Orpheus and Eurydice - who are they in mythology? Orpheus in the Underworld - myths of ancient Greece. Different endings to the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.

The tragic and beautiful love story of Orpheus and Eurydice has survived to this day thanks to the ancient Roman poet Publius Ovid.

He created the poem “Metamorphoses,” which incorporated a variety of myths and legends, which were united by the fact that their heroes at the end turned into animals, plants, stones, and ponds. One of these legends was precisely the legend of Orpheus and Eurydice.

The plot of the legend

Orpheus was the son of the muse of heroic poetry and eloquence Calliope and the god of the river Eagre in Thrace (according to another version, the father was the god Apollo). He was not a warrior, but he was a wonderful singer. As soon as the strings of his beautiful cithara began to sound, everything around fell silent, subdued by the power of his art.

Orpheus' wife was the lovely nymph Eurydice, and they loved each other very much. One day she was picking flowers in the meadow. Hearing some rustling, she got scared and ran. But she didn’t notice the snake’s nest that fell under her feet and stepped on it. The snake immediately bit her on the leg, Eurydice only had time to scream before the poison entered her blood and she died.

Orpheus heard the plaintive cry of his wife, but did not have time to come to her aid, he only saw a black shadow that took Eurydice to the kingdom of the dead. Orpheus grieved greatly and one day he could not stand it and went to the underworld of Hades to beg him and his wife Persephone to return his beloved to him.

He went down through the cave of Tenara and found himself on the banks of the underground river Styx. There was no way he could get over to the other side on his own, and Charon, the ferryman of souls, refused to transport him.

No matter how much Orpheus begged, the stern carrier of souls was adamant. Then he took out the cithara and began to play. The most beautiful music flowed over the river and Charon could not resist and agreed to transport the living one to the other side.

Without stopping the game, Orpheus walked towards Hades. Souls began to flock to the enchanting sounds, and even Cerberus remained humble, letting the singer pass by. He sang for a long time about his love for Eurydice, about his longing for her and the evil fate that separated them. His voice was so enchanting and his song so soulful that Hades finally decided to return Eurydice to him.

But one condition had to be fulfilled - that Orpheus should follow Hermes, who would lead him back from the kingdom of the dead. And Eurydice must follow them. But Orpheus should under no circumstances turn to look at his beloved until they come into the light.

They crossed the entire kingdom of the dead, Charon ferried them across the River Styx. And now they are already standing near a narrow path that will lead them to the surface. And Orpheus became worried whether Eurydice had fallen behind.

The path is not easy, is she left among the dead, is she following him. It’s already getting lighter, you can probably see the silhouette of your beloved’s shadow. Fear and immeasurable love cover Orpheus and he sees the shadow of Eurydice standing behind him. He stretches out his hands to her, but she melts, going into darkness forever.

Orpheus and Eurydice in art

The tragic and beautiful story touched many artists and was therefore reflected in music, painting, and literature.

The great singer Orpheus, the son of the river god Eager and the muse Calliope, lived in distant Thrace. Orpheus' wife was the beautiful nymph Eurydice. Orpheus loved her dearly. But Orpheus did not enjoy a happy life with his wife for long. One day, soon after the wedding, the beautiful Eurydice was picking spring flowers with her young nymph friends in a green valley. Eurydice did not notice the snake in the thick grass and stepped on it. The snake bit Orpheus's young wife in the leg. Eurydice screamed loudly and fell into the arms of her friends who ran up. Eurydice turned pale and her eyes closed. The snake's venom ended her life. Eurydice's friends were horrified, and their mournful cry was heard far away. Orpheus heard him. He hurries to the valley and there he sees the corpse of his dearly beloved wife. Orpheus fell into despair. He could not come to terms with this loss. He mourned his Eurydice for a long time, and all nature cried, hearing his sad singing.

Finally, Orpheus decided to descend into the dark kingdom of the souls of the dead to beg Hades and Persephone to return his wife to him. Through the gloomy cave of Tenara, Orpheus descended to the banks of the sacred river Styx.

