Orpheus 80535 225323542 2008-07-13T02:31:36Z Able Clerk 7421637 /* Film */ {{otheruses|Orpheus (disambiguation)}} [[Image:Gustave Moreau Orphée 1865.jpg|300px|right|thumb|The head of Orpheus, from an [[1865]] painting by [[Gustave Moreau]].]] '''Orpheus''' ([[Ancient Greek language|Greek]]: Ορφεύς; {{pronEng|ˈɔrfiəs}} (''OHR-fee-uhs'') or {{IPA|/ˈɔrfjuːs/}} (''OHR'-fews'') in English) is a figure from [[Greek mythology]] born in the [[Rhodope Mountains]] of [[Thrace]] (now partly in Bulgaria), king of the Thracian tribe of [[Cicones]]. His name does not occur in [[Homer]] or [[Hesiod]], but he was known by the time of [[Ibycus]] (c.530 BC). Orpheus was called by [[Pindar]] "the father of songs". He was a son of the Thracian river god Oiagros<ref>[[Pindar]] fragment 126.9.</ref> and the [[Muse]] [[Calliope]],<ref>Calliope is his mother in Pseudo-Apollodorus, ''[[Bibliotheke]]'' 1.3.2, in ''[[Argonautica]]'' 1.23, and in the [[Orphic Hymn]] 24,12.</ref> but as [[Karl Kerenyi]] observes,<ref>Kerenyi, ''The Heroes of the Greeks'' 1959:279f.</ref> "In the popular mind he was more closely linked to the community of his disciples and adherents than with any particular race or family." The Greeks of the Classical age venerated the [[legend]]ary figure of Orpheus as chief among poets and musicians, and the perfector of the [[lyre]] invented by [[Hermes]]. Poets like [[Simonides of Ceos]] said that, with his music and singing, he could charm birds, fishes and wild beasts, coax the trees and rocks into dance,<ref>Pseudo-Apollodorus, ''[[Bibliotheke]]'' 1.3.2; [[Euripides]], ''[[Iphigeneia at Aulis]]'', 1212 and ''[[The Bacchae]]'', 562.</ref> and even divert the course of rivers. He was one of the handful of [[Greek hero]]es<ref>Others to brave the ''[[nekyia]]'' were [[Odysseus]], [[Theseus]] and [[Heracles]]; [[Perseus]] also overcame [[Medusa]] in a [[chthonic]] setting.</ref> to visit the Underworld and return; even in [[Hades]] his song and lyre did not lose their power. As one of the pioneers of civilization, he is said at various times to have taught humanity the arts of [[medicine]], [[writing]] (in one unusual instance<ref>A transciption of an epigram in the form of a literary epitaph of Orpheus, quoted in a lost declamation attached to the name of the sophist [[Alcidamas]], which is discussed by Ivan Mortimer Linforth, "Two Notes on the Legend of Orpheus", ''Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association'' '''62''', (1931):5-17).</ref>, where he substitutes for the usual candidate, [[Cadmus]]) and [[agriculture]], where he assumes the [[Eleusinian Mysteries|Eleusinian]] role of [[Triptolemus]]. More consistently and more closely connected with religious life, Orpheus was an [[augur]] and seer; practised magical arts, especially [[astrology]]; founded or rendered accessible many important cults, such as those of [[Apollo]] and the [[Thracians|Thraco]]-[[Phrygia]]n<ref>Kerenyi 1976 p 107; Seltman 1956</ref> [[God (male deity)|god]] [[Dionysus]]; instituted mystic rites both public and private; and prescribed initiatory and purificatory rituals, which his community of followers treasured in Orphic texts. In addition, Pindar and [[Apollonius of Rhodes]]<ref>Apollonius, ''[[Argonautica]]'', ''passim''.</ref> place Orpheus as the harpist and companion of [[Jason and the Argonauts]]. His son was [[Musaeus]], "he of the Muses". ==Etymology== {{refimprove|section|date=May 2007}} Several etymologies for the name ''Orpheus'' have been proposed. A probable suggestion is that it is derived from a hypothetical [[Proto-Indo-European language|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". ==Mythology== [[Image:Orpheus.png|thumb|right|350px|Sites connected with Orpheus' life]] {{refimprove|section|date=May 2007}} ===Early life=== Orpheus' father was [[Oeagrus]] (Οίαγρος) a [[Thrace|Thracian]] king (or, according to another version of the story, the god [[Apollo]]); his mother was the [[muse]] [[Calliope]]. While living with his mother and her eight beautiful sisters on [[Parnassus]], he met [[Apollo]] who was courting the laughing muse [[Thalia]]. Apollo became fond of Orpheus and gave him a little golden [[lyre]], and taught him to play it. Orpheus's mother taught him to make verses for singing. ===Death of Eurydice===<!