CUPID AND PSYCHE – Story Of The Most Beautiful Woman And The Son Of Venus
CUPID AND PSYCHE – In this topic, we will talk about another Greek mythology which involves the love story of Cupid and Psyche.
The story was reported to come from Metamorphoses, which was written in the 2nd century AD by Lucius Apuleius Madaurensis.
This is the story of the two lovers. Let’s begin with Psyche. She is the youngest and the most beautiful of the three daughters of a royal family of an unnamed city. Psyche’s beauty was godlike to the point that her admirers worshipped and prayed to her instead of the love goddess Venus as they thought of Psyche as an incarnation of Venus.
Knowing this, Venus asked her son Cupid to shoot Psyche in order for her to love a hideous creature. Cupid, however, pricked himself with the arrow to make himself fall in love with Psyche, thus disobeying his mother’s order.
Psyche’s father consulted to the oracle of Apollo, as Psyche has to yet find love. However, the response left the king in discomfort. The oracle said to leave Psyche in a rocky peak to be taken to a dragon-like creature
Once that happened, the West Wind Zephyr took Psyche to meet her fated match in a house. Psyche allows herself to be guided in the bedroom, without knowing her husband who does not let her see.
Filled with curiosity, Psyche decided to see who her husband is. One night, she brought out a dagger and a lamp she hid and was about to kill what she thought to be a monster. When she shone light to her husband, much to her surprise, it was Cupid, son of Venus. In shock, she dropped her lamp, thus, burning Cupid with hot oil. Cupid then flew away.
Psyche set out to find Cupid, and so began her trials set by Cupid’s mother Venus. Her first task is to arrange a pile of seeds in one night, which she succeeded with the help of ants. The second was to gather golden wool from the violent sheep, in which she also succeeded with the help of the river god, saying that the sheep’s wool was caught in briars.
The third task was to collect black water coming from the river Styx and Cocytus. The venture is filled with deadly air and slithering dragons, so the god Zeus sent his eagle to aid Psyche, thus, battling the dragons and collecting the water in her stead.
The last task Psyche has to face is to venture into the underworld and with a box, grab a dose of the beauty of Proserpina. The instructions from a tower, which she tried to fall of, instucted her to carry barley for Cerberus and two coins for Charon, the ferryman, and so she did.
She finally have the dose in a box. At the entrance, filled with curiosity, Psyche opened the box. The box, however, was filled with Stygian sleep, making her in deep and unmoving sleep.
Cupid came out of Venus’ house and approach his sleeping wife. With the aid of Zeus, Psyche was given ambrosia, rendering her immortal. Right after, her baby was born and was given the name “Pleasure”.
READ ALSO: ORPHEUS – The Sad Story Of The Greek Musical Hero
Watch Ted-ed’s take on the story below: