ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE

By: Ibycus

Short Biography:

Ibycus, (flourished 6th century BC, Rhegium [now Reggio, Italy]), Greek lyric poet, one of the
nine lyric poets in the official list, or canon, drawn up by the scholars of Alexandria in the 3rd and 2nd
centuries BC, who edited his work in seven books, or papyrus rolls. Although Ibycus had a comfortable
life at his home Magna Graecia, Italy, he left there to live a wandering life.

Ibycus was a lyric poet best known for love poetry. Ibycus and Stesichorus both wrote poems
devoted to mythical narratives making it difficult for the early scholars to distinguish between the works
of the two poets. Currently, only a few of his fragments have survived. Most of his work is available as
quoted by other ancient writers, or in papyri discovered in Egypt. Ibycus wrote mythological storytelling
and personal love poems. He learned fantastic storytelling from Stesichorus. His capacity to write love
poems was derived from the tradition of the Eastern Greeks. These love poems expressed homosexual
feelings as the writer expressed his passion for a young man in the same social status. Given that most of
his work demonstrated great love and sensitivity, he was regarded as one of the greatest poets in this
genre. From his work, it is clear that he feared falling in love. Most scholars believe he had a strong love
for boys. He wrote choral poetry, and his poems were performed on religious and other important
occasions.

Ibycus met his death while living in Corinth when robbers attacked him. Before his death, it is
said that he asked the cranes that were flying overhead to avenge his death. After a few days, while at
the theater in Corinth, the robbers saw the cranes and one of them referred to them as the avengers of
Ibycus prompting the authorities to arrest them.

Literary Synopsis:

The story of Orpheus' descent into the underworld to save his beloved Eurydice is the tragic tale
of a love that fought against all odds.

1. It was the perfect wedding, the guests thought. The groom was Orpheus, the greatest of all
poets and musicians. The bride Eurydice, a wood nymph. Anyone could tell the couple was truly
and deeply in love.

2. Suddenly, Eurydice stumbled, then fell to the ground. By the time Orpheus reached her side, she
was dead, and the snake that had bitten her was slithering away through the grass. Orpheus was
overcome with a grief the human world could not contain, and so he decided he would journey
 to the land of the dead, a place from which no living creature had ever returned, to rescue his
beloved.

3. When Orpheus reached the gates of the underworld, he began to strum his lyre. The music was
so beautiful that Cerberus, the three-headed dog who guards the dead, lay down as Orpheus
passed. Charon, the ferry captain who charged dead souls to cross the River Styx, was so moved
by the music that he brought Orpheus across free of charge.

4. When Orpheus entered the palace of Hades and Persephone, the king and queen of the dead, he
began to sing. He sang of his love for Eurydice, and said she had been taken away too soon. The
day would come when she, like all living creatures, dwelled in the land of the dead for all
eternity, so couldn’t Hades grant her just a few more years on Earth?

5. In the moment after Orpheus finished, all hell stood still. Sisyphus no longer rolled his rock up
the hill. Tantalus did not reach for the water he would never be allowed to drink. Even the Furies,
the demonic goddesses of vengeance, wept. Hades and Persephone granted Orpheus’s plea, but
on one condition. As he climbed back out of the underworld, he must not turn around to see if
Eurydice was following behind him.

6. If he did, she would return to the land of the dead forever. Orpheus began to climb. With each
step, he worried more and more about whether Eurydice was behind him. He heard nothing—
where were her footsteps? Finally, just before he stepped out of the underworld and into the
bright light of day, he gave into temptation.

7. Orpheus tried to return to the underworld, but was refused entry. Separated from Eurydice,
Orpheus swore never to love another woman again. Instead, he sat in a grove of trees and sang
songs of lovers. There was Ganymede, the beautiful boy who Zeus made drink-bearer to the
gods. There was Myrrah, who loved her father and was punished for it, and Pygmalion, who
sculpted his ideal woman out of ivory, then prayed to Venus until she came to life. And there was
Venus herself, whose beautiful Adonis was killed by a wild boar.

8. It was as if Orpheus’s own love and loss had allowed him to see into the hearts of gods and
people everywhere. For some, however, poetry was not enough. A group of wild women called
the Maenads could not bear 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 poor Orpheus.

9. The birds, nature’s singers, mourned Orpheus, as did the rivers, who made music as they
babbled. The world had lost two great souls. Orpheus and Eurydice had loved each other so
deeply that when they were separated, Orpheus had understood the pain and joys of lovers
everywhere, and a new art form, the love poem, was born.

10. While the world wept, Orpheus found peace, and his other half, in the underworld.
Epilogue:

There, to this day, he walks with Eurydice along the banks of the River Styx. Sometimes, they
stroll side by side; sometimes, she is in front; and sometimes, he takes the lead, turning to look back at
her as often as he likes.

Moral Drawn:

The myth emphasizes the importance of trust and obedience. “Trust your instincts and follow
instructions even when things are unclear.”

Theme:

The main theme of the story is love, loss, and the power of art and music.

1. Love and Loss: The entire story revolves around Orpheus' intense love for Eurydice and his desire to
resist death to bring her back. It explores how far people will go for love, the anguish of loss, and the
bittersweet aspect of even partial victory.

2. The Power of Music and Art: Orpheus, a legendary musician, has the power to move the gods with his
music. His lyre-playing and singing are so captivating that he persuades Hades, the god of the
underworld, to let Eurydice return with him. This emphasizes the profound and transcending power of
art and music to elicit emotions, transmit deep feelings, and even influence the divine.

References:

Boston, G. (2017, December 8). All about Ibycus - poet of ancient Greece.
https://www.greekboston.com/culture/ancient-history/ibycus/
Education, A. (2021, March 3). The Portrayal of Love in Orpheus and Eurydice - by Lucy Moore. Academus
Education.
https://www.academuseducation.co.uk/post/the-portrayal-of-love-in-orpheus-and-eurydice#:~:t
ext=The%20type%20of%20love%20 played,courage%2C%20 heartbreak%2C%20and%20death.
Orpheus and Eurydice: A tale of two star-crossed lovers . HT School. (n.d.).
https://htschool.hindustantimes.com/editorsdesk/knowledge-vine/orpheus-and-eurydice-a-tale-
of-two-star-crossed-lovers
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (1998, July 20). Ibycus | Lyric Poetry, 6th Century BC & Samos.
Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ibycus
YouTube. (2018). The tragic myth of Orpheus and Eurydice . YouTube. Retrieved January 25, 2024, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhaepLsP5eg.