The model of the monument was designed by Gosen in 1942. It is the first event held under the Wratislavia Cantans Festival, which starts today. ‘Our special desire was to put Orpheus, the god of song and music, in the place where so many different cultural institutions meet in Wroclaw,’ said Maciej Łagiewski, PhD, Director of the Wroclaw City Museum, shortly before the sculpture was unveiled. The unveiling ceremony took place in the presence of Theodor von Gosen’s family.
On the occasion of the unveiling of Orpheus’s head, an exhibition of Theodor von Gosen’s works was opened in the Royal Palace. His most famous monument – Amor on Pegasus – stands on the City Promenade, at the back of the Wroclaw Puppet Theatre.
In Greek mythology, Orpheus was a legendary poet whose mother was Caliope – one of the Nine Muses who brought inspiration to poets. He could play the lyre, and his music not only charmed even wildest animals, but it also set rocks and trees in motion and made them follow him.
One day, Orpheus was invited to a feast by Zeus, where he met a nymph called Eurydice, who became his wife. Another man who fell in love with Eurydice was Aristaeus, who started to pursue her. When fleeing, Eurydice stepped on a viper, was bitten and died. When Orpheus learned about that, he boldly entered the Underworld to retrieve Eurydice. His music charmed not only Charon, who carried him for free across Styx, but also Cerberus, Erinyes and queen Persephone. The latter gave him the secret password giving access to the Lake of Memory. After some time, he also managed to charm Hades himself, who released Eurydice and allowed her to follow Orpheus back to the earth, but on one condition: Orpheus was not allowed to look back until Eurydice reached the earth in sunlight. Leaping with happiness, Orpheus started to go back to the earth. Eurydice followed him, but Orpheus was afraid that Hades had deceived him; having reached the earth, he forgot about the condition, looked back and lost Eurydice forever, because she turned into stone.
When Orpheus, filled with grief after the loss of his wife, learned that Zeus's son Dionysus had become an Olympic god, he refused to honour him, saying that Dionysus behaves improperly and sets a bad example for people. This made Dionysus angry, and he ordered Maenads to capture Orpheus. Having fulfilled Dionysus’s wish, Maenads beheaded Orpheus, threw his head into the river and shortly thereafter ripped his body to shreds. Orpheus’s head floated to the sea, still singing, and after some time it was fished out and buried by fishermen on the Lesbos island.