Orpheus stands on the banks of the Styx. How can he cross to the other side, to where the kingdom of Hades is located? The shadows of the dead crowd around Orpheus. Their groans are barely audible, like the rustle of leaves falling in the forest in late autumn. Then the splash of oars was heard in the distance. This is the approaching boat of the carrier of the souls of the dead, Charon. Charon moored to the shore. Orpheus asks to transport him along with the souls to the other side, but the stern Charon refused him. No matter how Orpheus prays to him, he still hears one answer from Charon: “No!”

Ancient Greek myth "Orpheus and Eurydice"

Genre: Ancient Greek myth

The main characters of the fairy tale "Orpheus and Eurydice" and their characteristics

1. Orpheus, a talented singer. Loyal, loving, fearless, impatient.
2. Eurydice, young, beautiful, timid.
3. Hades, the dark god of the underworld. Severe, but fair and a little romantic.
4. Charon, the ferryman across the Styx. Gloomy, stern, unsociable.

1. Orpheus and his wife Eurydice
2. Tragedy in the forest
3. Orpheus is looking for a way to the underworld
4. Orpheus enchants Charon
5. Orpheus in the Palace of Hades
6. Orpheus sings for Hades
7. Orpheus' request
8. Hades condition
9. Haste of Orpheus
10. The loneliness of Orpheus.

1. The beautiful Eurydice fell in love with the singer Orpheus and became his wife.
2. One day in the forest she was bitten by a snake and Eurydice was carried away by the god of death.
3. Orpheus went to search for the kingdom of the dead and found the River Styx.
4. Charon did not want to transport Orpheus, but he began to sing and no one dared to refuse him.
5. Orpheus came to Hades' palace, sang his song, and Hades released Eurydice's shadow.
6. Orpheus turned around at the exit of the cave and Eurydice's shadow flew away.

What does the fairy tale "Orpheus and Eurydice" teach?
The fairy tale teaches true and selfless love. Teaches you to strive to always be with your loved one, teaches you not to part with your loved ones. Teaches not to be afraid of obstacles, long journeys, night shadows. Teaches you to be brave, even fearless. Teaches that talent is respected everywhere. Teaches you not to be hasty, and to keep agreements with those who are stronger than you exactly.

Review of the fairy tale "Orpheus and Eurydice"
I liked this romantic story, although of course it’s a pity that Orpheus, having traveled such a long and dangerous path, could not resist and be patient for a couple more minutes. Then Eurydice would be free. But excessive haste ruined the whole thing. But Orpheus himself managed to descend into the kingdom of the dead and return alive.

Proverbs for the fairy tale "Orpheus and Eurydice"
If you drive more quietly, you will continue.
Speed ​​is necessary, but haste is harmful.
For my dear, seven miles is not the outskirts.
Great love is not quickly forgotten.
The master's work is afraid.

