The Story of Orpheus and Eurydice
A Greek Myth About the Perils of the Backward Glance
Many ancient tales warn about the dangers of looking back to the past.
The name of Orpheus, the son of Apollo and Calliope is synonymous with poetry and music. It also brings to mind a doomed love affair that need not have ended so soon.
Orpheus’s Journey to the Underworld
At the wedding of Orpheus and Eurydice, the bride stepped on a poisonous snake and descended into Hades, the Land of the Dead. Orpheus followed her into Hades. Accompanied by the strains of his lyre, he sang of his love and longing for Eurydice before the King of Hades.
The beautiful sadness of his tunes moved even the denizens of hell. As Bulfinch writes, “the very ghosts shed tears.” Persephone was touched, and the dour King of Hades himself “could not resist”. He allowed Orpheus to lead Eurydice out of the Underworld on the condition that the musician did not look back. However Orpheus, overcome by anxiety and impatience, glanced behind him at the border of the upper world. In that heartbreaking instant, Eurydice vanished back into the Underworld, her last word being “Farewell”.
Eurydice’s fall into the Underworld may be interpreted as the symbolic deaths we all undergo in our lifetimes. These may come about through the death of a loved one, job loss, the failure of a relationship or illness. During these times, we are like a shadow of our former selves, and feel as though a part of our soul is lost.
In time, through much effort on our part, and often, by the grace of the gods, we are given the opportunity to leave our bad situation. When this happens, when we make our way from darkness to light, we should not look back at the past. To do so, to give in to regret, blame and bitterness, would mean a return to the Underworld, as the myth illustrates.
The Biblical Tale of Lot’s Wife
Another ancient story that tells of the tragic consequences of looking back is the Biblical story of Lot’s wife. Angels instructed Lot to take his wife and daughters and run away without looking back, for the Lord was going to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. However, Lot’s wife turned back for a last look at the city, and was turned into a pillar of salt.
What may have been the significance of Sodom for Lot’s wife? Although it was rife with sin and hedonism, it was her home. Her glance towards her burning hometown represents the reluctance to cut ties with all that is familiar and comfortable, even if that part of our lives is now over. Remaining lost in nostalgia about the ‘good old days’ and harping on how much better things were before renders us stuck, the past preserved in salt.
Thus, looking back to the past, whether in recrimination against a time of suffering and injustice, or in nostalgia for happier times, does not bode well when we are trying to move forward in life. As Consuelo de Saint-Exupery writes, “Never look back; remember that in the most wonderful legends, the person who looks back is always changed into a statue made of stone or salt.”
