Thursday 7 November 2013

The Death of Orpheus

Orpheus was in despair after he lost his love, Eurydice, for the second time. He rejected the company of women and isolated himself from civilization.  A group of Maenads (female followers of Dionysus, who often celebrated in a state of drunken, ecstatic frenzy) discovered Orpheus where he sat singing beneath a tree. When he refused to join their drunken revels, they were infuriated by his rejection.  The women attacked him, throwing rocks and branches, but Orpheus' music was so enchanting that it charmed the rocks and sticks, and they refused to strike him. Finally, the furious Maenads tore him apart with their bare hands, and threw his dismembered body into the river. Orpheus' head floated down the river, still singing, until it finally came to rest on the isle of Lesbos.  His lyre was tossed up into the heavens, where it became the constellation Lyra.

5 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness...that is quite a story (which I have never heard). Glad to still see Orpheus in one piece in your collage which didn't make sense until I read the paragraph below it. Great work & collection of words...where on earth did you find them all?

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    1. They're from pulp magazine covers from the 40's and 50's that I had been collecting for another project, but decided not to use....so Orpheus get's 'em!

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    2. Perfect for this one. Great typefaces.

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  2. Fantastic! I love the Orpheus myth...plus anything with maenads rules!

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  3. My favoritre is "Nympholibrarion" without knowing what this really means - even my online-dictionary did not know!

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