-- This section is linked from [[Moulin Rouge!]] --> [[Image:Cervelli Orfeo ed Euridice.jpg|right|thumb|220px|Orpheus and Eurydice, by [[Federigo Cervelli]]]] The most famous story in which Orpheus figures is that of his wife [[Eurydice]] (also known as Agriope). While fleeing from [[Aristaeus]] (son of Apollo), Eurydice ran into a nest of snakes which bit her fatally on her heel. Distraught, Orpheus played such sad songs and sang so mournfully that all the [[nymph]]s and gods wept. On their advice, Orpheus traveled to the [[underworld]] and by his music softened the hearts of [[Hades]] and [[Persephone]] (he was the only person ever to do so), who agreed to allow Eurydice to return with him to earth on one condition: he should walk in front of her and not look back until they both had reached the upper world. In his anxiety he forgot that both needed to be in the upper world, and he turned to look at her, and she vanished for the second time, but now forever. The story in this form belongs to the time of [[Virgil]], who first introduces the name of Aristaeus. Other ancient writers, however, speak of Orpheus' visit to the underworld; according to Phaedrus in [[Plato]]'s ''Symposium'' ([http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0174:text=Sym.:section=179d 179d]), the infernal gods only "presented an apparition" of Eurydice to him. [[Ovid]] says that Eurydice's death was not caused by fleeing from Aristaeus but by dancing with [[naiad]]s on her wedding day. The story of Eurydice may actually be a late addition to the Orpheus myths. In particular, the name ''Eurudike'' ("she whose justice extends widely") recalls cult-titles attached to [[Persephone]]. The myth may have been mistakenly derived from another Orpheus legend in which he travels to [[Tartarus]] and charms the goddess [[Hecate]]. {{main|Descent to the underworld}} The [[Descent to the underworld|descent to the Underworld]] of Orpheus is paralleled in other versions of a worldwide theme: the Japanese myth of [[Izanagi]] and [[Izanami]], the [[Akkad]]ian/[[Sumerian]] myth of ''[[Inanna]]'s Descent to the Underworld'', and [[Maya mythology|Mayan]] myth of [[Ix Chel]] and [[Itzamna]]. The mytheme of not looking back, an essential precaution in [[Jason]]'s raising of chthonic [[Hecate|Brimo Hekate]] under [[Medea]]'s guidance,<ref>[[Apollonius of Rhodes]], ''[[Argonautica]]'', book III: "Let no footfall or barking of dogs cause you to turn around, lest you ruin everything", Medea warns Jason; after the dread rite, "The son of Aison was seized by fear, but even so he did not turn round..." (Richard Hunter, translator).</ref> is reflected in the story of [[Lot (Biblical)|Lot]]'s wife when escaping from [[Sodom]]. The warning of not looking back is also found in the Grimms' folk tale "Hansel and Gretel." More directly, the story of Orpheus is similar to the ancient Greek tales of Persephone captured by Hades and similar stories of [[Adonis]] captive in the underworld. However, the developed form of the Orpheus myth was entwined with the Orphic mystery cults and, later in Rome, with the development of [[Mithraism]] and the cult of [[Sol Invictus]]. ===Death=== [[Image:Cropped version of Dürer drawing.JPG|thumb|upright|[[Albrecht Dürer]] envisioned the death of Orpheus in this pen and ink drawing (detail), 1494 (Kunsthalle, Hamburg)]] According to some versions of the story (notably Ovid's), Orpheus forswore the love of women after the death of Eurydice and took only youths as his [[eromenos|lovers]]; he was reputed to be the one who introduced [[Pederasty in ancient Greece|pederasty]] to the Thracians, teaching them to "love the young in the flower of their youth." According to a [[Late Antique]] summary of [[Aeschylus]]'s lost play ''Bassarids'', Orpheus at the end of his life disdained the worship of all gods save the sun, whom he called [[Apollo]]. One early morning he went to the oracle of [[Dionysus]] (there are ongoing discussions whether this is [[Perperikon]] or [[Mount Pangaion]]) to salute his god at dawn, but was torn to death by Thracian [[Maenad]]s for not honoring his previous patron, Dionysus. Here his death is analogous with the death of [[Pentheus]]. [[Ovid]] (''Metamorphoses'' XI) also recounts that the [[Thracian]] [[Maenad]]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. Later, the story would sometimes be seen from a Christian moralist angle: in [[Albrecht Dürer]]'s drawing (''illustration, right'') the ribbon high in the tree is lettered ''Orfeus der erst puseran'' ("Orpheus, the first [[sodomite]]"). [[Image:Nymphs finding the Head of Orpheus.jpg|left|thumb|upright|''Nymphs Finding the Head of Orpheus'', by [[John William Waterhouse]]]] His head and lyre, still singing mournful songs, floated down the swift [[Hebrus]] to the [[Mediterranean]] shore. There, the winds and waves carried them on to the [[Lesbos Island|Lesbos]] 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 (''[[Apollonius of Tyana|Life of Apollonius of Tyana]]'', book v.14). The [[lyre]] was carried to heaven by the [[Muses]], and was placed among the stars. The Muses also gathered up the fragments of his body and buried them at [[Leibethra]] below [[Mount Olympus (Mountain)|Mount Olympus]], where the [[nightingale]]s sang over his grave. His soul returned to the underworld, where he was re-united at last with his beloved Eurydice. Another legend places his tomb at [[Dion, Greece|Dion]], near [[Pydna]] in [[Macedonia]]. Other accounts of his death are that he killed himself from grief at the failure of his journey to [[Hades]], or that he was struck with lightning by [[Zeus]] for having revealed the mysteries of the gods to men, or he was torn to pieces by the [[Maenads]] for having abandoned the cult of Dionysus for that of Apollo.<ref>Encyclopedia Britannica - 1911 Edition [http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Orpheus]</ref> ==Orphic poems and rites== {{Main|Orphism (religion)}} A number of Greek religious poems in [[hexameter]]s were attributed to Orpheus, as they were to similar miracle-working figures, like [[Bakis]], [[Musaeus]], [[Abaris]], [[Aristeas]], [[Epimenides]], and the [[Sibyl]]. Of this vast literature, only two examples survived whole: a set of [[hymns]] composed at some point in the second or third century AD, and an [[Argonautica Orphica|Orphic Argonautica]] composed somewhere between the fourth and sixth centuries AD. Earlier Orphic literature, which may date back as far as the sixth century BC, survives only in [[papyrus]] fragments or in quotations. In addition to serving as a storehouse of mythological data along the lines of [[Hesiod]]'s ''[[Theogony]]'', Orphic poetry was recited in mystery-rites and purification rituals. [[Plato]] 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 ([[Plato's Republic|Republic]] 364c-d). Those who were especially devoted to these ritual and poems often practiced [[vegetarianism]] and abstention from [[sex]], and refrained from eating eggs and beans &mdash; which came to be known as the ''Orphikos bios'', or "Orphic way of life".<ref>Moore, p. 56 says that "the use of eggs and beans was forbidden, for these articles were associated with the worship of the dead".</ref> The [[Derveni papyrus]], found in [[Derveni]], [[Macedonia (Greece)]] in 1962, contains a philosophical treatise that is an allegorical commentary on an Orphic poem in hexameters, a theogony concerning the birth of the gods, produced in the circle of the philosopher [[Anaxagoras]], written in the second half of the fifth century BC. Fragments of the poem are quoted making it "the most important new piece of evidence about Greek philosophy and religion to come to light since the Renaissance"<ref>[http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/bmcr/2006/2006-10-29.html Richard Janko, Bryn Mawr Classical Review, (2006) of K. Tsantsanoglou, G.M. Parássoglou, T. Kouremenos (editors), 2006. ''The Derveni Papyrus''] (Florence: Olschki) series "Studi e testi per il "Corpus dei papiri filosofici greci e latini", vol. 13]).</ref>. The papyrus dates to around 340 BC, during the reign of [[Philip II of Macedon]], making it Europe's oldest surviving manuscript. [[Image:Orfeu-atenas.jpg|left|thumb|220px|''Orpheus with the lyre and surrounded by beasts'', [[Byzantine & Christian Museum]], [[Athens]]]] 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.<ref>Mitford, 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: Ζευς πρωτος γενετο, Ζευς υςατος, x. τ. ε]; and they are found scattered among the writings of the philosophers and historians." The idea of a religion "degenerated from original purity" expressed an [[Enlightenment]] idealisation of an assumed primitive state that is one connotation of "[[primitivism]]" in the [[history of ideas]].</ref> [[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.