“He stretched out to her his despairing arms, eager to rescue her, or feel her form, but could hold nothing save the yielding air. Dying the second time, she could not say a word of censure of her husband`s fault; what had she to complain of -- his great love?” ~Taken from Metamorphosis by Ovid Trans. By Brookes More

I am fascinated by mythology, particularly Greek mythology. The story of Orpheus and Eurydice can bring tears to my eyes, every single time. The futility of his quest to retrieve his dead wife and the overwhelming love that just would not let him accept that she must die has always touched me. Beyond, I think the story of Orpheus and Eurydice is a poignant reminder of the frailty of our humanness and what is beautiful within that. My favorite line from the story is this `While he sang all his heart said to the sound of his sweet lyre, the bloodless ghosts themselves were weeping…`. That love, that grieve, could evoke such empathy is what calls to me when I read this myth.

When writing about myths, I do not like to simply retell the story, for there are far better storytellers than I. What is more interesting to me, is to find what about that particular myth has allowed it to stand the test of time. What is still meaningful about the story, what does it teach about the human condition, that transcends the time of it`s conception? The story of Orpheus and Eurydice has lasted over 2000 years, and it can still touch us. Societies rise and fall, cultures change, stories pass through the sieves of religion, but for a story to remain for so long, through the crumbling towers of power and thought, means it strikes to the very core of what it means to be human. And after all, love and grief is something I think we can all understand, regardless of it`s lyrical and poetic vestaments.