Appalachian Orpheus



Anna and Elizabeth are the two women in the "Old Churchyard" video.  Besides singing, they make these hand-cranked cartoons and puppet shows.  Their art is a river of life.

The Orpheus legend is very old.  His music is so beautiful that the rocks and trees dance around him, and he can raise the dead, but he arouses the jealousy of the gods.  Like most stories about the war between life and death, it comes in versions with both sad and happy endings.  One of the modern versions, "Black Orpheus," has both:

1 comment:

Dad29 said...

Yes, well.

Early Christian catacomb-art pictures Christ as the New Orpheus, the Singer of Beauty.

That is in apparent opposition to the St. Louis Jesuits.