Orpheus

Orpheus is a mythical Thracian bard and prophet. He is most known for his journey to the Underworld to retrieve his lost wife, Eurydice, and for his journey with the Argonauts in pursuit of the Golden Fleece. He is also the legendary eponymous founder of the Orphic mysteries, a philosophical reform of more ecstatic Bacchic mysteries.

As the founder of the Orphic religion, he was credited with the authorship of a large number of works, most of which are now lost. Extant works attributed to Orpheus include the The Orphic Hymns, the Orphic Argonautica, and the Lithika, as well as various fragments and fragmentary works, such as the Derveni Papyrus.

Context

Several etymologies have been presented for the name Orpheus.