Which musician traveled to the underworld to rescue his wife?

The story behind the answer

Orpheus is the legendary musician whose lyre could enchant animals, trees, and even stones. When his wife Eurydice died from a snakebite, he descended into Hades and moved the rulers of the underworld with his music. They agreed to release her on one condition: he must not look back at her until both had reached the upper world. At the last moment, he turned, and Eurydice was lost forever.

Remember it this way: Apollo is the god of music, Hercules wrestled Cerberus as a labor, and Theseus got trapped trying to abduct Persephone—but only Orpheus used music to negotiate with the dead. The “don’t look back” lesson and “Orphic” music link the name Orpheus to the power—and peril—of art.