Read a summary, a brief retelling of the fairy tale "Orpheus and Eurydice"
The famous singer Orpheus lived in Ancient Greece. Everyone really liked his songs, and the beautiful Eurydice fell in love with him for his songs. She became the wife of Orpheus, but they were not together for long.
It so happened that soon Eurydice was frightened by the noise in the forest, ran and carelessly stepped on a snake’s nest. She was bitten by a snake and Orpheus, who ran to his wife’s screams, saw only the black wings of the bird of death, which was taking Eurydice with it.
Orpheus' grief was immeasurable. He retired to the forests and there he poured out his longing for his beloved in songs.
And so great was his grief, so piercing were his songs that the animals came out to listen to them, and the trees surrounded Orpheus. And Orpheus prayed for death in order to meet Eurydice at least in the halls of death. But death did not come.
And then Orpheus himself went in search of death. In Tenara's cave, he found a stream that flowed into the underground river Styx, and along the bed of the stream descended to the banks of the Styx. Beyond this river began the kingdom of the dead.
Behind Orpheus, the shadows of the dead crowded around, waiting for their turn to cross the Styx. And then a boat landed on the shore, driven by the carrier of dead souls, Charon. The souls began to board the boat and Orpheus asked Charon to transport him to the other side.
But Charon pushed Orpheus away, saying that he only carries the dead. And then Orpheus began to sing. He sang so well that the dead shadows listened to him, and Charon himself listened to him. And Orpheus entered the boat and demanded to be taken to the other side. And Charon obeyed, enchanted by the music.
And Orpheus crossed into the land of the dead, and walked along it in search of Eurydice, continuing to sing. And the dead made way for him. This is how Orpheus reached the palace of the god of the underworld.
Hades himself and his wife Persephone sat on the throne in the palace. Behind them stood the god of Death, folding his black wings, and Kera crowded nearby, taking the lives of warriors on the battlefield. Here the judges judged the souls.
In the corners of the hall, Memories hid in the shadows, lashing souls with whips made of living snakes.
And Orpheus saw many other monsters in the Underworld - Lamius, who steals children at night, Empusa, with donkey legs, who drinks the blood of people, Stygian dogs.
Only the young god of sleep, Hypnos, rushed around the hall joyfully. He gave everyone a wonderful drink, which made everyone fall asleep.
And so Orpheus began to sing. The gods listened to him in silence, bowing their heads. And when Orpheus finished, Hades asked him what he wanted for his singing, and promised to fulfill any of his wishes.
And Orpheus began to ask Hades to let his Eurydice go, because sooner or later she would still return to the kingdom of the dead. And Orpheus began to beg Persephone to intercede for him before Hades.
Hades agreed to return Eurydice to Orpheus, but set one condition. Orpheus should not have seen his beloved while she followed him like a shadow. Only after emerging from the kingdom of the dead into the sunlight could Orpheus look back. Orpheus agreed and ordered Hades the shadow of Eurydice to follow the singer.
So they passed through the kingdom of the dead and Charon transported them across the Styx. They began to climb up the cave and daylight already appeared ahead. And then Orpheus could not stand it and turned around, he wanted to check whether Eurydice was really following him. For a moment he saw the shadow of his beloved, but she immediately flew away.
Orpheus rushed back and sobbed for a long time on the banks of the Styx, but no one responded to his pleas. Then Orpheus returned to the world of the living and lived a long life alone. But he remembered his beloved and sang her in his songs.

Drawings and illustrations for the fairy tale "Orpheus and Eurydice"

The wonderful lyre of Orpheus. A boy was once born to two immortal gods, the river god Eagr and the beautiful muse Calliope. His mother was delighted and gave him the best she could - a wonderfully beautiful voice. When the child, who was named Orpheus, grew up, he was sent to study with the golden-haired Apollo himself, the god of sunlight, music and poetry. Apollo taught Orpheus all the arts. When Orpheus played the lyre or sang, people stopped what they were doing and listened with bated breath. And not only people! The predatory hawk stopped chasing the dove, the wolf left the fallow deer alone, the branches of the trees bowed towards the singing Orpheus, even the stones tried to roll closer to him, the rivers stopped their flow and listened to the singer, trying not to miss a single sound. Everyone was captivated by the magical power of his art.

The love of Orpheus and Eurydice. The beautiful nymph Eurydice once heard Orpheus singing and fell in love with him. For hours she could watch Orpheus pluck the sonorous strings of the lyre with his fingers, listen to the enchanting sounds of his voice. Orpheus also fell in love with Eurydice; They were now constantly together, with the name of Eurydice on his lips, the singer fell asleep and woke up. Orpheus dedicated his best songs to their extraordinary love. When they decided to become husband and wife, the immortal gods themselves feasted at their wedding. Orpheus and Eurydice were immensely happy; day after day flew by, bringing nothing but joy and love.

