This is a challenge to post every day in April (except on Sundays) blogging thematically from A to Z. Go HERE for details. My A-Z theme this year is Greek Mythology inspired by the book The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan that I recently read. Please be aware that what I writeis my interpretation of my findings and may not necessarily be accurateare straight quotes.
Also, "Featured Book" at the end of these posts are books I've reviewed in this book blog, coinciding with the letter of the day.
Orpheus:
- Legendary musician, poet, and prophet in ancient Greek religion and myth.
- Bard whose music could charm many types of people, beasts, and even objects.
- When his wife, Eurydice, died shortly after their wedding Orpheus traveled to the underworld to retrieve her.
- He tamed Cerberus, the giant three-headed guard dog of the underworld, and in the hall of Hades and Persephone gave a performance that moved the god of death himself.
- Hades agreed to let Orpheus take Eurydice back to the world of the living under the condition that he would lead her out of the underworld without looking at her.
- Just as they were about to emerge, Orpheus looked back and Eurydice was forced to stay in Hades forever.
Sources:
Wikipedia
World of Mythology
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Featured Book:
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
My rating: 3.5
Posts
I remember learning about this one in junior high. Such a sad ending...
ReplyDeleteI always wondered if Orpheus had ulterior motives.
ReplyDeleteHow would it be to be able to retrieve loved ones from the underworld. So sad that it didn't quite work out that way.
ReplyDeletehappy to meet another Mythology buff!
ReplyDeleteI always loved these stories as a girl ..... still do, so really appreciate your sharing this with us.
ReplyDelete