The Song That Failed and the Word That Rose
How the Tragedy of Orpheus Finds Its Fulfillment in Christ's Descent and Resurrection
In the Myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, we are met with tragedy. Orpheus was said to be the son of Calliope, the Muse of epic poetry, and the Thracian king Oeagrus. A mortal by birth, he was still touched and blessed by his divine mother. When he played his music rivers would bend, trees would lean, and beasts would grow calm. Some scholars say he represents the civilizing power of art. Art, on this view, is a force that tames chaos through the power of beauty.
Orpheus marries Eurydice, a nymph of great grace and beauty, but their marriage is short lived. There are varying accounts of how it played out, but in the end, Eurydice stepped on a serpent (which bit her) and she died. Before Orpheus could even get to her, she was dead.
Orpheus refuses to accept her death and instead he follows her down into the underworld. As he goes, he uses his music to tame the various obstacles that block the way. Cerberus, the three headed dog, slept; Charon, the ferryman of the dead across the river Styx, takes him across the river for free; the Furies, who punish and wreak vengeance in the underworld, weep as he passes. Finally, at the end, he stands before Hades and his wife, Persephone.
He begs them to restore Eurydice, arguing that she was taken too soon. Hades agrees on one condition. Orpheus must leave the underworld but as he does, he cannot look back to see if Eurydice is following him. Orpheus turned and began his ascent to the upper world.
They ascend in silence, and the silence makes him more and more nervous. He cannot hear her and, as he comes to the light and is within steps of leaving the underworld he turns to see if she is there. Eurydice returns to the shadows and Orpheus wanders alone, being denied entry back into the underworld.
The Greek term katabasis means “going down” or “descent,” and in myth and epic literature it refers to the hero entering the realm of the dead. The descent into death is always seen as the highest test of the hero. The question for any hero is whether they can cross the line that no mortal can cross. We see this across much of the most famous myths. Odysseus goes down to speak to the dead and gain knowledge; Aeneas goes down to receive a vision of Rome and his future; Hercules goes down to get Cerberus for one of his labors.
Katabasis is the highest test for any hero because it exposes the ultimate enemy of the world. Each myth of katabasis is one which asks a question by pitting a human virtue (strength, intellect, or love) against humanity’s oldest enemy.
Orpheus’ katabasis is not achieved by his prowess as a warrior, but by his love and song. His descent is emotional and aesthetic, not a military expedition. He is not interested in glory, his empire, or knowledge. He only wants one thing, Eurydice. He goes down for love.
The central question of this myth is one which pits love against death. Can love reach past the grave and pull someone back? The answer to this question, according to the myth, is no.
Why does Orpheus fail? He is told by Hades that if he doesn’t look back then he can have Eurydice back. All Orpheus must do is have faith in the words of Hades and he will show that human love can pull back loved ones from the dead. Only, there’s a problem. Human faith is frail and filled with fear. Orpheus stands in the place of us all. Human beings fail to trust divine truth. The story ends in silence and loss. It shows that human love is willing to descend to save but is unable.
But there is one human who is faithful and who also has a katabasis. Jesus Christ. He does not descend for knowledge, his own glory, or to defend himself. He goes down to deal with the real problem itself, death and sin. Jesus Christ trusts the Father even into death and descends to the realm of the dead. Where Orpheus soothes with music, Christ’s voice shatters it forever. His love doesn’t fail; he never looks back. He carries out the work of the Father and not only saves a single soul but breaks death’s grip on all who will believe.
Christ fulfills the archetype of the descending hero, conquering death where every mythic rescuer fails. Where Orpheus looked back and lost, Christ looks through death and returned as its conqueror. He is the best possible hero.