The wiki needs your help with constructive edits and content relevant to the gameplay, setting, plot, characters as well as useful images.
Newcomers and old users, please read the Manual of Style before starting or resuming your edits!
Who gave Orpheus his golden lyre in Greek mythology?
Apollo, the god in Greek mythology, bestowed Orpheus with a golden lyre. Orpheus, born to the Thracian king Oeagrus and muse Calliope, was admired by Apollo. He swiftly became adept at playing the lyre, earning him the titles 'Master of Strings' and 'Father of Songs'. His music had the power to make rocks and animals dance.
Provided by: Fandom
What was Orpheus known as due to his musical skills?
Orpheus, a masterful musician and the son of Thracian king Oeagrus and muse Calliope, was renowned as the 'Master of Strings' and 'Father of Songs'. Gifted a golden lyre by Apollo, he was capable of creating music so compelling that it could make rocks and animals dance. His mournful singing following the death of his wife Eurydice also gained him fame.
Provided by: Fandom
Who were Orpheus' parents in Greek mythology?
Orpheus, a figure in Greek mythology, was the offspring of Thracian king Oeagrus and the muse Calliope. Some narratives also identify the god Apollo as Orpheus' father. Apollo bestowed upon Orpheus a golden lyre, while his mother, Calliope, taught him to sing verses.
Provided by: Fandom
How is Orpheus depicted in the Persona series?
In the Persona series, Orpheus first appears in Persona 3 as the protagonist's initial Persona, a Lv 1 Fool Persona. Summoned via the Evoker to combat Shadows, Orpheus is torn apart when Death, resembling Thanatos, emerges from his head. Known as the Master of Strings, Orpheus originates from Greco-Roman Mythology. Variants include a female version, Femc Orpheus, and an upgraded form, Orpheus Telos.
Provided by: Fandom
History[]
In Greek mythology, Orpheus was the son of Thracian king Oeagrus and the muse Calliope (some versions have Orpheus' father as the god Apollo). Apollo, fond of Orpheus, gave him a small golden lyre, which he quickly mastered. Taught to sing verses by his mother, Orpheus was so skilled at making music that he was called "Master of Strings" and "Father of Songs," capable of such music that even rocks and animals would be compelled to dance.
Upon the death of his wife Eurydice, Orpheus was so distraught that his mournful singing brought nymphs and gods to tears. Traveling to the underworld, he used his music to soften the hearts of Hades and Persephone, who allowed him to bring his wife back to the upper world on the condition that he walk in front and not look back until they had both arrived on the surface. In his anxiety, Orpheus forgot his warning and looked back when he alone had reached the surface, and saw his wife vanish, this time forever.
At the time of his death, Orpheus had become an apostate, spurning all gods save for Apollo, who he thanked for his golden lyre. For this he was ripped apart by Dionysian Maenads (although according to other versions, he is ripped apart for refusing to participate in their drunken (and often cannibalistic) orgies, on account of remaining committed to his lost lover), only his head and lyre remaining. His head floated down the Hebrus, continuing to sing sad songs until it was buried on the island of Lesbos, while his lyre was carried to the sky by the muses and placed among the stars.
True to his legend, Orpheus is the archetypal musician in literacy and lore, and he stands for foolish human folly (for turning back out of doubt) as well as sacrifice (for dying for Eurydice). The Greek word ὄρφνη orphne, means "darkness," and Greek ὀρφανός orphanos, "fatherless, orphan," from which comes English "orphan" by way of Latin.
"A poet of Greek mythology skilled with the lyre. He tried to retrieve his wife, Eurydice, from Hades, but she vanished when he looked back before reaching the surface."
—Persona 3 compendium
Persona 3 Movie 6 - Persona English
The protagonist awakens his Persona.
Orpheus is a Lv 1 FoolPersona, and the initial Persona of the protagonist. He makes his first appearance during the protagonist's attempt at summoning a Persona via the Evoker to fend off the looming Shadows. During Orpheus' initial summoning, Death (whose appearance is identical to Thanatos) bursts forth from Orpheus' head, ripping him apart in the process. Death violently destroys the Arcana Magician before reverting to Orpheus, who then becomes accessible to the protagonist.
The grotesque introduction of Orpheus parallels the fate which the mythological Orpheus suffered. In several tales, Orpheus met his end after being ripped apart by the Maenads for not honoring Dionysus, leaving only his still living and singing head untouched. To reflect that, the Persona Orpheus' body is entirely mechanical, and his voice is processed through a speaker embedded in his torso.
That said, much like any other initial Persona, Orpheus is born from the protagonist's psyche, evidenced by how they share facial features except for the colors of their hair, skin, and eyes. Orpheus also wields a lyre whose design resembles the chair the protagonist sits on when entering the Velvet Room.
Portable[]
Orpheus serves as the initial Persona of the female protagonist. If the player chooses the female protagonist, a female version of Orpheus becomes the initial Persona to reflect their gender, though the female protagonist's versions of Thanatos, Messiah and Orpheus Telos retain their masculine appearance. This version of Orpheus, although bearing the same concept as the male counterpart, now sports longer brown hair, a golden-colored torso instead of a platinum one the male Orpheus adorns and a giant heart-shaped lyre.
