I am the greatest musician, a poet, and a prophet… I am Orpheus, the son of the king of

Thrace Oeagrus and the muse Calliope. My singing and playing has an ability to charm living

things and even stones by playing this lyre. This lyre was given to me by Apollo and he was the

one who taught me how to play it since I was an adolescent. I have a wife and her name is

Eurydice. Now I’ll be telling you a story about our tragic story, yet happy.

While my wife and I was strolling through the forest. Aristaeus, a shepherd, who was

despising Orpheus and desired Eurydice for his own, had plotted a plan to conquer Eurydice.

And there he was, waiting in the bushes for us to pass by. Seeing that we were approaching, he

intended to jump on us and kill me. As the shepherd made his move, I grabbed Eurydice by the

hand and started running hurriedly through the forest. On and on while we ran and suddenly, I

felt Eurydice stumble and fall, her hand slipping from his grasp. Few steps away, Eurydice had

stepped on a nest of snakes and had been bitten by a deadly viper. Knowing that there was no

chance of survival, Aristaeus had abandoned his try, cursing his luck and me. I started singing

the most mournful songs. The nymphs and the gods started weeping upon hearing my songs, and

advised me to go to the Underworld and bring my wife back. I indeed followed their advice and

met with the god of the Underworld Hades and his wife Persephone. He pleaded to let me take

my wife back, and after I sung, their hearts were softened so much that they agreed. However,

they told me not to look back until they had reached the surface. Eurydice and I started walking

towards the surface; when I reached the opening of the cave with my wife following, I looked

back, anxious to see if Eurydice was behind me. As she had not yet reached the opening though,

she disappeared back into the Underworld forever.

I swore that I will never love a woman again after then.. instead I sat on the grove of trees

and sang songs of lovers. It was as if I was my own love and loss had allowed me to see into the
hearts of Gods and people everywhere. For some however poetry wasn’t enough. A group of

maenads, female followers of Dionysus, could not bare the thought that a poet who sang so

beautifully of love would not love them. Their jealousy drove them to a frenzy and they

destroyed me. While the world wept.. I found peace and Eurydice in the underworld. Once again,

I am Orpheus, the greatest musician, poet, and a prophet.