Orpheus & Eurydice: The Descent Myth

BY NICOLE LAU

Introduction to the Myth

The story of Orpheus and Eurydice is one of the most beautiful and tragic love stories in all of mythology—a tale of devotion so powerful it descended to the underworld, music so divine it moved the gods of death, and a moment of doubt that lost everything. This myth has captivated artists, poets, and mystics for millennia, offering profound wisdom about love, loss, faith, and the human condition.

The Story

The Wedding Day

• Orpheus, the greatest musician, married Eurydice, a beautiful nymph
• Their love was deep and true
• The wedding was joyful
• But tragedy struck immediately

The Serpent's Bite

• While fleeing the advances of Aristaeus (a beekeeper)
• Eurydice stepped on a venomous serpent
• She was bitten and died instantly
• Her soul descended to the underworld
• Orpheus was left alone, devastated

The Grief

• Orpheus mourned inconsolably
• His music became songs of sorrow
• All of nature wept with him
• Trees shed their leaves
• Rivers overflowed with his tears
• He could not accept her death

The Decision to Descend

• Orpheus resolved to retrieve Eurydice
• He would go to the underworld itself
• Armed only with his lyre and his love
• A journey no living mortal should make
• But love gave him courage

The Descent

Entering the Underworld

• Orpheus found the entrance to Hades
• Descended into darkness
• Played his lyre as he went
• The music echoed through the depths

Charming the Guardians

Charon the Ferryman:

• Normally demands payment to cross the Styx
• Moved by Orpheus's music
• Ferried him across for free

Cerberus the Three-Headed Dog:

• Guardian of the underworld gates
• Fierce and terrifying
• Lulled to sleep by Orpheus's song
• Let him pass peacefully

The Underworld Transformed

As Orpheus played:

• The tormented souls paused in their suffering
• Tantalus forgot his thirst
• Sisyphus sat on his rock
• The Furies wept
• Even the damned found momentary peace
• All of Hades stopped to listen

The Audience with Hades and Persephone

The Throne Room

• Orpheus approached the throne of Hades and Persephone
• Played the most beautiful music ever heard
• Sang of his love for Eurydice
• Begged for her return

The Song

His plea (as told by Ovid):

• "Love has led me here"
• "I cannot live without her"
• "I ask not to keep her from death forever"
• "Only to have her back for her natural span"
• "If you deny me, I will stay here too"

The Gods Are Moved

• Hades, who never weeps, shed tears
• Persephone, who knows loss, was deeply moved
• For the first time, the gods of death relented
• They agreed to release Eurydice

The Condition

One rule:

• Orpheus must lead Eurydice out
• She will follow behind him
• He must not look back at her
• Not until they both reach the upper world
• If he looks back, she is lost forever

The Ascent

The Journey Up

• Orpheus began the climb
• Eurydice followed behind
• Through the dark passages
• Up toward the light
• In complete silence

The Doubt

As they climbed:

• Orpheus couldn't hear her footsteps
• Was she really there?
• Had Hades tricked him?
• The silence was unbearable
• Doubt crept in

The Fatal Moment

• Just before reaching the light
• At the threshold between worlds
• Orpheus looked back
• To see if she was following
• To reassure himself

The Loss

• He saw her—for one moment
• She reached out to him
• But she was still in the underworld
• She vanished back into the shadows
• "Farewell," she whispered
• Gone forever

After the Loss

Orpheus's Despair

• He tried to return
• Charon refused him
• He sat by the river Styx for seven days
• Weeping and playing mournful songs
• Finally returned to the upper world alone

The Wandering

• Orpheus wandered, singing songs of loss
• Rejected all other women
• Remained faithful to Eurydice's memory
• His music became even more powerful in grief

Symbolic Interpretations

Love and Death

• Love is stronger than death (it descends to hell)
• But death is final (even love cannot overcome it)
• The beloved is irretrievable
• We must let go

Faith and Doubt

• The gods gave a test of faith
• Orpheus's doubt destroyed everything
• Trust is essential
• Looking back = lack of faith
• We lose what we cannot trust

The Artist's Journey

• The descent as creative process
• Loss as fuel for art
• The muse that cannot be possessed
• Beauty born from grief

The Initiatory Descent

• Journey to the underworld and back
• Transformation through ordeal
• Gaining forbidden knowledge
• The price of wisdom

The Impossible Task

• Some things cannot be undone
• Death is final
• We cannot retrieve the past
• Acceptance is necessary

Psychological Interpretations

Jungian Reading

• Eurydice = the anima (soul-image)
• The descent = journey into the unconscious
• Looking back = ego's interference
• The loss = integration failure

Grief Process

• Denial ("I can bring her back")
• Bargaining (the descent)
• The moment of acceptance (looking back)
• The final loss
• Living with grief

The Shadow of Control

• Orpheus couldn't trust
• Needed to verify/control
• This need destroyed the gift
• Surrender is required

Variations of the Myth

Why He Looked Back

Different versions offer different reasons:

• Doubt: Didn't believe she was there
• Love: Couldn't resist seeing her
• Concern: Worried she was struggling
• Impatience: Thought they'd reached the surface
• Fate: It was destined to fail

The Timing

• Some say he looked back just before the exit
• Others say he had reached the light but she hadn't
• Some say both were in the light
• The exact moment varies

The Myth in Art and Literature

Ancient Sources

• Virgil's "Georgics"
• Ovid's "Metamorphoses"
• Plato's "Symposium"

Opera and Music

• Monteverdi's "L'Orfeo" (1607)
• Gluck's "Orfeo ed Euridice" (1762)
• Offenbach's "Orphée aux enfers" (1858)
• Countless other operas and songs

Visual Art

• Ancient vase paintings
• Renaissance and Baroque paintings
• Rodin's sculpture
• Modern interpretations

Modern Retellings

• Cocteau's film "Orphée" (1950)
• Anouilh's play "Eurydice" (1941)
• Hadestown (musical, 2019)
• Countless poems and novels

Lessons from the Myth

About Love

• True love descends to hell
• Love gives courage
• But love cannot conquer death
• We must let go of the beloved

About Loss

• Some losses are final
• We cannot undo death
• Grief is the price of love
• We must live with loss

About Faith

• Trust is essential
• Doubt destroys
• We must believe without seeing
• Faith requires surrender

About the Past

• We cannot retrieve what's gone
• Looking back loses the future
• We must move forward
• The past is irretrievable

Working with the Myth

For Those Grieving

• The myth validates the desire to retrieve the lost
• But teaches acceptance
• Grief is love with nowhere to go
• We must let them go

For Artists

• Loss fuels creation
• The muse cannot be possessed
• Art is the gift that remains
• Beauty born from sorrow

For Spiritual Seekers

• The descent as initiation
• Trust in the invisible
• Faith without proof
• Surrender to the process

Modern Relevance

The Universal Story

• Everyone experiences loss
• Everyone wants to undo death
• Everyone struggles with faith
• Everyone must let go

Contemporary Themes

• Inability to accept loss
• Need for control
• Difficulty with trust
• Living in the past vs. moving forward

Conclusion

The myth of Orpheus and Eurydice is a timeless story of love, loss, faith, and the human condition. It teaches us that love is powerful enough to descend to hell, that music and beauty can move even death, but that some losses are final and must be accepted. The moment Orpheus looked back is the eternal human moment—the doubt that destroys, the need for proof that loses the gift, the inability to trust that costs us everything. Yet from this loss came the most beautiful music ever sung, reminding us that even in grief, beauty and meaning can be found.

Hail Orpheus and Eurydice! May their story teach us to love deeply, grieve fully, trust completely, and create beauty from our losses!