Eurydice (nymph)
Eurydice ( Greek Εὐρυδίκη , the widely judging ) is a Thracian dryad who became known through her relationship with Orpheus . Also called Agriope by some , "the one with the wild face", but after Karl Kerényi she could also have been called Argiope , "the one with the white face".
She married Orpheus after his return from the Argonaut train . When Aristaios tried to rape her one day, she fled from him, but stepped on a snake and died from its bite. Trusting the magical sound of his lyre, Orpheus followed it, wailing, into Hades , the realm of the dead in Greek mythology . It is even said that the ferryman Charon left the boat with which he used to carry the dead across the Acheron in order to follow Orpheus. Even the hellhound Kerberos no longer barked, and all the damned had rest from their torments for this time: Ixion , Tityos , Sisyphus , Tantalus and the daughters of Danaos . Persephone , too, was touched and allowed Orpheus to take Eurydice up with him again, on the condition not to look back for her. Because he did not adhere to it, Hermes , the messenger of the gods and soul guide, tore it away from him for good.
See also
literature
- Michael Grant , John Hazel: Lexicon of ancient myths and figures. dtv, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-423-32508-9 .
- Bernhard Huss : Orpheus. In: Maria Moog-Grünewald (Ed.): Mythenrezeption. The ancient mythology in literature, music and art from the beginnings to the present (= Der Neue Pauly . Supplements. Volume 5). Metzler, Stuttgart / Weimar 2008, ISBN 978-3-476-02032-1 , pp. 522-538.
- Karl Kerényi : The Mythology of the Greeks. The stories of gods and mankind. dtv, Munich 1994, ISBN 3-423-30030-2 .
- Robert von Ranke-Graves : Greek Mythology. Sources and Interpretation. Translated by Hugo Seinfeld. 17th edition. Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 2007, ISBN 978-3-499-55404-9 (original edition under the title The Greek Myths 1955; German first edition 1964).
- Heinrich Wilhelm Stoll : Eurydice 1 . In: Wilhelm Heinrich Roscher (Hrsg.): Detailed lexicon of Greek and Roman mythology . Volume 1,1, Leipzig 1886, column 1421 f. ( Digitized version ).
Individual evidence
Web links
- approx. 130 photos of representations of Orpheus and Eurydice in art, in the Warburg Institute Iconographic Database .