Orphia And Eurydicius
In a retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice’s myth, author Elyse John turns the story on its head. Orpheus becomes the female Orphia and Eurydice is the male Eurydicius. It’s a clever device worth exploring, to see the patriarchal myths from a different angle.
Many will be familiar with the traditional versions of the classical text and, indeed, the satirical retelling in the comic operetta by French composer Jacques Offenbach, in which Orpheus and Eurydice are trapped in a failing marriage. Eurydice ends up in the Underworld with Hades. Orpheus is so wrapped up in his lyre playing that, when he has the chance to rescue his wife, he fatally casts his glance back to the partying going on in the Underworld. This action leads to Eurydice being trapped there forever and the infamous Galop Infernal can-can, a tune which most people know but not everyone can name.
The author is a writer and poet, and it’s that obvious lyrical quality that shines through in the novel from the very outset: it is evocative and alluring and always compelling. Once I overcame my initial reluctance to accept Orphia in the thick of things with Jason and his Argonauts, I was able to appreciate the retelling of the stories in which the woman’s voice – so often absent from the classical texts – is strong and relevant.
The novel is drawn from John’s experiences walking in the steps of the ancients at important sites in mythology such as Mount Parnassus, Delphi and Mount Olympus. She cites as her travelling companion the ancient Greek traveller Pausanias, a geographer from the second century AD, who is well known for his first-hand descriptions of ancient Greece. Euripides, Homer, Ovid, Virgil and Apollonius are all acknowledged as sources. John knows her Greek mythology well and comes up with something entirely new and refreshing.
