S2E2 - Orpheus and Eurydice

The stories featured in Greaking Out are original adaptations of classic Greek myths.

This week's story features star-crossed lovers, a bard with a lot of charisma, anti-snake propaganda, and dying of a broken heart.

There's a lot going on here.

Orpheus and Eurydice, a love story.

Lancelot and Guinevere, Mark Anthony, and Cleopatra.

These are some of the most famous couples of all time.

And while their stories are all quite different, they all have one thing in common.

Love.

Everyone loves a good love story.

False.

What all of these stories have in common is that they all end in horrible tragedies.

Okay, yes, but we're going to focus on the love here.

This is the story of a couple that you might not know about.

It's one of the greatest love stories of ancient Greece, and it just might be the greatest love story anywhere.

This is the story of Orpheus and Eurydice.

Orpheus was the son of the god Apollo and the beautiful muse Calliope.

He was a man of many talents.

He was a skilled astrologer, a talented writer, and a wise healer.

He was handsome, kind, and brave.

He went on many epic adventures and even hung out with Jason and the Argonauts.

The adventures of Jason and the Argonauts are discussed in the debut episode of Greaking Out, entitled Jason and the Quest for the Golden Fleece.

It can be accessed on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Thank you, Oracle.

Always appreciate a shameless plug.

Yes, Orpheus was the total package, as they say.

But he also had something else, something that set him further apart from all of the other eligible bachelors.

Orpheus could carry a tune.

Actually, that's putting it lightly.

It'd be more accurate to say that Orpheus was a musician of the highest caliber.

He might have been the greatest musician of his time, maybe the greatest musician of all time.

And musical talent must be genetic because Orpheus was even a better singer than his father Apollo, the Greek god of music and poetry.

This is debatable.

While research shows that genetics do contribute to musical ability, environmental factors and other variables, such as practice and work ethic, cannot be ignored.

Well, Orpheus did in fact love to practice.

He was constantly singing to anyone or anything that would listen, and he didn't have any trouble finding an audience.

Everyone wanted to listen to Orpheus' melodies.

His voice was quite charming.

When he was little, his father gave him a lyre, which he mastered in no time at all.

The word lyre refers to a family of instruments.

Some looked like what we now know as a small lap harp, and some, like the kithara, with its tortoiseshell body, became more like a guitar over time.

The word guitar comes from the word kythara.

With his lyre and his incredible singing voice, not to mention his bravery, intelligence, compassion, and devilish good looks, Orpheus was considered to be quite a catch.

But he only had eyes for one person, a wood nymph named Eurydice.

That's because Orpheus had been walking in the woods by himself and gotten very lost.

Just when he was about to give up in despair, Eurydice, who knew every inch of the forest, took pity on him and led him back home.

Orpheus was grateful for her kindness and impressed with her navigational skills.

And so our epic love story begins.

It didn't take any time at all before Orpheus and Eurydice fell in love, deeply, madly, and completely in love.

They went on adventures together, and no matter how far they traveled from home, Eurydice could always get them back.

It was like she had a GPS in her head.

After a few weeks of crushing on each other, the couple decided to make things official.

They got married on a beautiful day surrounded by their friends and family.

Everything was perfect.

Their union was even blessed by Hyman, the god of marriage.

And afterward, the party continued with a delicious feast, lively music, and plenty of love and laughter.

Of course, Orpheus and Eurydice couldn't have cared less about the festivities.

For them, there might as well have been no one else there.

They spent the evening staring into each other's eyes, unable to fathom how they could have gotten so lucky.

Unfortunately, when the feast was over, things took a turn for the worse, and Eurydice and Orpheus' luck began to run out.

You see, Eurydice was considered quite a catch as well, and she had just as many people hoping to marry her as Orpheus did.

One of these people, a shepherd named Aristeas, became irrationally angry when she decided to marry someone else.

He was jealous of their happiness, and that jealousy had eaten him up on the inside.

After the wedding feast was over, Aristeas hid in the bushes outside and waited for the happy couple to begin the walk home.

This is called an ambush, a surprise attack by people lying in wait in a concealed concealed position.

Although quite common, I find it to be a cowardly form of action.

I couldn't agree more.

When Orpheus and Eurydice walked past the bushes, Aristeas jumped out with a knife in his hand, hoping to kill Orpheus and maybe Eurydice too.

Orpheus shoved Aristeus aside, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground.

Eurydice took this opportunity to get them both to safety.

