the undergrowth. He looked back, and cried out in terror as the lifeless eyes of his beloved wife stared back. He clutched her close to him, crying and praying to the gods to restore her to him. Her body hung limply in his arms as he carried her back to the house. Orpheus called his mother to his house, and she appeared immediately, her own eyes full of tears. She told Orpheus that Hermes had already come to guide Euridice’s soul down to the Underworld, and once a soul was there, the only being who had the power to return it to life was the King of the Dead himself. It was then that Orpheus realised what he must do. He picked up his lyre, one of the few things that could bring him happiness, and set off on his journey to rescue his wife from death.
Orpheus made his way to where the river Avernus plunged down into the depths of the Underworld; a high craggy mountain peak that jutted up into the clouds. He found the path easily enough, and set off down into the darkness. He unstrung his lyre and began to play. His music and silvery voice seemed to light the path before him, and he was able to continue, not noticing the darkness. After a few hours of walking, he came to the dreaded river Styx. He knew the stories of the ferryman, Charon, and what he must do to get across the river. Charon appeared to Orpheus, and held out his skeletal hand waiting for his payment to ferry the bard across. Orpheus picked up his lyre, and sang a ballad about a noble ferryman that would make his living by guiding people across rivers, and asking nothing in return but a kind smile. Charon was like this ferryman while he was alive. This song reminded him of what he was then, and what he had become. Weeping, Charon waved Orpheus onto the boat, and carried him across to the other side, not asking for any payment.
Orpheus set foot on the other side of the riverbanks, and was greeted by the gates that led into the Realm of the Dead. From the stories he had heard his aunts sing, Cerberus lived here, and guarded the gates from any mortal seeking to enter the land of death. True to their words, Cerberus lay to one side of the path, and growled menacingly as Orpheus approached. Cerberus was tethered to the gates, so Orpheus would be safe so long as he stayed a safe distance away. Again, he picked up his lyre and began to sing. The words of his song were filled with sunshine and birdsong, reminding any who were listening of the world above during springtime when the world is reborn from Demeter’s wrath. Cerberus had once lived on the world above with his mother Echidna. He loved nothing more than frolicking through the fields, basking in the sunshine, and curling up with his mother while watching the sun set. All three of Cerberus’ heads began to whimper. He curled up at the base of the gates, and didn’t stop Orpheus as he passed to the realm beyond the gates.
Orpheus’ voice echoed through the Fields of Asphodel, freeing the wandering shades from the endless torment of nothingness. His voice was filled with sorrow, filled with the pain of his loss. The shades all began to weep for Orpheus, the weeping being heard of sobbing breaths. As Orpheus wandered through the Roasting Pits, where the Erinyes made their home. His voice fell upon their ears like the softest velvet, dulling the fires of vengeance that have burned within them from the time of their birth. They stopped torturing their victims and turned to Orpheus. For the first time ever the Erinyes shed tears, tears of blood.
Eventually Orpheus made it to the palace of Hades. Darkness clung to him like a thick blanket, keeping his vision limited. Still through the darkness, he could hear the screams of the damned, and the gentle twitter of passing shades. The gates of the palace opened soundlessly before him, granting him entrance to Hades’ throne room. Orpheus walked into the vast chamber and saw the Lord of the Dead sitting in his obsidian throne; his Queen sat by his side. Hades was wearing a thick black cloak, which seemed to ooze darkness, spilling it out onto the floor like dark ink. Queen Persephone was at his side. Her skin was as pale as the moon itself, her beautiful face was devoid of all expression; she looked as if she were a lifeless statue of marble. Orpheus approached Hades and lifted his lyre. A song of terrible sorrow and pain flooded through the hall. Through the words that he sang, Hades and Persephone were actually able to feel his pain. Persephone put her hands to her face and began to weep uncontrollably, while a single icy tear flowed down Hades’ cheek. Persephone turned to her husband and begged him to release Euridice to Orpheus. Hades wiped the tear from his eye, and agreed to release her on the condition that Orpheus could not look back to her on the journey back to the surface. She would walk behind him, but he couldn’t turn to see her until they were under the light of the sun. If Orpheus broke this vow, Euridice would return to the Underworld forever. Orpheus was overjoyed! He thanked Hades and his Queen and then turned to leave. Euridice’s soul fell into step behind him as he began to sing songs of happiness and joy.
As they neared the surface, doubt began to shadow over Orpheus. What if Hades was lying? What if Euridice wasn’t really behind him and this whole thing was just a trick? He couldn’t hear Euridice behind him; she always was soft footed. He listened for the gentle sound of her breath, and there was nothing. Panic took hold of Orpheus and he spun around to confirm his suspicions. Euridice was there, as his eyes fell upon her, her mouth opened in a silent scream. Her form began to melt away into a thin fog, drifting back into the darkness of hell. Orpheus screamed in terror and set of running full speed back down to the palace of the dead.
This time his way was barred, and he couldn’t gain entrance in any way. He had no choice but to return to the surface without his beloved Euridice.
Upon reaching the surface, he wandered the land singing his songs of pain so all would feel his grief. One night he came upon a small glade. He sat down in the centre and began to sing. Animals came from the trees, drawn by his song. They began to shed tears, and rub affectionately against him. The rocks even shed tears and moved closer so that they may hear the song better. After a while, a group of nymphs came running into the glade. They were the Meneads, nymphs of Dionysus. They were renowned for their ferocity, or insanity some called it, granted to them by Dionysus. They called to Orpheus to come and dance with them, but he refused to move from his spot. The nymphs couldn’t hear his song over their shouting, so they were unaffected by its magic. When Orpheus wouldn’t go play with them, the nymphs flew into a blind rage. The fell upon Orpheus and tore his body apart, flinging the pieces into a near by river.
When Calliope heard that her song was killed, she and the rest of her sisters searched all across the land for all of his body parts. Once found, they were all buried together with a proper funeral service. In her grief, Calliope set Orpheus’ image in the stars so that no one would ever forget him.
