Contexts for "Flying Lessons" -- Orpheus, Eurydice, and an Assortment of Mythological Potpourri

In Kelly Link's "Flying Lessons," strong parallels exist between June's final descent into the narrative's postmodern inferno and the tragic story of Orpheus and Eurydice. In fact, one could easily read the two as narrative twins, although Link spices things up a bit with some contemporary iconography, witty digressions, and a gender inversion that leads to a rewarding reading experience. To better help you understand this story, here is the narrative of Orpheus and Eurydice:

-----------------

Orpheus is a singer and poet. It is believed that he is the son of Apollo and the Muses. He is married to Eurydice with whom he is madly in love. On one of her walks, Eurydice stumbles across a poisonous snake that bites her and she dies. Orpheus is heartbroken and his sorrowful nature effects the rest of the nature. Trees, birds, fish mourn with him and all listen to his song and playing. Orpheus is driven by Eros (the passionate longing) and decides to fetch Eurydice from Hades in the Underworld. From his homeland Thrace Orpheus walks, singing his mournful song all the way to Peleponnesus where he descends to the Underworld at the entrance found on the peninsula of Tainaron. The darker it gets, the lighter his song becomes.

In Hades the souls of the dead turn to hear his song, the guard dog Cerberus lays down to listen and the merciless ferryman Charon, who never takes anyone across the river without pay, takes him in his barge to see Hades, even in the deep abyss Tartarus those who are to carry out eternal punishments like Ixion, Tantalus and the Danaids stop to listen to Orpheus’ song. The judges of the Tribunal cry, moved as they are.

Eurydice is nowhere to be seen among the souls of the dead as she is being received by the goddess of the Underworld, Persephone. Orpheus does not dare look at his beloved before he has spoken with Hades.

Orpheus proceeds with his case. He remarks that he has not been driven to Hades in order to show his courage, strength or heroism as Theseus or Hercules but he has been driven by Eros as Hades when he fetches Persephone from the mortal world. Orpheus begs for Eurydice’s life as he can not live without her and if Hades refuses him, he would rather stay in Hades than return to life. Orpheus accompanies his plea with the tones of his lyre thus making his prayer even more moving. Persephone whispers in her husband’s ear and Hades agrees on one condition; Orpheus is not to turn around and look at Eurydice before they reach the upper world.

Orpheus is full of gratitude and happiness and sings with joy all the way to the surface. Seeing light at the end of their journey, Orpheus speeds his pace in anticipation thus widening the gap between himself and his beloved. When Orpheus reaches the surface, he turns around to see his beloved but alas Eurydice is still in the shadows of the Underworld and is then forced to return to Hades. The heartbroken poet returns to the Underworld wanting to plea his case once again but ends up sitting on the shore of wandering souls for seven and seven nights totally ignored. No one glances his way or takes notice of him. He returns to the mortal world and is influenced but he darker forces of nature, his spirits being low as they are. For seven months Orpheus sits in a cave in Thrace doing nothing but singing about the loss of his beloved. He will have no company of women only young men suffice.

Orpheus dies when the Maenads, followers of Dionysus, overwhelm him in their frenzied song and dance. They split his body apart and throw the limbs into the ocean from where they drift to Smyrna where the limbs are found and buried in a hero’s chapel; some myths say that the Muses bury his limbs.

from ThinkQuest.com

--------------

To complement these obvious parallels between this story and the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice, Link also draws from the entire continuum of Greek myths and legends. Although many of us are familiar with the stories, iconographies, and functions of these stories, a cursory overview of some of these figures may aid us in reading and interpreting Link's story. Below I have provided a few "cheat sheets" for those who may need to be reminded of some of these figures:

Zeus - King of the gods, ruler of Mt. Olympus, and the god of the heavens and thunder. Husband of Hera, although he often visited the earth in the form of an animal in order to seduce mortal women. This, of course, led to various demi-god offspring--perhaps the most famous being Hercules.

Hera - Zeus' wife and older sister, goddess of marriage, and historically served as the patron goddess of a pre-Hellenistic matriarchal society. Hera is famous for objecting to Zeus' various courtships with mortals, and has, at times, gone to great lengths to do harm to his many mistresses and their children. She occasionally takes the shape of a bird.

Aphrodite - Zeus and Hera's daughter, goddess of love, lust, and beauty.

Diana - Goddess of the hunt.

Hades - Zeus' brother, god of the underworld.

Persephone - Queen of the underworld and Hades' consort.

Cerebrus - Three-headed hound of hell.