Orpheus Sightings

Orpheus Sightings

  • Argonautica Orphica 400BC - 301BC

    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.


  • Argonautica by Apollonius Rhodius 300BC - 201BC

    Orpheus sure was popular back in the day: in Argonautica, you can read all about his days as an Argonaut.


  • The Orphic Hymns 300BC - 1BC

    According to legend, these ancient poems were written by Orpheus himself. A musician and a poet to boot!


  • The Library by Apollodorus 200BC - 101BC

    One of the earliest accounts of the myth of "Orpheus and Eurydice" is just a click away. Thank you, Internet.


  • Georgics by Virgil 29BC

    The big cheese of epic Roman poets has his own version of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth. It's pretty… poetic.


  • The Metamorphoses by Ovid 2BC

    And here's a version of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth by, you know, that other Roman poet.


  • L'Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi 1607

    In L'Orfeo, Orpheus is around for all your baroque opera needs.


  • Orfeo ed Euridice by Christoph Willibald von Gluck 1762

    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.


  • Eurydice by Jean Anouilh 1941

    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.


  • Orphée 1950

    Writer/director Jean Cocteau artsy fartsies it up in this film version — Orpheus is both the title and the star.


  • Black Orpheus 1959

    Want to see the dark side of Orpheus? Well here's a steamy version of his story, set in South America.


  • The Storyteller: Greek Myths 1982

    Jim Henson, master of Muppets, puts his unique spin on Orpheus' myth. It's always better when Muppets are (kind of) involved.


  • Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl 2008

    Orpheus' wife is the namesake for this this beautiful and imaginative spin on the tale by hotshot playwright Sarah Ruhl.


  • Orpheus and Eurydice: A Myth Underground by Mollie Davies, music by James Johnston and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds 2011

    This dramatic reinterpretation of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth was created for the National Youth Theater of Britain. Fancy shmancy.