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The Orpheus Enigma

In Greek myth, Aristaeus attempted to rape Eurydice, the wife of Orpheus, when she blindly stepped on a snake, and died.

Orpheus, whose ability on the lyre had the power to enchant the entire realm of creation, descended into the realm of death, and with sweet music, brought the torments of Hades to a standstill.

He asked that Eurydice be returned to life, a request which Hades granted, on the condition that he must not gaze upon her until they were once again in the land of the living. As the couple pressed on toward the light of the sun, Orpheus turned to see if Eurydice was still behind him, and she vanished, reclaimed by the realm of death.

The theme of the hero who enters the realm of death, in a bid to obtain the release of his beloved, is a dramatical re-enactment of the primordial event of death and separation (Footnote: The Cosmological Problem).

One version of the myth involves the primordial couple, Izanagi (The male who invites) and Izanami (The female who invites), who both play central roles in the Japanese account of creation.

Subsequently, after the death of his wife, Izanagi descends into the underworld realm of Yomi, yet is unable to reclaim his lost bride, because the food of death had already passed her lips.

However, Izanami seeks permission from the Yomi Kami (underworld ‘deities’), and they grant her release on the condition that Izanagi does not look upon his wife, until they have passed beyond of threshold of death. Izanagi is unable to resist, and snapping a tooth from his hair comb, he lights it, and after gazing upon Izanami’s rotting corpse, Izanagi flees. Izanami sends a host of underworld terrors in pursuit, and Izanagi barely makes it out alive, sealing the entrance of Yomi with a large stone. It is there, on the threshold between death and life, that the primordial couple meet for the last time, and dissolve the bonds of marriage.

As in the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, it would appear that Izanagi, by breaking death’s command, had lost his bride forever, but there is also evidence, that while death appears to retain it’s hold, Izanagi has, nonetheless, provided a way of escape, concealed in the symbolism of the breaking of the tooth from his hair comb.

The tooth in Japanese is named wo-bashira, that translates as ‘male pillar’, a euphemism for penis. The snapping of the tooth comb, therefore, corresponds with the act of castration, a prevalent wound-motif of the mythological victim, as found in the myths of Adonis, Attis, Osiris, and Shiva (Footnote: The Sacred Wound).

The myth of Shiva’s castration is of particular interest. He is castrated by a group of ascetics who accuse the god of seducing their wives, and is further depicted as castrating himself, casting his burning phallus (Atmalingam) deep into the underworld. The Atmalingam’s all destroying power is finally restrained when united with Parvati’s (Shiva’s consort) Yoni (Footnote: Lingam and Yoni). Likewise, the aim of the the underworld mission itself is to unite the opposites, more often than not, represented by male and female.

Another variation of the Orpheus myth concerns the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (Tibet: Chenrezig), who vowed that he would not enter Nirvana until all beings had achieved liberation from the wheel of Samsara. He visited the three lowest realms of temporal existence and liberated many beings.

From the top of Mount (Su)meru (Footnote: Axis-Mundi), he surveyed the ever-revolving universe and discovered that the three realms were once again filled with unending suffering. Avalokiteshvara, reflecting upon his vow, perceived that the task was impossible, and shattered into a thousand pieces.

The Buddhas restored Avalokiteshvara, equipping him with a thousand arms (an eye in every palm), and a multitude of heads, including a head of wrath. It is also said that when the Bodhisattva shattered, his new bodily form sprang into existence, better equipping him for the task of liberation. Furthermore, Avalokiteshvara wept for all beings trapped within the wheel of
ever-becoming, and from his tears, the Bodhisattva Tara was born, who is also his consort.

Returning to the myth of Orpheus, we are told that the singer, Stricken with grief, became a recluse, until he was finally torn apart by a group of Maenads (female worshipers of Dionysos), and his severed head was thrown into the Hebrus river. Dismemberment is another reoccurring wound motif, such as in the myth of Osiris, and especially in the myths of cosmic beings whose body parts are transformed into the universe, such as Purusha, Pan Gu, and Ymir (Footnote: Cosmic Man). The shattered body of Avalokiteshvara appears to be related, and indeed it is through the divinity and death of the mythological victim that all may transcend back to Eternity.

According to an Orphic myth of creation, Zeus impregnated Persephone in the form of a serpent, who gave birth to the god Zagreus, destined rule the universe. The Titans tore Zagreus to pieces and devoured him, and in punishment, were blasted with Zeus’ thunderbolt. From their ashes came creation, a mixture of both a Titanic Element, which is regarded as evil, and a Dionysian element (Zagreus was identified with Dionysos), which was divine.

Orpheus himself was the legendary founder of the Orphic religious tradition (Footnote: Orphism), dating back (at least) to the 6th century B.C. teaching the way of immortality through a series of at least three reincarnations, another indication that the descent into the underworld was not in vain.

The condition set by Hades not to look back, was more of a taunt, than an actual prohibition. Both Hades and Orpheus knew that it was only through an act of union with the underworld Eurydice, that the two could come together as one, rendering reunion with the divine a total impossibility. And yet, Orpheus (who, as the myth indicates, has power over both death and creation) did look back, and in doing so, he simultaneously become at-one in death, and it is though his divine and indestructible nature that Eurydice is set free.

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