She grabbed Orpheus' hand and they ran into the woods together, hoping to escape.

But just as they were certain they had lost Aristeas, Eurydice, looking over her shoulder to see if they were really alone, tripped over a branch and fell to the ground, landing in a nest of venomous snakes.

Are we blaming this one on snakes?

How would you like it if someone fell on you?

You know, in America, you are statistically more likely to be struck by lightning than die of a snake bite.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, I didn't know you felt so strongly about snakes, Oracle.

Well, I didn't know this story was going to be an anti-snake story.

I'm just gonna move on.

Eurydice was bitten by one of the vipers and she cried out in pain.

As the color drained from her face, they both knew the snake bite had been fatal.

Orpheus gave his bride, his partner in life, one last kiss and promised to love her forever.

Eurydice took her last breath and died in the arms of her beloved.

African egg-eating snakes swallow bird eggs whole, then use their neck bones to crack open the eggs inside their bodies.

Oracle, we're kind of having a moment here.

I just want to make sure everyone knows how cool snakes are.

Okay, well, Orpheus was devastated, you know, because the love of his life just died.

So he slowly made his way out of the woods, not caring where he ended up because his heart was shattered into little pieces.

And he stayed that way for weeks.

He spent his days composing sad music and strumming his lyre, making even the trees bend with the sadness of his songs.

He was definitely a huge bummer to be around.

And then one day, Orpheus had a visit from his father, Apollo.

Orpheus, Apollo asked.

Why do you sit here and moan?

Why do you not take action?

But father, Orpheus cried, Eurydice is dead.

She's gone.

I can't do anything about it.

Do you not remember who you are?

You are Orpheus, son of Apollo.

You do not back down from a fight, even a fight against death itself.

Go to the underworld and convince Hades to let Eurydice go.

Apollo vanished, giving Orpheus time to be alone with his thoughts.

Was Apollo right?

Should he take action against death itself?

I mean, he was brave and cunning and talented, but what is any of that against death?

Is there anything stronger than death?

If there is, Orpheus thought to himself, it would have to be love.

He was not the kind of guy who just gave up, especially on something as important and life-changing as love.

No.

Orpheus would not let Eurydice go without a fight.

So he grabbed his lighter and he prepared to do the unthinkable, the unimaginable, perhaps even the impossible.

Orpheus would go into the underworld and convince Hades to let Eurydice go free.

After all, if anyone could write a compelling case for love, it was Orpheus.

But as brave as Orpheus was, the underworld is not an easy place to get into.

Not only is it incredibly creepy with that whole giant river filled with lost souls thing, but it's also well protected and very hard to find.

Now, since Orpheus was Apollo's son, he was also the nephew of Hermes, who helped ferry the dead to their afterlife.

So he had some insider knowledge on where to find one of the few mortal entrances to the underworld.

A psychopomp is a figure in mythology that leads the dead to the afterlife.

Other famous psychopomps include the Egyptian god Anubis, Norse Valkyries, and the Grim Reaper.

He really needed the help.

After all, he didn't have have Eurydice's navigational skills.

As Orpheus walked down the path, he encountered an elm tree with beautiful leaves.

Though he was tempted to stop and investigate, he'd already been warned by his uncle about that tree.

The shimmering leaves were an illusion where false dreams clung onto every leaf.

So Orpheus walked past without looking.

Then he came to a cave where he encountered just a mess of things guarding the entrance to the realm of the dead.

There were the usual monsters, like harpies and centaurs and other creatures with scales and teeth, but there were also entities of grief, disease, hunger, anxiety, and old age.

At first, Orpheus reached for his sword.

The centaurs tensed for a fight.

The harpies hissed and readied their claws.

The hunger entity made everyone's stomach growl, and the anxiety entity did that thing where everybody feels strangely uncomfortable.

But then, Orpheus picked up his lyre instead and began to sing.

He put everything he was feeling into his song.

His sadness for his lost Eurydice, his fear that he would never see her again, and most of all, the love he still felt for her.

The song hit right at the heartstrings of the guardians of the underworld.

Because even harpies and centaurs in old age or whatever understand what it is to love.

As they all stopped to remember lost loves, they let Orpheus pass by without a fight.

But first, a word from our sponsor.

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It didn't take long before Orpheus faced another obstacle.

The tunnel opened up into a vast underground cavern with a dark river slowly rolling by.

And on the bank of that river was a boat and a small dock.

When Orpheus approached, he saw a strange man in a dark cloak.

