Or‧phe‧us and Eu‧ry‧di‧ce /ˌɔːfiəs ənd juːˈrɪdəsi $ ˌɔːr-/
in ancient Greek stories, a husband and wife who love each other very much. Orpheus was such a great musician that even birds and wild animals came and listened to him sing and play his lyre. When Eurydice died, Orpheus was so upset that he followed her down into Hades (=the place under the ground where the spirits of dead people live) and sang to the king and queen there. They allowed Eurydice to leave so long as Orpheus did not look back to see if she was following him. He did look back, however, and so she had to return to Hades. Many stories, plays, and pieces of music have been based on this story.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