Orpheus was a legendary musician, poet, and prophet in ancient Greek mythology. He was the son of Calliope, the muse of epic poetry, and Oeagrus, the king of Thrace. Orpheus was said to have been given a lyre by Apollo and taught to play it by the god himself.
Orpheus' music was so beautiful that it could charm all living things and even inanimate objects. He could make trees dance, rivers flow uphill, and wild animals follow him. It is said that even the gods were moved to tears by his music.
Orpheus' most famous story is his journey to the underworld to rescue his wife, Eurydice. Eurydice had been bitten by a snake and died, and Orpheus was so grief-stricken that he decided to go to the underworld and bring her back. He charmed the ferryman Charon into taking him across the river Styx, and he played his lyre for Hades, the god of the underworld. Hades was so moved by Orpheus' music that he agreed to let Eurydice go, on the condition that Orpheus not look back at her until they had reached the surface of the earth.
Orpheus agreed to the condition, and he and Eurydice began to walk back to the world of the living. However, Orpheus was so overcome with joy that he forgot about the condition, and he turned around to look back at Eurydice just before they reached the surface. Eurydice immediately disappeared, and Orpheus was left alone in his grief.
Orpheus was so heartbroken that he refused to play music ever again. He eventually died of grief, and his head was thrown into the river Hebrus. It is said that his head continued to sing as it floated downstream, and that the trees and flowers along the riverbank bloomed in response to its music.