The Search for Eurydice

Getting to this image was a bit of a rollercoaster, mainly because I had already completed previous versions of this Orpheus chapter introduction image which were much simpler, with Orpheus as a central figure sitting in the underworld playing his lyre. (I've included them in the sketch process images) But as I began to flesh out the other chapter intro images like Theseus and Atalanta, I became more ambitious with including more plot points and characters into the images; almost like a movie poster to give a broad overview of the myth to come. Once I had that theme running I knew I needed to come back to Orpheus and redo his image. And I was happy to do it, as Orpheus is one of my favorites because he isn't intent on killing. I also think the myth has some fascinating themes of the danger of living in the past by not letting go and coming to terms with the impermanence of our lives.

I, Orpheus, shall sing of my tragic tale when I marry the forest nymph, Eurydice, only to lose her to a venomous snake bite. Grief consumes me, and I descend into the Underworld, using my music to sway Hades and Persephone, who grant me one chance to bring her back. But there is a condition. I must not look back until we reach the surface. As we ascend, doubt overtakes me, and just before reaching the light, I glance back, losing her forever. Devastated, I reject the company of women, wandering alone until the Maenads, enraged by my rejection, tear me apart in their frenzy. My severed head eventually drifts to Lesbos and my lyre is placed among the stars, where my music lives on for all eternity.