ORPHEUS I	BIOGRAPHY
Created by Neil Gaiman and Stan Woch

Orpheus; Art by Bryan Talbot and Mark Buckingham

PERSONAL DATA

Identity: The general public believes Orpheus to be a figment of myth
Occupation: Bard
Status: Deceased
Place of Birth: Ancient Greece
Place of Death: The island of Naxos, modern-day Greece
Marital Status: Widowed
Known Relatives: Oneiros/Dream/Morpheus (father, deceased); Calliope (mother); Eurydice (wife, deceased); Death/Teleute (paternal aunt); Despair/Aponia (paternal aunt); Delirium/Mania (paternal aunt); Desire/Epithumia (paternal aunt/uncle); Destruction/Olethros (paternal uncle); Destiny/Potmos (paternal uncle); Clio (maternal aunt), Erato (maternal aunt), Euterpe (maternal aunt), Melpomene (maternal aunt), Polyhymnia (maternal aunt), Terpsichore (maternal aunt), Thalia (maternal aunt); Urania (maternal aunt); Zeus (maternal grandfather); Mnemosyne (maternal grandmother)
Group Affiliation(s): Possibly the Argonauts
Gender: Male
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Brown
First Appearance: Sandman Vol. 2 #29 (August 1991)
Creators: Neil Gaiman and Stan Woch

"Do not look back." - Hades Quote taken from Sandman Special #1 (1991)

OVERVIEW

According to myth, Orpheus was a bard who nearly extracted his dead wife from Hades, but failed when he distrusted the words of the gods. He was also the son of Dream of the Endless and the Greek Muse Calliope. For millennia, he survived as a severed head until put to rest by his father.

HISTORY

The renowned bard of Greek myth was the son of Dream of the Endless (or Oneiros as he was known in ancient Greece) and the Muse Calliope. According to some lore, he was also a member of the heroic Argonauts.

Orpheus' one true love was Eurydice, who tragically died from a snake bite on their wedding day. Grieving, Orpheus asked Dream to revive her, and, meeting disapproval, disowned his father altogether. His aunt Death (Teleute) then helped him access the Underworld to plead his case before its lord Hades. Orpheus sang his song of plea, and even made the Furies cry. Hades granted Orpheus' wish – he would get Eurydice back if he would lead her all the way to the living world without looking back. Just as he had almost made it, Orpheus doubted the word of Hades, looked back… and lost Eurydice forever.

Since he had visited Hades when alive, he was now immortal. Even after being torn apart by the Bacchantae – the savage female followers of Dionysus – Orpheus' head survived, unable to meet his love in death. Condemned to eternal life as a severed head, Orpheus asked his father to release him from suffering. But Orpheus had foresworn Dream, who coldly stated that he would have nothing to do with Orpheus ever again.

Proud to his word, Dream still acted indirectly through others to help his son when needed. He arranged for Orpheus to be taken care of by priests on the small Greek island of Naxos for the next centuries. In 1794, Dream assigned Lady Johanna Constantine to bring back Orpheus' head from Paris, where it had somehow ended up at the time of the French Revolution.

In recent years, Dream regretted many actions of his past, and finally granted Orpheus the peace he desired. However, this action ultimately led to Dream’s death as well, when the Furies destroyed him to avenge "his killing of his own family", disregarding the fact that the killing was according to Orpheus’ wishes.

POWERS AND WEAPONS

Orpheus was an extraordinarily proficient poet and musician, able to move both gods and demons to tears with his songs. His music was even able to open a dimensional gate to his father's realm, The Dreaming. He was also immortal, surviving millennia as a severed head.

CHRONOLOGY

For a definitive list of appearances of Orpheus in chronological order click here