Orpheus and Eurydice

The motif of crime, punishment, and atonement underlies Virgil’s version, although to understand this emphasis, one must take into account the context that Virgil gave the myth via his framing narrative in Book 4 of the Georgics. Virgil contrasts Orpheus with Aristaeus, the shepherd and beekeeper. Both men act wrongly and pay a price for it, but while Aristaeus atones for his fault, Orpheus does not.

Aristaeus chases Eurydice with the intention of raping her; some time after that all his bees die—a divine punishment for the crime of sexual assault. Orpheus’s offense is lesser, but it also involves giving in to passion; he allows his emotions to rule him rather than following the path of submission to divine authority. Aristaeus, however, is willing to learn from his mistake: The beekeeper’s divine mother Cyrene tells him he should make gifts to the nymphs to assuage the wrath they feel for him and slaughter some bulls and heifers in the manner she prescribes to make amends to both Orpheus and Eurydice. Aristaeus follows her instructions, and from the rotting carcasses of the sacrificed animals, swarms of bees emerge.