Death of Eurydice. But their happiness was short-lived. One day Eurydice wandered through a beautiful forest clearing, picking flowers and waiting for her beloved husband. The sun warmed tenderly, all living things rejoiced in it and bathed in its life-giving rays. Even the snake left its cold lair and went out to bask in the sun. Eurydice did not notice her and stepped on her foot. The snake hissed and bit the young nymph in the leg. The poison quickly took effect, Eurydice fell onto the green grass, only having time to whisper: “Orpheus, where are you, oh my Orpheus?” Eurydice died. Her nymph friends gathered around her, cried and grieved over her untimely death. The swift-winged birds brought the sad news to Orpheus, and he hurried to the place where the misfortune happened. Like a madman, Orpheus rushed to his beloved wife. He hugged her and bowed his head on her chest. He wanted to die next to her. Grief spread throughout nature: all living things mourned Eurydice. Deep sadness settled in the heart of Orpheus. He could not stay in the house where he was so happy with Eurydice, he could no longer sing wonderful songs, only sad sounds were made by his lyre.

Orpheus in Hades. Orpheus realized that he could not live without Eurydice and decided to go down to Hades, to the underground gods. What if they can be moved to pity and they will return their beloved wife! The entrance to the underworld was in the very south of the country of the Greeks, Hellas. Apollo asked Hermes to be Orpheus' guide. Hermes agreed; he wanted Orpheus to become happy and joyful again, as before.

And then they reached the dark gates of Hades. Orpheus said goodbye to Hermes and went on alone. He reached the dark waters of the underground river Acheron. The shadows of the dead crowded on its shore, waiting for the ferryman Charon to transport them by boat to the other shore. He saw a living person among the shadows rushing into the boat and yelled: “Hey! Where are you getting into? I won’t take you, there is no way for a living person to cross Acheron!” Then Orpheus took the lyre and began to play, so beautifully, wonderfully and sincerely that Charon began to listen. Continuing to play, Orpheus got into the boat, and Charon took him to the other side. The singer got out of the boat and went to the palace of King Hades; his singing was so beautiful that the shadows of the dead flew towards him from all sides. Here is the palace of the eternally gloomy god; he sits on a golden throne, and next to him is the goddess of the dead, Persephone. Orpheus struck the strings harder, and the song became louder. He sang about his wife, about the love that bound them forever, about the happy spring days when they were together, he also sang about the bitterness of loss, about the torment he endures after losing his beloved... His singing was so beautiful that tears sparkled in Persephone's eyes, and even Hades himself seemed touched.

Hades condition. But then Orpheus’ song died away, like a barely audible sigh of sadness, and then the ruler of the underworld asked: “Tell me, what do you want? I swear by the waters of the Styx, I will fulfill your desire.” - “Oh, mighty Hades! When the time comes, you accept all of us mortals into your kingdom. No one will pass your monastery, but let Eurydice go to earth for at least a few years, let her know more fully the joys of life, because she came to you so young! Look how I suffer; You would suffer the same way if your Persephone were taken away from you!” - “Okay, Orpheus! I'll get your wife back. But remember: while you walk through my kingdom, don’t look back. If you look back even once, you will never see Eurydice.”

Orpheus violates the condition. Orpheus hurried back. He goes further and further from the palace of Hades along the path leading to earth; now the Acheron River is behind us, now daylight has already dawned ahead... Orpheus does not hear the steps behind him: the shadows are ethereal, they do not make a sound when walking. Is Eurydice following him? What if she got lost, fell behind, and remained in Hades? Orpheus could not stand it and looked back. He saw the shadow of Eurydice, but the vision lasted only one brief moment; the shadow flew back into the darkness of eternal night. In vain did Orpheus call for his wife, in vain did he run after her to the banks of Acheron, in vain did he stand on the banks of the underground river for seven days - the singer was left alone forever!