<ref>Guthrie, pp.17-18. "As founder of mystery-religions, Orpheus was first to reveal to men the meaning of the rites of initiation (''teletai''). We read of this in both Plato and Aristophanes (Aristophanes, ''Frogs'', 1032; Plato, ''Republic'', 364e, a passage which suggests that literary authority was made to take the responsibility for the rites)". Guthrie goes on to write about "This less worthy but certainly popular side of Orphism is represented for us again by the charms or incantations of Orpheus which we may also read of as early as the fifth century. Our authority is [[Euripides]]. We have already noticed the 'charm on the Thracian tablets' in the ''Alcestis'' and in ''Cyclops'' one of the lazy and frightened Satyrs, unwilling to help Odysseus in the task of driving the burning stake into the single eye of the giant, exclaims: 'But I know a spell of Orpheus, a fine one, which will make the brand step up of its own accord to burn this one-eyed son of Earth' (Euripides, ''Cyclops'' 646 = Kern, test. 83).".</ref> <!--== Orphic Hymns and the Heliocentric Theory == More contemporary scholars have claimed that in the small part of cosmogony in the Orphic Hymns which was saved to date we can see evidence of knowledge regarding our solar system and the movement of celestial bodies. It has been claimed that the heliocentric theory may actually have dated back at the time the hymns were created. In support of this, the study of the Greek astronomer K. Chasapis (1914-1972), based on astronomical data cited in the poems, claims that the hymns were composed around the 2nd millennium B.C. In his doctoral thesis “Greek Astronomy of the 2nd millennium B.C. in Orphic Hymns” (1967), he refers to the periodic appearance of a particular zodiac formation, cited in Orphic Hymns, which takes place every 10,000 years and lasts for about 500 years, at the end of which the zodiac reverts to its former spatial order. This phenomenon, which is cited twice in the ancient text, allows a more objective dating of the Orphic Hymns, as their unknown composer apparently lived at the time it took place.--> ==Post-classical Orpheus == The Orpheus legend has remained a popular subject for writers, artists, musicians and filmmakers. ===Poetry=== *In [[the Divine Comedy]] Dante sees the shade of Orpheus along with those of numerous other "virtuous pagans" in [[Limbo]]. *In [[The Tale of Orpheus and Erudices his Quene]] the northern renaissance poet [[Robert Henryson]] created an extended poetic treatment of the myth with distinctively Ovidian touches and many references to music. *The tale of Orpheus was mixed with [[Celt]]ic [[fairy]] lore in the [[Middle English]] [[metrical romance]] ''[[Sir Orfeo]]''. In this version, Sir Orfeo rescues his wife Heurodis from the King of [[Fairy]], whose realm contains both the dead, and people thought to be dead but merely taken by the fairies. This story lasted long enough to be collected in the [[Child ballads]] as ''King Orfeo'' (albeit in fragmentary form). *The tale of Orfeus and Eurydice forms the fitting subject of the first opera, composed by [[Monteverdi]] in [[Mantua]], "L'Orfeo". The libretto was written by Alessandro Striggio (Jr). *The play ''[[Henry VIII (play)|Henry VIII]]'' by [[William Shakespeare]] and [[John Fletcher]] includes a song sung by a lady about Orpheus. It is not certain which author wrote the song.[http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poem/1849.html] *The Czech-German poet [[Rainer Maria Rilke]], sometimes called the last of the romantic authors, wrote the ''[[Sonnets to Orpheus]]'' immediately following the ''[[Duino Elegies]]''. *The English poet [[John Milton]] repeatedly made allusions to the figure of Orpheus in his work, most centrally in "[[Lycidas]]" (1637). *The Polish poet [[Czeslaw Milosz]] wrote ''Orpheus and Euridice'' as an elegy to his late wife Carol in 2003. *The American Poet [[John Ashbery]] wrote the poem "Syringa" about Orpheus' failed attempt to rescue Eurydice. *[[W. H. Auden]] wrote a 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]]'s last voyage from [[Ithaca]] in [[Nikos Kazantzakis]]' epic poem [[The Odyssey: A Modern Sequel]]. *The American poet [[Jorie Graham]] has written several poems centered around Eurydice, including "Orpheus and Eurydice" from her book ''The End of Beauty'', and "Eurydice on History" from her book ''Swarm''. ===Classical music=== The story of Orpheus and Eurydice has been the subject of [[opera]]s, [[cantatas]], [[ballets]], and other works through the history of western [[European classical music|classical music]]: * [[Angelo Poliziano]]'s ''Orfeo'', a musical [[Renaissance]] considered by some scholars an important forerunner of the opera genre. * [[Jacopo Peri]]'s opera ''[[Euridice (opera)|Euridice]]'' (1600) * [[Giulio Caccini]]'s opera ''[[Euridice (opera)|Euridice]]'' (written 1600 / first performance 1602) * [[Claudio Monteverdi]]'s opera ''[[Orfeo]]'' (1607) * [[Stefano Landi]]'s opera ''La morte d'Orfeo'' (1619) * [[Luigi