Cadnum, Michael. Nightsong; the legend of Orpheus and Eurydice.CADNUM, Michael. Nightsong; the legend of Orpheus and Eurydice Orpheus and Eurydice looking back to see if Eurydice was following him to earth, he lost her forever. [Gk. Myth.: Zimmerman, 103] See : Love, Tragic . Scholastic, Orchard Books. 144p. c2006. 0-439-54535-8. $16.99. JS In this retelling of the myth from Ovid's Metamorphoses, noted YA author Cadnum (Starfall, The Book of the Lion) relates the story of the famous singer Orpheus, son of the muse Calliope calliope, in music calliope, in music, an instrument also called steam organ or steam piano in which steam is forced through a series of whistles controlled by a keyboard. , who falls in love with the lovely Eurydice. On their wedding day, however, she dies of snakebite snakebite, wound inflicted by the teeth of a snake. The bite of a nonvenomous snake is rarely serious. Venomous snakes have fangs, hollow teeth through which poison is injected into a victim. . Determined to be reunited with her, Orpheus travels to the realm of the dead In religion and mythology, a realm of the dead is any afterlife which is thought to have a location or entryway in the physical world, or an afterlife which can be visited by living people without themselves dying. Examples of realms of the dead include Hades and Sheol. , where the beautiful music he plays on the lyre given to him by Apollo convinces Hades Hades (hā`dēz), in Greek and Roman religion and mythology. 1 The ruler of the underworld: see Pluto. 2 The world of the dead, ruled by Pluto and Persephone, located either underground or in the far west beyond the and Persephone to return Eurydice to the land of the living. There is one condition, though--on the journey back, Orpheus must not turn back to look at her. But, of course, he does. This classic tragedy is told solemnly, in spare, poetic language, and while it is a swift read it is also a memorable one. It will be useful in the classroom as well as for recreational reading. Paula Rohrlick, KLIATT J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers. S--Recommended for senior high school students. |
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