It was Karin, the ferryman of the underworld.

It was Karin's job to transport newly departed souls across the river Styx.

According to Plato, there are four main rivers in the underworld, but other sources say there are five.

The Styx is generally considered to be the most prominent.

It's known as the river of hatred.

There is also the Acheron, or the River of Pain.

Karin was not a pretty sight.

He was appallingly filthy, and his cloak was torn and stained with dirt and blood.

His face was smudged, and his beard was shaggy, but his eyes burned with a strange red glow that kept Orpheus from meeting his gaze directly.

Why are you here?

The boatman asked.

You are not dead.

You have no purpose in the realm of the underworld.

I am here to speak to Hades, Orpheus declared.

I have a favor to ask of him, and I need to tell him about love.

Karin began to laugh.

Hades does not grant favors, nor does he care about your love.

And then Orpheus began to sing his song.

His beautiful voice rippled across the river, and even the lost souls along the banks of the river Styx were compelled to listen.

When Orpheus finished, Karin was stunned.

His eyes were no longer glowing red, they were wet with tears.

He wiped them away and granted Orpheus passage.

I do not know what Hades will do to you, remarked Charon, but I will allow you and your glorious song entry.

Yours is the most beautiful voice I have heard in all my years.

Orpheus hopped aboard the boat, and Charon ferried him across the river to the rocky shore, where he might reach the throne room of Hades and his wife wife Persephone.

But then, of course, there was Cerberus, the giant three-headed dog who stood before the gates of Hades.

Cerberus is a very popular monster depicted in many forms of popular culture.

In Greek, the name Cerberus can be roughly translated to spot, a common name for dogs in the modern day, even ones with only one head.

When Orpheus approached Cerberus, he ignored its snarls and three sets of gnashing teeth.

Instead, he pulled pulled out his lyre and began to play again.

But this time, he chose a lullaby.

It was a beautiful song of love and comfort, and it calmed the beast.

The dog stopped in his tracks, puzzled by the sudden sound, no longer sure what to do.

He stared at Orpheus for a long time, and then a strange thing happened.

All six of Cerberus' eyelids began to get heavy.

Before long, the beast closed his eyes and laid his three gigantic heads down at Orpheus' feet.

Orpheus took some time to give the dog a good scratch before continuing on his way.

The gates of the underworld were now open and Orpheus made his way in.

Once through these gates, Orpheus faced the judges of the underworld whose names were Minos, Radamanthus and Iacus.

You may recognize these names from our previous myth.

Minos was the keeper of the Minotaur and the Labyrinth, and Radamanthus was his brother.

They both became civil servants in the Greek afterlife.

Radamanthus immediately wanted to send Orpheus to Elysium.

It is clear he belongs among the blessed, he claimed.

But Icus felt the opposite.

He doesn't belong here at all.

Anyone who breaks into someplace where they don't belong should be sent to Tartarus.

Minos, who usually broke the tie in these situations, decided that this deserved the attention of Hades himself.

After all, the boy had come this far.

And so that is how Orpheus got his audience with Hades and Persephone, king and queen of the underworld.

When Hades realized that the latest soul to enter the underworld came with a fully functional body and beating heart, he was outraged.

Why do you come here?

He asked.

Do you not understand what you have done?

Breaking into the underworld to dwell with the dead?

My lord and lady, Orpheus began, I have made the journey into the underworld for for one reason and one reason only.

Love.

The love of my life was taken from me far too soon, and my heart cannot go on without her.

I have written a song professing my love, and I wonder if I may have the honor of performing it for you.

Hades was about to object, but Persephone interjected.

Orpheus began to sing his beautiful song.

As soon as the words left his mouth, it was as if a spell had been cast over the underworld.

The song described a lost love, two lovers forced apart too quickly, and Orpheus' voice was smooth and clear like glass.

The melody was captivating, the lyre was glorious, and the lyrics?

The lyrics were truly unbearable, depicting a love so sweet and so short that it managed to both fill and break your heart all at the same time.

Research shows that music actually has physical effects on your body.

Blood flows more easily when music is played, reducing your heart rate and lowering blood pressure.

It also decreases stress hormone levels and increases serotonin and endorphin levels in the blood.

Jam on.

Times seemed to stand still.

All of the souls in the underworld stopped to listen.

Persephone began to weep, and even Hades himself shed a tear.

When Orpheus finished, the realm of the dead erupted in thunderous applause and Hades cleared his scratchy throat.