In gameplay, Orpheus will now produce the Skill Card "Agi" after reaching level 3. The female Orpheus may be obtained and used by the male protagonist via New Game Plus, should the player have registered the female Orpheus in the compendium while playing as the female protagonist. The same is true for the reverse, with the female protagonist having access to the male Orpheus.
The Answer[]
As a result of inheriting the protagonist's Wild Card, Aigis inherits Orpheus. During a heated battle against Metis, Aigis summons Athena. At the same time, she awakens to a new Persona and Athena metamorphosed into Orpheus. Orpheus fends off Metis, saving the SEES team from her attack. Igor would later mention that her awakening to the power of the Wild Card has bound her to a contract. The metamorphosis symbolizes a change in Aigis' psyche, and that her Journey is about to begin. Aigis having inherited the protagonist's power and the Persona irritates a jealous Yukari.
Gameplay-wise, Orpheus serves as Aigis' initial Persona. After being fused away, Orpheus can also be obtained throughout the Wild Card shuffles after battles in The Answer.
The Manga[]
Orpheus serves the same role as Minato's initial Persona in the manga adaptation. However, in the manga, Minato doesn't fuse Orpheus away and instead wields him as his only Persona in battle, up until Arcana Hanged Man is defeated. At which point, Minato uses Thanatos as his mainstay Persona and Orpheus isn't seen again until the final battle, where Minato fuses both his Personas into Messiah to wield against Nyx Avatar.
The Movie[]
Orpheus's role is unchanged from the games and the manga. Unlike the games, Makoto actually has Orpheus fight Arcana Magician in battle, and Thanatos only appears once it becomes clear Orpheus isn't sufficient to destroy the Shadow. Makoto also doesn't fuse Orpheus away from his roster and uses Orpheus in many of his battles, but unlike Minato, Makoto is willing to fuse other Personas and wield them in battle.
In the final ascent to the top of Tartarus, Makoto encounters the Reaper, but he quickly annihilates the Shadow with Megidolaon. In the final duel against Nyx Avatar, Makoto tries to use Orpheus against its initial stage but it is destroyed in a single slash. After Nyx Avatar is defeated, Makoto evokes Orpheus one last time as a fusion material alongside Thanatos to fuse Messiah, which he uses to ascend to the atmosphere and into the Moon.
Reload[]
"A poet of Greek mythology skilled with the lyre. He tried to retrieve his wife from Hades, but she vanished when he looked upon her before reaching the surface."
—Persona 3 Reload background
With DLC installed, Orpheus becomes one of the Personas needed to summon Satanael through special fusion.
Persona 5[]
"A Persona of another story. A Greek poet who tried to retrieve his wife from Hades, but she vanished when he looked back before reaching the surface."
The female version of Orpheus is available as part of the game's Digital Deluxe Limited Edition and learns the skill Neo Cadenza, which restores 50% of the party's health alongside increasing attack, defense, evasion and accuracy.[1] The Hades Harp accessory was slightly buffed, as it now raises the wearers Agility by 5 points. When itemized during a fusion alarm, Orpheus will yield the Hades Harp R instead, which gives an extra 3 points to Agility compared to the normal accessory. Orpheus Picaro will yield a Maragidyne Skill Card during a fusion alarm. Orpheus F will yield the Graceful Harp normally and the Graceful Harp R during a fusion alarm, which are similar to the Hades Harp, but give +5 and +8 respectively in Magic instead of Agility, while Orpheus F Picaro yields the Endure Skill Card normally and Enduring Soul Skill Card during a fusion alarm.
Persona 5 Tactica[]
Orpheus Picaro appears as a DLC pre-order bonus.[2]
Persona 5: The Phantom X[]
Orpheus is a Rebel Type Persona with element Fire-based attack. He also appears with Apsaras when Makoto is using the Cadenza Theurgy.[3] Unlike in any other Persona games, while Orpheus still retains element resist with Fire, but, the only difference that Orpheus is only weak to Curse instead of having a weakness to both Electricity and Curse.
While using cheats to get the full compendium in Persona 4, there are five extra slots in the compendium: 034, 0B4, 0B5, 02B, in the Fool Arcana including Izanagi-no-Okami. The slots 0B4 and 0B5 have a portrait of Orpheus but when summoned they appear as a Slime.
The Persona trait of Orpheus in Persona 5 Royal revives the protagonist with 1 HP when KO'd and is usable four times per battle. This references the final battle of Persona 3 against the true form of Nyx, in which the protagonist endures "Death" four times. In Persona 5: The Phantom X, this trait also got added into as one of Makoto's Awareness ability at max potential (or A6), although there's a small difference from Orpheus' trait in Persona 5 Royal.[4]
.png "Orpheus (PQ).png (32 KB)")
Japanese
French
Italian
German
Spanish
Polish
Turkish