The loneliness of Orpheus. Orpheus returned to earth. Four years had passed since Eurydice's death, but he still remained faithful to her. Orpheus did not even want to look at a single woman, he fled from people and wandered alone through the forests and mountains, mourning his love. He especially avoided the Bacchantes - daring and violent maidens who loved noisy fun, and of all the gods they worshiped one - Dionysus, the god of viticulture and winemaking, dancing, games and feasts.

The Bacchantes throw stones at Orpheus. One day he was sitting on the bank of a stream and singing Eurydice’s favorite song. Suddenly loud exclamations and laughter were heard; Soon a crowd of bacchantes came out to the stream, cheerful and excited: on that day they celebrated the festival of Dionysus-Bacchus. One of them noticed Orpheus and exclaimed: “Here he is, our hater!” She grabbed a stone and threw it at Orpheus, but the stone did not hit the singer - defeated by the enchanting singing, the stone fell at his feet, as if begging for forgiveness. However, the bacchantes seemed to go mad: a cloud of stones rushed towards Orpheus, their cries became louder and more obscene. They completely drowned out the singing, and now the stones were stained with the singer’s blood. The sight of blood drove the Bacchantes into a real frenzy. Like wild beasts, they pounced on Orpheus and killed him. They tore the dead body of Orpheus into pieces, and threw his lyre into the fast waters of the Gebr River. And then a miracle happened: the lyre, carried away by the waves, began to sound quietly, as if mourning the death of the singer, and in response all nature began to sob. Trees and flowers cried, animals and birds cried, rocks cried, and there were so many tears that the rivers and lakes overflowed.

Lesbos gives the last refuge to Orpheus. The river carried the head of Orpheus and his lyre into the sea, and the sea waves carried them to the island of Lesbos. They buried the singer’s head there, and since then the most beautiful songs in the world have been heard in Lesbos; many famous singers and poets were born on this island. And the gods placed the lyre of Orpheus in the sky among the constellations.

The immortals were angry with the mad bacchantes for their crime; Dionysus turned them into oak trees: in whatever place each of them was caught by the wrath of God, there they remained standing forever, rustling the leaves with belated repentance.

The shadow of Orpheus descended into Hades, and there he again met his Eurydice and embraced him in a tender embrace. Since then they have been inseparable. They can forever wander through the fields of gloomy Hades, and Orpheus is free to look back, without fear of losing his beloved Eurydice.

Once upon a time, a famous singer and musician lived in Thrace, his name was Orpheus. He could play the lyre so skillfully and sing unusually beautiful songs that Apollo heard him, came down from Olympus and gave him his golden lyre. With this lyre, Orpheus's art became truly divine - under his singing, birds fell silent and wild animals bowed their heads, and remained standing after the end of the song.

Rumors about the greatest musician spread throughout Greece, someone even said that Orpheus’ father was Apollo himself, but still his father was the river god Eagre, and his mother was the muse Calliope. He wandered a lot around the world, was also in Egypt, where he improved his skills, he was among the Argonauts when they went on a campaign for the Golden Fleece, until he met his beloved, the beautiful dryad Eurydice.

Listen carefully to what I have to say. Your beloved will follow you on her own, but you should not look back until you step into the sunlight. If you turn around and destroy her, you will never be able to meet again.

The singer headed away from the dark kingdom, rejoicing in his luck, Kerber obediently let him pass by order of Hades. The return journey took half as much time, but Orpheus did not hear the steps of his beloved behind him. With every step, he doubted more and more that Hades had not deceived him. A bright point appeared in the distance - the exit from the cave, but the singer was tormented by doubts.

Unable to resist any longer, Orpheus turned around. He saw Eurydice for a moment, she looked sadly and melted away like morning fog. Screaming in despair, the great musician rushed back.

For a long time he wandered along the banks of the Acheron River, trying to find Charon’s pier, where the souls of the dead depart on their final journey, but he could not find it and Eurydice was forever lost to him. Orpheus returned to earth, but since then no one has heard a single cheerful song from him, only his lyre could now cry.