The legend "Orpheus and Eurydice" is considered one of the classic narratives of eternal love. The lover did not have the strength and perseverance to lead a wife out of the Kingdom of the Dead, than he condemned himself to wandering and spiritual anguish. But, if you think about it, this myth - not only about a feeling that time does not control, the legend teaches and other important values , which the Greeks tried to tell.
Orpheus and Eurydice - who is this?
Who are Orpheus and Eurydice? According to the Greek legend, this is a couple in love, the feelings of which were so strong that the spouse risked going down to the Kingdom of Death after his wife and asked for the right to take the deceased back to the living. But he failed to fulfill the demand of the god of the underworld of Hades and lost his wife forever. This doomed to mental wandering. But he did not give up the rare gift of giving his music joy, than he conquered the lord of the dead, begging for Eurydice's life.
Who is Orpheus?
Who is Orpheus in Ancient Greece? He was the most famous musician for his time, personification of the mighty power of art, his gift to play on the lyre conquered the world. On the origin of the singer there are 3 versions:
- Son of the god of the Eagra River and the Muse of Calliope.
- The heir of Eagra and Clio.
- The child of the god Apollo and Calliope.
Apollo gave the young man a lira of gold, her music made tame animals, made plants and mountains move. An unusual gift helped Orpheus to become the winner in the game on cithara in funeral games on Pelion. Helped to find a fleece of gold from the Argonauts. Among his famous deeds:
- opened mysterious ceremonies of the god Dionysus;
- erected the temple of Sora Sora in Sparta.
Who is Orpheus in mythology? The legends perpetuated him as the only daredevil who, for the sake of his beloved, dared to descend into the Kingdom of the Dead, and even managed to solicit her life. On the death of the legendary singer there are several versions:
- He was killed by Thracian women for not allowing them to take part in the mysteries.
- It is struck by lightning.
- Dionysus turned it into a kneeling Knight.
Who is Eurydice?
Eurydice - beloved Orpheus, a forest nymph, according to some versions, the daughter of the god Apollo. She was passionately fond of the well-known singer, and the girl reciprocated. They were married, but the happiness did not last long. On the death of a beauty in the literary works of the Hellenes there are 2 versions:
- Killed from a snake bite, when she was playing dances with her friends.
- She stepped on the viper, fleeing the persecuting god, Aristeus.
Myths of Ancient Greece - Orpheus and Eurydice
The myth of Orpheus and Eurydice tells us that when the beloved wife died, the singer decided to descend into the underworld and ask him to return his beloved. Having been refused, he tried to express his pain in the game on the harp, and so impressed Aida and Persephone that they allowed to take the girl. But they set the condition: do not turn around until it comes to the surface. Orpheus failed to fulfill the agreement, already at the exit looked at his wife, and she again sank into the world of shadows. All his earthly life, the singer yearned for his beloved, and after death he was reunited with her. Only then did Orpheus and Eurydice become inseparable.
What does the myth "Orpheus and Eurydice" teach?
Researchers believe that the legend of Orpheus and Eurydice has a deeper meaning than just a touching story of love. The singer's mistake and Aida's decision are interpreted as:
- Man's eternal guilt before his deceased relatives.
- The mocking joke of the gods, who knew that the singer would not fulfill the condition.
- The statement that between the living and the dead there is an obstacle that no one can overcome.
- Even the power of love and art can not be overcome by death.
- A talented person is always doomed to loneliness.
The story of Orpheus and Eurydice also has a philosophical interpretation:
- The singer finds a wife because he is very close to the secrets of nature, the sky, the universe.
- The disappearance of Eurydice is akin to the appearance of a guiding star in a person's life, which points the way and disappears when the goal is almost reached.
- Even after the death of a loved one, the feeling serves as a source of inspiration , creating new masterpieces that the world needs.