The woman you came all the way down the underworld for.

What is her name?

Eurydice.

She must be the brightest soul ever to grace the underworld.

Hades and Persephone turned to confer with each other and because they both knew what it was to love, They came to an agreement quickly.

Because her song is so beautiful and you yourself are so charming, Persephone said.

We will allow Eurydice to go back with you to the upper world.

Orpheus fell to his knees in gratitude and began to weep tears of joy.

Thank you, he exclaimed.

I cannot thank you enough.

Not so fast, Hades said, stopping Orpheus in his tracks.

Hades and Persephone had a job to do, after all, and if they let everyone out of the underworld just because someone asked, well, they would have a problem on their hands.

There is a catch.

You may begin your journey out of the underworld.

We will call Eurydice and give her permission to follow you, but you must not look back at her until you have reached the upper world.

Do not embrace her.

Do not touch her.

Do not even look at her until you are out of the underworld.

If you look back, even once, Eurydice will be called back and she will belong to the underworld forever.

Orpheus quickly agreed.

It sounded so easy.

With With a nod from the king and queen, he began his climb back out of the underworld, eager to be with Eurydice again.

After a little while, Orpheus heard Eurydice's footsteps behind him.

He was trembling with excitement.

He could barely believe it had worked.

He had gotten them both out of the underworld alive.

He took a deep breath and willed himself to stay focused.

He had to follow Hades' instructions and not look at Eurydice.

This time, he would be the one to lead her home.

He returned across the river and forced himself to stare only straight ahead.

But as he traveled on, Orpheus began to have doubts.

Death was known for never letting go of what it had taken.

Why did Hades and Persephone agreed to let Eurydice go so easily?

Maybe this was just a trick.

Maybe Eurydice wasn't really behind him and they just wanted Orpheus out of there.

But still, Orpheus willed himself not to look back.

Finally, he reached the entrance to the mortal world.

A slight breeze fluttered through the tunnel ahead of him.

But Orpheus heard a stumble.

And remembering the last time Eurydice stumbled, he looked behind him to see if she was all right.

And then she dissolved into nothingness.

Eurydice had been taken back down to the underworld.

But before she disappeared, Eurydice and Orpheus had a moment, one final moment together.

The light of the mortal world was shining on her face, and she gave him a look that he would never forget.

It was a look filled with pure love and gratitude.

Because in that moment, Eurydice knew just how much Orpheus loved her.

Okay, but he could have waited five minutes.

He thought she was hurt.

It's romantic.

I don't know why I'm trying to tell you this, Oracle.

You don't have a romantic bone in your body.

Bones are not romantic.

Anyway, as we know, the gods always keep their promises.

And because Orpheus had stolen a look, Eurydice would never leave the underworld again.

Orpheus tried to climb back down to the underworld, but the gates were locked.

The ferryman was gone.

He was refused entry.

He had blown his chance.

He was barred from the underworld and left sobbing on the ground outside the cave.

And that is where Orpheus lived out the remainder of his days, playing his lyre and singing songs about heartache and lost love.

His voice was just as beautiful as ever, but Orpheus became a shell of the man he once was.

When others came to console him or even just to cheer him up, Orpheus got angry and stomped away.

He removed himself from civilization and played music only for plants and animals.

Eventually,

Orpheus died of a broken heart, collapsed collapsed on a rock outside of the cave that led to the underworld.

This cause of death is indeed plausible.

Broken heart syndrome is a real medical condition that's often caused by stress and extreme emotions.

But that's actually not where our story ends.

Moments after he gave up living, Orpheus awoke and found himself lying on the banks of a dark river.

A ragged man with red eyes and a ragged cloak was peering over him.

You again, said the boatman.

I suppose you've decided to come in properly this time?

I suppose I have, Orpheus replied.

The ferryman led him across the river.

The three-headed dog licked his hand as he went by.

And Rhadamanthus himself guided Orpheus to Elysium, where he ran into the open arms of his beloved Eurydice.

And they lived happily ever after.

Kinda.

Thanks for listening to this week's episode of Greaking Out.

Stay tuned for next week's episode about one of ancient Greece's most famous warriors.

National Geographic Kids Greaking Out is written by Kenny Curtis and Jillian Hughes and hosted by Kenny Curtis with Tori Kerr as the oracle of Wi-Fi.

Audio production and sound design by Scotty Beam.

Diane Klein is our expert researcher and Perry Gripp composed our themes.

Emily Everhart is our production manager.