roman equivalent for orpheus?

November 15, 2005 11:02 PM

Is there a roman equivalent to the figure orpheus in greek mythology?

I'm doing a project and want to name it something having to do with orpheus, but I'm afraid it will get confused with 'morpheus' from the matrix.

posted by punch_the_mayor to writing & language (9 comments total)

Short answer, no, there is not.

I don't think your concern is really that much of a worry (Morpheus is not actually "from the Matrix" you know... he's another Greek, a deity of dreams).

There is the word Orphic, which can be used to denote that which pertains to Orpheus (e.g. "orphic poetry), or the Greek form Orphikos. If you're determined to keep the reference but stay away from that phonetic similarity.
posted by nanojath at 11:17 PM on November 15, 2005

Orpheus was not a god, so the Romans had no need to transpose any of their gods onto him.

Ovid, for instance, refers to him directly as Orpheus.
posted by dhartung at 11:43 PM on November 15, 2005

What dhartung said. Also, it makes me very sad that the question of being confused with "Morpheus from The Matrix" even comes up. What a degenerate world we're living in.
posted by languagehat at 6:40 AM on November 16, 2005

Is it really degenerate? I think it's a sign of cultural continuity and I rather enjoy it.
posted by Return_of_the_Never _Been_Here at 7:22 AM on November 16, 2005

Well, it's a sign of incorrect attribution of a name, that's all.
posted by Hildago at 8:29 AM on November 16, 2005

Or there's Orpheum, which is a common name for theatres, if that fits your project.
posted by teg at 8:44 AM on November 16, 2005

You could call it Orfeo (Spanish) or Orfeu (Portuguese, as in Orfeu Negro, the incredible movie).
posted by Pollomacho at 11:42 AM on November 16, 2005

Is it really degenerate? I think it's a sign of cultural continuity and I rather enjoy it.

You undoubtedly do not speak to nearly as many Final Fantasy fans as I do.
posted by dagnyscott at 12:01 PM on November 16, 2005

Does this software raise people from the underworld?
posted by weston at 1:15 PM on November 16, 2005