Orpheus
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A well-known musician, Orpheus is a member of Bacchus's cult. Though he is not officially one of the Bacchae himself, his job is to use his music to influence humans to join the cult - which is the one and only reason he has not been turned into a Bacchae yet.
Family
- His family is not revealed on the show, but according to some mythology, his father was Oeagrus, and his mother Calliope. Other myths list him as the son of Apollo.
Wardrobe
Orpheus wears a brown tunic, with a rust-red sleeveless long jacket open over it that has metal studs decorating the edges and bottom. There's a red strip of cloth tied around his neck that hangs down his front. A strip of cloth edged in leather braids is tied around his upper right arm, and matching cuffs encircle both wrists. He wears dark brown cloth pants and knee-high dark leather boots.
Background
It's unknown how he fell in with Bacchus, although he does call Bacchus a "patron of the arts" and claims that Bacchus is the one who gave him the aulos. At some point Bacchus and Orpheus entered into a deal where Orpheus will perform in order to get humans to join Bacchus's cult, which Bacchus says is the only reason he hasn't been turned into a Bacchae yet. It's unknown why he couldn't still use Orpheus as a Bacchae - perhaps the golden lyre's powers don't work in full unless a human plays it? That might explain why Bacchus doesn't just play the lyre himself.
Skills
- Plays both the aulos and the lyre - (1.19 - The Lure of the Lyre).
Powers
- Orpheus does not seem to have any special powers. His lyre, on the other hand, is capable of both brainwashing humans and sending the Bacchae into a frenzy.
Appearances and Mentions
1.19 - The Lure of the Lyre
- When Hercules follows the sound of music through the woods, he finds Orpheus in a clearing playing the aulos. They chat for a moment before Orpheus convinces him to go with him to the cave where the bacchae usually have their parties. All of this, it turns out, is a set-up by Bacchus himself to turn Hercules into a bacchae. After Iolaus and Lilith accompany Hercules to the cave a second time, resulting in Lilith being bitten, Orpheus and Hercules again meet in the woods. This time, the circumstances are less favorable and Hercules demands to know how to prevent Lilith from becoming a bacchae. Orpheus tells him of a riddle about 'washing your spirit clean', prompting Hercules to return to the cave with Iolaus and the quickly-fading Lilith. When the bacchae swarm and nearly kill them all, Eurydice prompts Orpheus to play his lyre to distract and soothe them, allowing the cadets to escape. He later can be seen with Eurydice, heading off for parts unknown to start a new life away from the cult.