Rossi]]'s opera ''Orfeo'' (1647) * [[Marc-Antoine Charpentier]]'s unfinished opera ''La descente d'Orphée aux enfers'' (date unknown: mid-1680s?) * [[Louis-Nicolas Clerambault]]'s [[cantata]] "Orphee" (1710) * [[Georg Philipp Telemann]]'s opera "Orpheus" (1726) * [[Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer]]'s Musikalischer Parnassus (c. 1738) 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]]'s opera ''[[Orfeo ed Euridice]]'' (1762) * [[Johann Gottlieb Naumann]]'s opera ''Orfeo ed Euridice'' (1785) * [[Joseph Haydn]]'s opera ''L'anima del filosofo, ossia Orfeo ed Euridice'' (composed 1791) * [[Friedrich August Kanne]]'s ''Orpheus'' (1807) *In a 1985 article in ''19th Century Music'' musicologist Owen Jander controversially argued that the 2nd movement (''Andante con moto'') of [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]'s 4th [[Piano Concerto]] was programmatically modelled after the Orpheus myth. * [[Franz Liszt]]'s [[Symphonic poem]] ''[[Orpheus]]'' (1853-54) * [[Jacques Offenbach]]'s [[operetta]] ''[[Orpheus in the Underworld]]'' (1858) * [[Darius Milhaud]]'s opera ''[[Les malheurs d'Orphée]]'' (1924) * [[Ernst Krenek]]'s opera ''Orpheus und Eurydike'' (1926) * [[Igor Stravinsky|Stravinsky]]'s ballet ''[[Orpheus (ballet)|Orpheus]]'' (1948). * Orphee 53, Opera in Musique Concrete style by [[Pierre Henry]] and [[Pierre Schaeffer]] (1953) * [[Mark Alburger]]'s "Orpheus Cycle" (1982), six [[art song]]s to [[lipogram]]matic texts of [[Matthew Kiell]] * [[Harrison Birtwistle]]'s opera ''[[The Mask of Orpheus]]'' (1986) * [[Philip Glass]]'s opera ''Orphée'' (1993). * [[Leslie Burrs]] and [[John A. Williams]], ''[[Vanqui]]'' (2000), a retelling of the Orpheus legend set during the time of the [[Underground Railroad]]. * [[Daron Hagen]]'s triple concerto Orpheus and Eurydice (2006) * [[Ingram Marshall]], imagined how Orpheus would recall his trip to the Underworld and back to Earth: ''Orphic Memories'' (2006), a piece for the [[Orpheus Chamber Orchestra]]. ===Other music=== *[[The Herd (UK band)]] had some chart success with their 1967 single "From The Underworld," a psychedelic arrangement and rather "heavy" autobiographical delivery heralding the schizing of "[[Progressive rock]]" music from mainstream popular chart material. The lyrics concentrate on the moment of Orpheus's losing Eurydice in their flight from Hades. *Former [[Genesis]] guitarist [[Steve Hackett]] composed in 2005 an opera for guitar and orchestra named [[Metamorpheus]] on the classical Orpheus myth *[[Orpheus (song)|Orpheus]] is a single by the band [[Ash (band)|Ash]] from their album [[Meltdown (Ash album)|Meltdown]] *A modernised version of the myth of Orpheus is told in [[Nick Cave]]'s song ''The Lyre Of Orpheus'' from the double album ''[[Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus]]'' *''Orpheus'' is a song on [[David Sylvian]]'s album ''[[Secrets of the Beehive]]''; complementarily, a later remaster of the album has the song ''Promise (The Cult of Eurydice)'' * On his 2007 album ''Nightmoves'', jazz artist [[Kurt Elling]] references Orpheus and Eurydice in his vocalese (lyric written for a previous instrumental solo) of [[Dexter Gordon]]'s famous version of ''Body and Soul'' *Several [[Rufus Wainwright]] songs reference Orpheus. *''Orpheus in Red Velvet'' is a song on [[Marc Almond]]'s album ''Enchanted'' *Orpheus is mentioned in the Wallflowers song "Nearly Beloved" *Orpheus is mentioned in the Spin Doctors song "Laraby's Gang" *"The playmate sings/ Like Orphée in some thunder world" appears as a lyric in [[Peter Murphy]]'s 1988 "Indigo Eyes" (''[[Orphée]]'', the French spelling of "Orpheus," is also the title of Jean Cocteau's famous 1950 film, referenced below, which reinterpreted the Orphic myth in then-contemporary postwar France) *Orpheus is also mentioned in the Cruxshadows song "Cassandra" *''Eurydice'', a lament for the woman of the title, is a song by [[Sleepthief]] on their album ''The Dawnseeker'' *"Hey! Orpheus" is a song on [[The Make-Up]]'s collection of 7" singles titled "I Want Some" *Italian [[Progressive rock]] band La Maschera Di Cera's album ''Lux Ade'' contains a track entitled ''Orpheus'' *''Orpheus - The Lowdown'' is a multimedia collaboration by [[Peter Blegvad]] and [[Andy Partridge]] (of [[XTC]]), available as a CD in an oversize package with a lyric book illustrated by [[rayograph]]s * The myth of Orpheus and Eurydice is the inspiration for the Robert Hunter and Jerry Garcia song "Reuben and Cerise" *Singer songwriter [[Warwick