00:14Once upon a time, in the kingdom of Thrace, the Thracian king, Iagris, and the muse, Calliope, had a son,
00:22named Orpheus.
00:24When Orpheus was still very young, the god, Apollo, taught him how to play the lyre.
00:30By the time he reached adulthood, he had perfected the lyre, and became the best musician there was.
00:36Whenever Orpheus played the lyre, all the animals, came out to listen.
00:41His music, made the stones, and trees, to dance.
00:46Once, Orpheus was playing his lyre, when he saw a very beautiful woman, whom he instantly fell in love with.
00:52The woman's name, was Eurydice, and she also, had fallen in love with the fine man, playing the lyre.
01:00Before long, they got married.
01:03The couple lived in happiness and harmony, for many years, until one fateful day, when Eurydice decided to take a
01:10stroll.
01:12She was walking in the forest, in the company of some nymphs, when a shepherd saw her, and lusted after
01:18her.
01:19As the shepherd tried to rape her, she managed to break free, and ran.
01:24However, while running, Eurydice stepped upon a poisonous snake, and was bitten by the serpent, causing her death.
01:32When Orpheus found his wife's body, it had gone cold.
01:37The snake's venom, had long killed her.
01:40In his grief, Orpheus sang a long song of sorrow.
01:44Everything living, and non-living, was moved by his song.
01:48Even the gods, were deeply touched, by his grief.
01:53Apollo then told him, that only if he descended to Hades, would he be able to see his wife, and
01:59bring her back.
02:01Orpheus was ready to do anything.
02:03So, he agreed.
02:05No man, entered, or left the realm of Hades alive.
02:09But with the protection of the gods, and the guidance of Apollo, Orpheus did.
02:15He traveled to the gloomy underworld, to the Stygian realm, where he saw many souls of the dead.
02:20Both known, and unknown.
02:23With his music, Orpheus enchanted Cerberus, the three-headed guardian dog, which then allowed him to go on ahead, to
02:31the throne of the king of the dead, Hades, and his queen Persephone.
02:36Orpheus knelt at the feet of Hades, intensely pleading with the god, to let him take his wife back.
02:42But the heart of Hades was as cold as ice, and he was not moved, in the slightest.
02:48Then, Orpheus began to play his lyre.
02:52He sang all the mournful songs ever known to him, so beautifully, that the hard heart of Hades, softened.
02:59Hades allowed him to take Eurydice with him.
03:02But there was a condition.
03:04Orpheus would not look back at his wife, till they came into the light, at the surface, or he would
03:10lose her forever.
03:12Eurydice's ghost, would be walking behind him.
03:15And if Orpheus was patient enough, he would have her, as his wife again.
03:19Alive, and normal.
03:22Orpheus thanked the god, and made his way out of the underworld.
03:26Surely, as Hades promised, Eurydice closely followed behind, waiting to come out to the light, to become flesh again.
03:34When they got close to the surface, Orpheus strained his ears, to hear Eurydice's footsteps, but heard nothing.
03:42He began to think the gods had fooled him.
03:44In his doubt, he forgot that Eurydice was a ghost, just a shadow, and one could not hear the footsteps,
03:52of a shadow.
03:54Alas, Orpheus turned, to see if Eurydice was behind him.
03:59Indeed, she was behind him, but because he looked back, the ghost of Eurydice, was drawn back to the underworld.
04:06She was gone, forever.
04:09Orpheus tried to return to the underworld, but a man could not enter Hades twice, while still alive.
04:16His impatience, had cost him his wife, a second time.
04:21Roaming the earth aimlessly, Orpheus wished for nothing, but his own death.
04:26He wanted to join his wife, in the underworld.
04:29In his sorrow, he shunned the worship of the gods, except Apollo, whom he continued to pray to.
04:36Orpheus again, sang songs of sorrow, calling for his death.
04:41When the Mynads, the female followers of Dionysus, saw him.
04:45They began to throw stones, and sticks, at him, for scorning Dionysus.
04:50But the stones, and sticks, refused to hit him, due to the music of the lyre.
04:56Furious, the women and beasts, ripped Orpheus apart, during their drunken dance ritual.
05:03But Orpheus head, refused to die.
05:06Still singing mournful songs, his head, and lyre, floated down the river, to the island of Lesbos.
05:12Where the people there, buried his head, and built a shrine, in his honor.
05:18Apollo silenced the singing head, afterward.
05:22And Orpheus's soul, returned to the underworld, to the Elysian fields.
05:26Where he was reunited with his beloved wife, Eurydice.
05:29This is the story of Orpheus.
05:35The End
05:36The End
Comments