Orpheus

Orpheus ( /ˈɔrfiːəs/ or /ˈɔrfjuːs/; Ancient Greek: Ὀρφεύς) was a legendary musician, poet, and prophet in ancient Greek religion and myth. The major stories about him are centered on his ability to charm all living things and even stones with his music, his attempt to retrieve his wife, Eurydice, from the underworld, and his death at the hands of those who could not hear his divine music. As an archetype of the inspired singer, Orpheus is one of the most significant figures in the reception of classical mythology in Western culture, portrayed or alluded to in countless forms of art and popular culture including poetry, opera, and painting.

For the Greeks, Orpheus was a founder and prophet of the so-called "Orphic" mysteries. He was credited with the composition of the Orphic Hymns, a collection of which survives. Shrines containing purported relics of Orpheus were regarded as oracles. Some ancient Greek sources note Orpheus's Thracian origins.

Read more about Orpheus:  Background, Orphic Poems and Rites, Etymology, Post-Classical Interpretations

Famous quotes containing the word orpheus:

    Or bid the soul of Orpheus sing
    Such notes as, warbled to the string,
    Drew iron tears down Pluto’s cheek,
    And made Hell grant what love did seek;
    John Milton (1608–1674)

    So Orpheus did for his owne bride,
    So I unto my selfe alone will sing,
    The woods shall to me answer and my Eccho ring.
    Edmund Spenser (1552?–1599)