Lobban]] recounts the story of Orpheus and Eurydice in his song ''Pluto's Toy''. *Orpheus and Greek Mythology are the key-themes of ''Gothic Kabbalah'', [[Therion (band)]]'s most recent album. *[[Ivo Papazov]] recorded an album titled ''Orpheus Ascending''. ===Drama=== *The [[Tennessee Williams]] play ''[[Orpheus Descending]]'' is a modern retelling of the Orpheus myth set in 1950s America. *Sarah Ruhl's play ''[[Eurydice (play)|Eurydice]]'' is an interpretive retelling of the myth of Orpheus from the point of view of his wife, Eurydice. *Jean Anouilh's ''[[Eurydice (play)|Eurydice]]'' (1941) sets the story among a troupe of performers in 1930s France. *Wildworks' promenade performance Souterrain is based on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. * Mary Zimmerman wrote a play called The Metamorphoses (premiered in 1998 at the Ivanhoe Theatre, Chicago), heavily based on Ovid's Metamorphoses. In the play, she tells the story of Orpheus twice, first in a way similar to Ovid, and then in a way similar to Rilke. ===Film=== * ''[[Orphée]]'', directed by [[Jean Cocteau]] ([[1949]]). * ''[[Black Orpheus]]'' (Orfeu Negro), directed by [[Marcel Camus]] ([[1959]]), from the play ''Orfeu da Conceição'' by Brazilian poet [[Vinicius de Moraes]], retells the story during the [[Rio de Janeiro]] carnival. * ''[[The Storyteller]]'', retells the story during one of the episodes in the second season. * ''[[Orfeu]]'', directed by [[Carlos Diegues]] ([[1999]]), essentially a remake of ''Black Orpheus''. * ''[[Moulin Rouge!]]'', the film directed by [[Baz Luhrmann]] (2001), is, among other things, a take on the idea of the power of music. It draws on the Orpheus myth via the operetta ''[[Orpheus in the Underworld]]'' by [[Jacques Offenbach]], at least according to the writer's/director's DVD commentary. * [http://pro.imdb.com/title/tt0486638/ Orpheus] directed by[http://pro.imdb.com/name/nm2080007/ Joel T. Rose], 2005. *[[Vincent Ward]]'s ''[[What Dreams May Come]]'' alludes heavily to the Orpheus myth. ==Novels== *The myth of Orpheus was retold in [[The Sandman (DC Comics Modern Age)|The Sandman]] comic books by [[Neil Gaiman]], where he is recast as the son of the titular character. *It is retold in the [[Hugo Award|Hugo]] and [[Nebula Award|Nebula]]-winning novella, ''[[Goat Song (Poul Anderson)|Goat Song]]'' by [[Poul Anderson]]. *[[Russell Hoban]]'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]]'s novel "[[Gravity's Rainbow]]" 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]] being one example.{{or|date=July 2008}} *[[The King Must Die]], the first of [[Mary Renault]]'s novelizations of the life of [[Theseus]], features a unnamed master-bard who performs at the court in Troizen. He regales his audience with stories of wide travels, including reference to great stone structures in Britain. Later, Theseus hears he has been killed in Thrace, and a tomb erected to his honor.{{or|date=July 2008}} *[[Salman Rushdie]] used the Orpheus and Eurydice narrative as a mythic underpinning to the [[magical realist]] [[novel]] ''[[The Ground Beneath Her Feet]]'' (see also the song of the same name recorded by [[U2]] with lyrics provided by Rushdie). *In [[Fred Saberhagen]]'s short story "Stardust", part of his [[Berserker (Saberhagen)|Berserkers]] collection of science-fiction shorts, the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice is retold through his setting of war-torn galactic future.{{or|date=July 2008}} *[[Janette Turner Hospital]] uses the Orpheus myth, and refers to Orpheus-inspired music by Gluck and Beethoven, in her 2007 novel, ''Orpheus Lost''. *[[Grace Andreacchi]] uses the Orpheus myth as the centre of her novel ''[http://graceandreacchi.googlepages.com/poetryandfear Poetry and Fear]'' (2001). *The British novelist [[Jonathan Coe]] employs the Orpheus myth in his 1994 novel ''[[What A Carve-Up!]]'' whose principal character, the struggling writer Michael Owen, is obsessed by the myth in the form of the film ''[[Orphee]]'' by [[Jean Cocteau]]. Owen is also obsessed by a single scene in the British film comedy that gives Coe's novel its title, in which a timid male character attempts to resist the temptation to glance at the body of a naked woman in a mirror. This scene is deemed to have an Orphean character in terms of the character's desire to gaze openly at that which is forbidden. Owen's obsession with mirrors and screens, that are derived more from Cocteau than from the original myth, are important to the novel's political themes. *In [[John Banville]]'s The Sea, the narrator describes himself as a "lyreless Orpheus," presumably incapable of expressing internal emotions deriving from his lover's death. (18) *Orphée L'Enchanteur (a French book) written by Guy Jimenes is the story of Orpheus and his love, loss, and death. *[[Samuel Delany]]'s Nebula award winning novel ''[[The Einstein Intersection]]'' (1966/67) is heavily based on the Orpheus myth and can be considered a science fiction retelling of the story.