Music of the Gods

Orpheus and Eurydice

The first musicians were Gods. Gods ; Athena, Hermes, and Apollo created music so harmonious that the Gods on Mount Olympus  would  forget everything else.  Mortal rivals these Gods came were so admirable in their art that they almost equaled the great Gods. One of these mortals was Orpheus, son of one of the Muses and a Thracian prince. Orpheus was given the gift of music by his mother . The Thracians were famed as the most musically skilled people of Greece. Orpheus was renowned for his talent when it came to mortals, his only rivals were the Gods. He had the ability to control both the living and inanimate objects. He sailed with Jason and the Argonauts..

 He was an instrumental part in  the voyage because when the heroes were weary from rowing he would play his lyre and the sailors became awed with the sound that they were filled with a renewed strength and vigor allowing them to continue on. Orpheus also saved the Argonauts from the Sirens, he played his lyre so as to hypnotize the Sirens and drive out all thoughts except the longing to hear more of his sweet music. The Argonauts than sailed off and set there course, if it were not for Orpheus the Argonauts surely would have become defunct.

 The women Orpheus desired could resist the power of his music. He married but unfortunately after his wedding as Eurydice, his wife walked in the garden a snake struck  her and she died. Orpheus' grieved so much that he vowed to go down to the world of death and bring Eurydice back. As he played his lyre, Cerberus  the monster with dog heads released his guard at the doorway to Hades;; Tantalus  was relieved of his thirst; The terrors of the Underworld ceased for the first time..

The ruler of Hades and his queen granted Orpheus' wish and summoned Eurydice and gave her to him, but there  was one condition: that he would not look back at her as she followed him out oh Hades, until they reached the upper world. As they left the Underworld, Orpheus knew Eurydice was following him but he had ti be to sure. At the  point where the darkness  turned into the light he turned back, but it was too soon Eurydice was still in the cavern and as he reached for her she was taken away from him and returned to Hades.

He attempted to follow her, but the Gods prevented Orpheus to enter the Underworld again while he was still alive. Filled with grief, he left the company of men and wandered through the wild playing his  lyre. A band of Maenads discovered him, they fell upon Orpheus, tearing him limb from limb, and flung his head into the swift river Hebrus. The Muses discovered his head at the Lesbian shore intact. His body was found placed in a tomb at the foot of Mount Olympus

The sounds of the birds and are sweeter than in any known region and the willows whisper sweet words reminding the world of Orpheus and his love for his beloved wife.