The descent into the underworld of Orpheus and Eurydice

The descent into the Underworld of Orpheus and Eurydice.

Orpheus and Eurydice : Who were? … According to the myth of Orpheus, this was the best singer, poet and musician of antiquity. His father was the god tracking from the rivers: Eagro, and ruler of Hemus (central region of present-day Bulgaria), and his mother, who was your teacher, She was the muse of Calliope epic poetry.

Orpheus with his lyre

The myth of Orpheus.

About Orpheus, the great Thracian singer, much has been written. Supernatural qualities are even attributed to him, some ancient writers say that he charmed people and beasts with his music. His magical songs and his lyre enchanted birds and animals, the forests bent their branches and the rocks and mountains came to life to the rhythm of their music. According to others, it could also purify people from sins committed, cure diseases and remove the curse. Orpheus even overshadowed Apollo, the god of the arts .

Orpheus enchanting the animals with music

One of the legends about Orpheus is his participation in the march of Jason and the Argonauts in the search for the Golden Fleece. With their music the Argonaut rowers sang songs as they rowed, and thanks to the music of Orfeo, Jason and the Argonauts were able to escape the spell of the sirens.

Mermaids tempt the Argonauts with their music, but Orpheus (in the middle), with its magic music, silence them and save them.

Orpheus and Eurydice.

But the myth of Orpheus would not be complete if we did not talk about Eurydice, his wife. It is said that after the wedding day, a snake bites Eurydice's leg and poison enters her fragile body, causing her death. Orpheus mourned his death on the banks of the River Strymon (southeast of Bulgaria). To get it back, desperate, Orpheus descended into the underworld of the god Hades, al “underworld”. For this purpose he entered the underworld through the cave of the Devil's Throat. Once there, through his magical music, he managed to soften Hades's heart and he allowed him to go out together with Eurydice, but on the condition that Orpheus left the underworld in front of her and without looking back until the rays of the Sun illuminated Eurydice at their exit. Despite his anguish, Orpheus made the dangerous exit route without looking back at his beloved. When they both reached the surface, Orpheus, driven by despair, looked back but Eurydice had not yet fully come to light because one of his feet was still in the shadow of the path to the underworld and at that moment Eurydice vanished into thin air., And this time forever…

Orpheus and Eurydice trying to get out of the underworld

Traces of Orpheus in Bulgaria.

Orpheus was denied a return to the underworld and devastated by sadness he retired at Rhodope Mountains, south of present-day Bulgaria, where he avoided loving contact with any woman. Orpheus' death has multiple versions, the most widespread is that some Thracian followers of the god Dionysus (“Sabazios”) they found him and when they were rejected by Orpheus they, furious, they stoned him and dismembered him, throwing out his body parts, along with his famous lyre, to the river “Euros” (present river Maritsa of Bulgaria”). The similarity of the name of the Evros river of Bulgaria with the Ebro river of Spain is explained by the influence of the Thracian culture on the Celtic and in turn of this on the Iberian culture… Another version of Orpheus' death tells that Orpheus was killed by a lightning bolt from the god Zeus, angry at Orpheus for having revealed the secrets of the underworld.

If you are a follower of Greek mythology, and from ancient history, don't miss our article on Achilles and the Trojan War in which we dismantle with facts some falsehoods about this famous myth.

Reality and facts.

It is difficult to determine which of all these legends about the Orpheus myth is closest to the true story, but these are events that have occurred more than three thousand years ago and are recounted by different narrators of History, generally greek, that give an interested view of History, the version of the winners, which is not always the closest to reality and which is currently repeated by economic and political interests to make the world think that Greece is exclusively the cradle of European culture, subject that we question… But one thing is for sure: Orfeo, the son of the Thracian god Eagrus and the muse Calliope, he was a remarkable person, otherwise I would not have left such a strong mark.

In the past, many attempts have been made to present Orpheus as being of Greek origin, although the origin tracking King Eagrus and the muse Calliope could not be clearer. For example the very name of “Orfeo” is a Greek version of an ancient Thracian word, since actually its original name was Orbish , which in the Thracian language meant “young employee” The “working child”, something habitual does 3000 years when children were employed in household chores and as servants… But Orpheus is not a unique case, some of the names in Greek mythology are known to be based on the names of Thracian gods, for example the famous Greek god Dionysus, is a Greek adaptation of the name of the Thracian god called “Sabazios” The “Sabadios”…

Current places that can be visited related to Orpheus.

Legends assure that the descent to the underworld of Orpheus was made through the Cave of the Devil's Throat (Devil’s Throat Cave) found in the Bulgarian Rhodope Mountains , a 18 km from the city of Devin . This cave fascinates visitors with unusual rock formations and its groundwater resources. All travelers who visit it enjoy a true adventure in its depths, mysterious and impressive.

Hiking trail in Devin on the footbridge over the river

The entrance of the cave is a steep descent which is accessed by a staircase of 301 steps that resembles the devil's throat, for the fear that lowering it instills, hence its name. The cave descends down without turning anywhere. In addition the water of the Trigrad river falls from a height of 60 meters into the cave gorge, forming the highest underground waterfall on the Balkan Peninsula . Due to the dullness of the waterfall of this waterfall, the room at the edge of the waterfall is called the Thunder Room for its permanent din.

Descent to the cave of the Devil's Throat (301 steps…)

A 400 meters from the cave entrance, the water disappears into a deep gallery of siphons 150 meters and goes to another cave room with a length of about 60 meters. The underground river rises to the surface and continues along the mountains parallel to the access road to the cave.

An interesting fact is that everything that is released into the river through the Devil's Throat never comes out again. . Many attempts have been made to track logs, branches and other objects through the cave, but everything disappears underground without a trace. Paint experiments have shown that more than 90 minutes for water to travel the short distance from one opening to another, leading to speculation about a vast underground river system in the cave. In fact, on one occasion divers tried to track the river and died in the attempt., their bodies of course were never found… These facts encourage you to believe in the legends that say that this cave is the entrance to the underworld of Orpheus …

Devil's image carved in the cave

The Devil's Throat cave is open to visitors throughout the year, but the best time to visit is in spring and summer. From May to October the water level is very high inside the cave and can only be lowered with a group organized by boats along the river.

If you want to experience the adventure of entering the “underworld” as the myth of Orpheus tells, contact us and we will take you to that mysterious place… [email protected]

Bibliographical sources: https://sparotok.blogspot.com/2016/01/blog-post_26.html