{{or|date=July 2008}} *In [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]'s The ''[[Silmarillion]]'' Beren and Lúthien sneaked into Melkor's fortress and stole a Silmaril, an adaptation of the Orpheus myth.{{or|date=July 2008}} ==Orpheus in astronomy== {{see|Giant impact hypothesis}} In planetary science, Orpheus refers to a proto-planet (also called Theia or Hephaestus) that collided with Earth early in the solar system's history, forming the Moon. == Spoken-word myths - audio files == {| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" |- ! style="background:#ffdead;" | Orpheus myths as told by story tellers |- |[[Media:Orpheus and the Thracians wiki.ogg|'''1. Orpheus and the Thracians,''' read by Timothy Carter, music by Steve Gorn, compiled by Andrew Calimach]] |- |Bibliography of reconstruction: [[Pindar]], ''Pythian Odes,'' 4.176 (462 BC); Roman marble bas-relief, copy of a Greek original from the late 5th c. (c. 420 BC); [[Aristophanes]], ''The Frogs'' 1032 (c. 400 BC); [[Phanocles]], ''Erotes e Kaloi,'' 15 (3rd c. BC); [[Apollonios Rhodios]], ''Argonautika,'' i.2 (c. 250 BC); [[Apollodorus]], ''Library and Epitome'' 1.3.2 (140 BC); [[Diodorus Siculus]], ''Histories'' I.23, I.96, III.65, IV.25 (1st c. BC); [[Conon]], ''Narrations,'' 45 (50 - 1 BC); [[Virgil]], ''[[Georgics]]'', IV.456 (37 - 30 BC); [[Horace]], ''Odes,'' I.12; ''Ars Poetica'' 391-407 (23 BC); [[Ovid]], ''Metamorphoses'' X.1-85, XI.1-65 (AD 8); [[Seneca the Younger|Seneca]], ''Hercules Furens'' 569 (1st c. AD); [[Gaius Julius Hyginus|Hyginus]], ''Poetica Astronomica'' II.7 Lyre (2st c. AD); [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]], ''Description of Greece,'' 2.30.2, 9.30.4, 10.7.2 (AD 143 - 176); Anonymous, ''The Clementine Homilies,'' Homily V Chapter XV.-Unnatural Lusts (c. AD 400); Anonymous, ''Orphic Argonautica'' (5th c. AD); [[Stobaeus]], ''Anthologium'' (c. AD 450); [[Second Vatican Mythographer]], 44. Orpheus |- |} ==Orpheus in Pop Culture== *In the comic ''[[The Sandman (Vertigo)|The Sandman]]'', Orpheus appears as the son of [[Dream (comics)|Dream]]. *Orpheus appears as the main Protagonist's first usable Persona in the video game ''[[Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3]]'' using his music as attacks and his harp as a weapon. When the main character first summons [[Thanatos]], Orpheus is killed by him from having his body ripped apart and his head being removed first. Orpheus can't speak through his mouth but uses a speaker to talk. Also, Orpheus' appearance is that of a mechanical body with an organic head placed on top of it and a heavy scarf covering the neck, as though his head was all that remained (like in the myth). *In the film ''[[Amadeus (film)|Amadeus]]'', [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]] asks which of his colleagues would rather listen to his hairdresser than Orpheus. Mozart goes on to say that Orpheus has a voice so lofty he sounds as if he shits marble. *"Orpheus" is one of the achievements in [[Halo 3]]; namely completing the mission Cortana with 15000 points. This is most likely a reference to Orpheus rescuing Eurydice from death (ie [[Gravemind]]. *Orpheus is the last name of the tenants in the west wing of the venture compound in the series ''[[The Venture Brothers]]''. *''[[The Lyre of Orpheus]]'' is a 2004 album by [[Nick Cave]] and the [[Bad Seeds]], a companion to Abbatoir Blues. *Orpheus is given a nod in Masami Kurumada's "''[[Saint Seiya]]'': Hades Chapter" in the form of Silver Saint [[Lyra Orphée]], an exceptional musician who was able to charm the anime counterpart of Hades into giving back the soul of his Eurydice. But similarly to the Orpheus of myth, Orphée was tricked and lost the chance to bring his beloved back to the land of the living, choosing to stay with Eurydice as a Saint under the command of Hades. *In ''[[Hercules: The Animated Series]]'', Orpheus, voiced by [[Richard Simmons]], is a widely popular singer, which appears in the episode "Hercules and the Prom" disputed by both [[Hercules (Disney character)|Hercules]] (to play