Orpheus was a talented musician and Argonaut. He played the lyre and was said to be able to tame lions and tigers with his music. It was said to be so beautiful, he could charm fish out of the water, summon birds from the skies, lure wild beasts out of the forests and coax trees and rocks into dancing. Later he was named after the cult of Orphism.
Etymology[]
The name Orpheus is said by some scholars to come from the Proto-Indo-European *orbho- or *h₃órbʰos, meaning “orphan” or, more metaphorically, “bereft, abandoned.” The -eus at the end of the name is a suffix attested in some Greek names as early as the Bronze Age and indicates something like “one who has to do with.” Thus, Orpheus’ name roughly translates to “he who has something to do with being orphaned/bereft”—likely a reflection of the loss of his beloved Eurydice. [1]
One scholar suggested a different origin and say that the name comes from the reconstructed PIE word *H₃r̥bʰew. He postulates that in Proto-Indo-European mythology there exists a mythical craftsman who is the son of a cudgel-bearer or an archer, and both are known as "fashioners", He came from this conclusion from the names of Orpheus and the Vedic Ribhus.
Mythology[]
Orpheus is said to be married to Eurydice. She was walking through the long grass when she was bitten by a venomous viper and died. Orpheus found her body and played his music so sadly, that all the nymphs and gods attending wept. The gods advised Orpheus to travel to the Underworld to plead for the return of Eurydice, and he did, playing such sweet music it softened the hearts of Hades and Persephone (the only person to ever do so), who agreed under only one condition; he was to walk in front and not look back until they reached the upper world or she would stay in the Underworld forever. In his anxiety, before she reached the upper world, he turned back to look at her and she vanished into the Underworld, this time it would be forever.
After this he resumed to being King of Thrace and was later killed by Maenads, his lyre soon became the constellation of the same name.
Family[]
His father was said to be either Oeagrus, a Thracian king or Apollo. His mother was said to be the Muse, Calliope. He has a son by Eurydice named Musaeus.[2]
Gallery[]
_-_Foto_G._Dall%27Orto.jpg "DSC00355 - Orfeo (epoca romana) - Foto G. Dall'Orto.jpg (3.28 MB)")
