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Orpheus
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Orpheus was the first ever rock star. He may not have an electric guitar, but you would not believe the things this guy can do on a lyre. Orpheus plays so beautifully that he can charm the pants off of anybody—mortals, gods, animals, trees, rocks—you name it. And not only is Orpheus a fabulous musician, but he's a hero to boot. He went with Jason and the Argonauts on the Quest for the Golden Fleece, where he drowned out the Sirens with his amazing music. He also makes it on the very short list of heroes who managed to go down to the Underworld and make it out again (when he tried to rescue his wife, Eurydice). On top of all that, Orpheus is said to be the founder of the Orphic religious cult, which promised its followers a blessed afterlife. Rock star, hero, prophet—pretty much, Orpheus was the man.
Basic Information
Name Orpheus
Nickname King of Charm, Music Man
Sex Male
Work & Education
Occupation Musician
General Duties: Charming everyone with my music, being awesomeEducation Mt. Parnassus Musical Conservatory
I spent a semester abroad at JulliardBeliefs
Political views Free love
Family & Friends (& Enemies)
Parents Mom: Calliope
Dad: Oeagrus (or maybe Apollo—that seems pretty fitting)Children None. My one true love died much too early for children.
Friends Eurydice
Rocks
Trees
All my adoring fansEnemies Dionysus (we're kind of frienemies, really)
The Maenads
SnakesRelationships
Relationship status Married to Eurydice (death can't come between us)
Favorites
Quotations "Music is love in search of a word."
– Sidney Lanier
"Hell is full of musical amateurs."
– George Bernard Shaw
"I don't care much about music. What I like is sounds."
– Dizzy Gillespie
"I don't know anything about music. In my line I don't have to."
– Elvis Presley
"After silence, that which comes closest to expressing the inexpressible is music."
– Aldous HuxleyBooks "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. (Sonnet 43)" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
"The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
"Bright Star, would I were stedfast as thou art" by John Keats
Orpheus Descending by Tennessee Williams
"Death, be not proud (Holy Sonnet 10)" by John Donne
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
"Love Sonnet 17" by Pablo Neruda
"Song of Myself" by Walt Whitman
"The Return of the Chorb" by Vladimir NabokovMusic It's not about individual songs for me. It's about the musician and who has the power to move me (and maybe animals and rocks) with their music.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
The Beatles
Bob Marley
Johannes Brahms
Radiohead
Bon Iver
John Coltrane
AdeleMovies Almost Famous
Don't Look Back
Amadeus
Black Orpheus
This Is Spinal Tap
Mr. Holland's Opus
Walk the Line
Orpheus
The Princess Bride
That Thing You Do!
Help!Activities & Interests
Likes Singer/Songwriters
Guitar Hero
Garage Band
Home Recording Equipment
Andean Pan Flute Bands
Summer Concert Season
SpelunkingInterests Musicology
Lyric Poetry
Cults
Underworld ExplorationGroups Music Lovers
Real Life Rock Stars
Dead Before Our Time
Orpheus Fan Club (Founder)
Spotter's Guide
Orpheus only plays concerts down in the Underworld these days. You'll find him singing his heart out and strumming his lyre down in Elysium, the city of the blessed dead, where he sells out the Elysian Dome night after night. You'll probably be able to catch a glimpse of his wife, Eurydice, giving him googly eyes from backstage. You might have to wait in a long line of adoring fans to get a chance to talk to Orpheus, but if you do manage to get a second with him, you should totally get his autograph. Can you imagine what that would go for on eBay? People would pay big bucks for an album signed by the first ever rock star.
Sex: Male
Age: Early twenties
Build: Lean, not-so-mean Underworld-traveling machine
Complexion: Pale
Hair Color: Blonde/Brown
Facial Hair: None
Scars/marks/tattoos: None
Jewelry and accessories: Lyre—he won't leave home without it
Clothing: Robes
Armor: Not necessary—he's got the power of music
Type of Weapon: His music can take down just about anyone or anythingTypical Companions:
Eurydice
The Muses
Apollo
Adoring fansKnown Hangouts:
Concerts
Music Shops
Record Stores
The Underworld
Sightings
Jan 1, 1970 - Dec 20, 2019
Argonautica Orphica
Get a sneak peek into Orpheus' mind—this ancient poem tells the story the Quest for the Golden Fleece from our favorite musician's perspective.
Jan 1, 1970 - Dec 20, 2019
Argonautica by Apollonius Rhodius
Orpheus sure was popular back in the day: in Argonautica, you can read all about his days as an Argonaut.
Jan 1, 1970 - Dec 20, 2019
The Orphic Hymns
According to legend, these ancient poems were written by Orpheus himself. A musician and a poet to boot!
Jan 1, 1970 - Dec 20, 2019
The Library by Apollodorus
One of the earliest accounts of the myth of "Orpheus and Eurydice" is just a click away. Thank you, Internet.
Dec 20, 2019
Georgics by Virgil
The big cheese of epic Roman poets has his own version of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth. It's pretty… poetic.
Dec 20, 2019
The Metamorphoses by Ovid
And here's a version of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth by, you know, that other Roman poet.
Dec 20, 2019
L'Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi
In L'Orfeo, Orpheus is around for all your baroque opera needs.
Dec 20, 1762
Orfeo ed Euridice by Christoph Willibald von Gluck
Have you ever wondered what the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice would be like if it were retold in the form of a German opera? Well, it's your lucky day.
Dec 20, 2019
Eurydice by Jean Anouilh
Everyone wants to get in on the action: in Eurydice, a famous French playwright tells his version of the myth of Orpheus and his lovely wife.
Dec 20, 2019
Orphée
Writer/director Jean Cocteau artsy fartsies it up in this film version — Orpheus is both the title and the star.
Dec 20, 2019
Black Orpheus
Want to see the dark side of Orpheus? Well here's a steamy version of his story, set in South America.
Dec 20, 1982
The Storyteller: Greek Myths
Jim Henson, master of Muppets, puts his unique spin on Orpheus' myth. It's always better when Muppets are (kind of) involved.
Dec 20, 2019
Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl
Orpheus' wife is the namesake for this this beautiful and imaginative spin on the tale by hotshot playwright Sarah Ruhl.
Dec 20, 2019
Orpheus and Eurydice: A Myth Underground by Mollie Davies, music by James Johnston and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
This dramatic reinterpretation of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth was created for the National Youth Theater of Britain. Fancy shmancy.