in his prom), and [[Hades (Disney)|Hades]] (to make a show in the Underworld). *The popular tv series [[Pushing Daisies]] is also quite similar to the Orpheus/Eurydice myth. *"Orpheus" is a song by [[The Walker Brothers]] from their 1968 album "Images". *In ''[[Hercules: The Legendary Journeys]]'', Orpheus is a worshiper of the god [[Bacchus]] and possesses a special [[lyre]] given by his god. *In the manga and OVA of [[Angel Sanctuary]]. It saids that Setsuna Mudo is doing the same thing as Orpheus, as he goes into Hades to get his sister Sara Mudo's soul back, so he be in the world with the one he truly loves. *Title of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_(TV_series) Angel] Season 4 episode *In a second season episode of Skins, Effy reads the Orpheus/Eurydice myth to Tony to calm him after his nightmare. The episode also holds some paralells with the myth. == References == *Pseudo-Apollodorus, ''[[Bibliotheke]]'' I, iii, 2; ix, 16 & 25; *[[Apollonius Rhodius]], ''[[Argonautica]]'' I, 23- 34; IV, 891-909. *Bernabé, Albertus (ed.), ''Orphicorum et Orphicis similium testimonia et fragmenta. Poetae Epici Graeci. Pars II. Fasc. 1.'' [[Bibliotheca Teubneriana]], München/Leipzig: K.G. Saur, 2004. ISBN 3-598-71707-5. [http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/bmcr/2004/2004-12-29.html review of this book] *{{ cite book | last=Calimach | first=Andrew | authorlink=Andrew Calimach | title=Lovers' Legends: The Gay Greek Myths | publisher=Haiduk Press | location=New Rochelle | year=2002 }} <!--this seems unnecessary now:*George Grote, ''A History of Greece'', 1846.--> *Guthrie, William Keith Chambers, ''Orpheus and Greek Religion: a Study of the Orphic Movement'', 1935. *{{ cite book | last=Kerenyi | first=Karl | authorlink=Károly Kerényi | title=The Heroes of the Greeks | publisher=Thames and Hudson | location=New York/London | year=1959 }} *[[William Mitford|Mitford, William]], ''The History of Greece'', 1784. Cf. v.1, Chapter II, ''Religion of the Early Greeks''. *[[Clifford Herschel Moore|Moore, Clifford H.]], ''Religious Thought of the Greeks'', 1916. *[[Margaret Fuller|Ossoli, Margaret Fuller]], ''Orpheus'', a sonnet about his trip to the underworld. *[[Ovid]], ''[[Metamorphoses (poem)|Metamorphoses]]'' X, 1-105; XI, 1-66; *[[Erwin Rohde|Rohde, Erwin]], ''Psyche'', 1925. cf. Chapter 10, The Orphics. *{{cite book|last=Segal|first=Charles|title=Orpheus : The Myth of the Poet|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|location=Baltimore|year=1989|isbn=0801837081}} *{{ cite book | last=Sergent | first=Bernard | authorlink=Bernard Sergent | title=Homosexuality in Greek Myth | publisher=Beacon Press | location=Boston | year=1986 }} *[[William Smith (lexicographer)|Smith, William]], ''[[Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology]]'', 1870, article on Orpheus, [http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/2392.html] *[[Thomas Taylor (neoplatonist)|Taylor, Thomas [translator]]], ''The Mystical Hymns of Orpheus'', 1896. [http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/hoo] *[[Martin Litchfield West|West, Martin L.]], ''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. ==References== <references/> ==External links== {{commons|Orpheus}} * [http://homepage.mac.com/cparada/GML/Orpheus.html Greek Mythology Link, Orpheus] * [http://www.theoi.com/Text/OrphicHymns1.html Theoi Project: online text: The Orphic Hymns translated by Thomas Taylor] * [http://www.androphile.org/preview/Library/Mythology/Greek/ The Story of Orpheus]. * [http://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/ancient-greece/orphica.asp Orphica in English and Greek, Select Resources] *[http://www.kz-epka.gr/mambo/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=86&Itemid=117 Kz department of antiquities in Greece,Leibethra] *[http://www.kz-epka.gr/mambo/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=86&Itemid=118 Leibethra,The Tomb of Orpheus] [[Category:Characters in Book VI of the Aeneid]] [[Category:Argonauts]] [[Category:Thracians]] [[Category:Greek mythology]] [[Category:Rhodopes]] [[Category:Primordial Teachers]] {{Link FA|ro}} [[bg:Орфей]] [[ca:Orfeu]] [[cs:Orfeus]] [[da:Orfeus]] [[de:Orpheus]] [[el:Ορφέας (μυθολογία)]] [[es:Orfeo]] [[eo:Orfeo]] [[fr:Orphée]] [[ko:오르페우스]] [[hr:Orfej]] [[it:Orfeo]] [[he:אורפיאוס]] [[la:Orpheus]] [[lt:Orfėjas]] [[nl:Orpheus]] [[ja:オルフェウス]] [[pl:Orfeusz]] [[pt:Orfeu]] [[ro:Orfeu]] [[ru:Орфей]] [[sr:Орфеј]] [[fi:Orfeus]] [[sv:Orfeus]] [[vi:Orpheus]] [[tr:Orfe]] [[uk:Орфей]] [[zh:俄耳甫斯]]