Cupid and Psyche

The story of Cupid and Psyche was first told to me when I was seven years old. It was my first step into the world of Ancient Greece and for this it will always hold a special place in my heart. Because this story was told by the Latin writer Apuleius, I have chosen to use the Roman names throughout.

There was once lived a king who was the father of three lovely daughters. Though all of the girls were fair, it was the youngest, Psyche who was known throughout the ancient world for her exquisite beauty. So ravishing was she, that men traveled from afar just to gaze upon her beautiful face.

It was a common practice for admirers to fall to their knees and offer her homage just as if she were a goddess. Many even said that Venus herself could not compare to the loveliness of this young maid. It was not long before these words reached Mount Olympus and the ears of the goddess.

Coming to earth to investigate the situation, Venus found her temples empty and her alters cold and bare. Jealous and angry, she called on her son Cupid to come to her assistance. She poured her heart out to the youth telling him of all the humiliation that she had suffered at the hands of this mere mortal.

As always, Cupid was eager to help his mother. He promised Venus that he would seek out a low and vile man and bring him close to Psyche. When the moment was right he would then pierce her heart with one of his magic arrows, causing her to immediately fall madly in love with the wretch. Never did it occur to Venus that Cupid would also find himself captivated by Psyche's bewitching beauty. With one look, the young god was rendered speechless and he too fell under the spell of the enchanting princess. But time passed, and while countless numbers of men came to look upon Psyche and worship her, not one sought to make her his wife.

Her two sisters were both happily married to kings, but lovely Psyche was left to sit home sad and alone. She was admired by many but loved by none. Seeing his daughter's sorrow, the king traveled to the oracle of Apollo at Miletus to seek advice on how to find a good husband for her. To the king's dismay, the words spoken to him by the priestess were not promising.

It seems that Cupid had also paid a visit to Apollo, telling him of his love for Psyche and petitioning the god to help him. It was for this reason that the oracle instructed the king to dress Psyche in mourning clothes and lead her to the top of a lonely mountain. There she was to be left to await the arrival of her future husband, who was said to be a winged serpent so hideous that even the gods themselves were fearful of him. In a somber procession, Psyche was clothed in black and led to the mountain top where she was left to the horrible fate that was promised to her. There the brave girl waited alone in the darkness, willing to accept whatever evil that was destined to come. Her trembling was soon interrupted by the soft touch of Zephyr, the west wind.

He gently lifted her up and and with his delicate breezes floated her to a grassy meadow. Psyche, who was now releaved of all fright, laid down amid the fragrant flowers and fell asleep. When she awoke, she found herself near the banks of a flowing river where just beyond stood a beautiful palace. It's walls were fashioned out of silver and decorated with precious stones that sparkled in the sunlight.

Surrounded by golden pillars, it was as if this place could only be the home of a god. As she ventured towards the mansion, Psyche could not help but notice the feeling of stillness that surrounded her. The palace appeared to be deserted, but when she reached the threshold Psyche was greeted by soft voices whispering in her ears.

Though she could see no one, the words clearly told her to come inside and refresh herself with a bath. Psyche's invisable hosts identified themselves as her new servants, who according to their master's instructions were bound to fulfill her every desire. When she emerged from her bath Psyche found a delectible banquet had been laid out for her in the dining hall. As she ate the air filled with the sounds of sweet harp music but as before she could see no one else in the room. Except for the companionship of the ghostly voices, Psyche remained alone for the rest of the day. It was not until the shadows of night touched down that she found herself in the company of her new husband. Though she could not see him in the darkness, Psyche knew by his kind voice that he could be no monster. Instead she found the lover she had always wished for.

Time passed quickly and though Psyche longed to see her mate, she remained happy with his secret nocturnal visits. One night upon his arrival, Psyche's faceless husband gravely warned her that danger was approaching in the form of her two sisters. Desiring to properly mourn her loss, the pair were traveling to the mountain from which Psyche had disappeared.

He cautioned his wife to keep hidden from her sisters for they would bring nothing but sorrow and ruin to the two of them. Psyche gave him her solemn promise but when the next day arrived she could not control her weeping. She could only think of her dear sisters and about how much she missed them. Later that night as they sat amidst the shadows, Psyche begged her mysterious husband to grant her just one visit with her siblings.

Reluctantly he consented, but not before reminding her of what a serious mistake she was making. Before departing, Psyche's beloved held her close and made her promise that she would never try to see him in the light. She agreed, and in the morning Zephyr escorted the two women down the mountain to where Psyche was waiting. After a tearful reunion, the three retired into the palace to continue their visit, but when the two sisters saw that Psyche's riches well surpassed their own, they became filled with envy. Overwhelmed with curiousity, they demanded to know the identity of the man who had been bestowing a life of grandeur upon their little sister.

Remembering her promise, Psyche told the meddling pair that her husband was away on a hunting trip and was not expected to return until after nightfall. As the visit came to an end, Psyche filled the arms of her sisters with gifts of gold and jewels, before Zephyr once again flew them back to their homes.

Unaware that her jealous siblings were devising a plot to bring about her ruin, Psyche ignored her husband's warnings and begged him to allow another meeting with the wicked pair. When the two arrived at the palace they immediately began to bombard Psyche with questions as to what her new husband looked like. As they listened to Psyche stumble through her answers, they became convinced that she herself had never laid eyes upon him.

Using this to their advantage, the envious duo began to fill Psyche's head with poisonous thoughts. They whispered that they had heard tales that her husband was no man but in reality the frightful beast described by Apollo's oracle.

As she listened, Psyche felt her heart fill with feelings of terror and doubt. There must be some truth in her sisters' words, for why else would the man she loved be content to hide himself from her?

Pretending to be concerned for her safety, the sisters instructed Psyche to hide a sharp knife and a lantern by her bedside. When she was sure her mate was fast asleep she was to carefully light the lamp and then look upon the face of her phantom lover. Once the monster's true form was revealed to her, Psyche was to plunge the knife deep into his heart.

When this deed was complete, the two sisters would then return and take Psyche home. Psyche's mind was filled with confusion. She loved her husband dearly one minute, but then loathed the notion of him being a vile serpent the next. After spending the day in turmoil she decided that she would wait for nightfall and then allow herself one forbidden peek.

Psyche listened to the even sounds of her husband's breathing, and when she was sure he was asleep quietly retrieved the lamp from her bedside. With all the courage she could muster Psyche lit the wick and raised the lantern high above her head. For the first time she was able to gaze upon the face of her mysterious consort. To her surprise Psyche found no monster beside her, only a beautiful winged creature sleeping peacefully under the soft illumination of the lamp. Overwhelmed with guilt, Psyche dropped the knife and fell to her knees in shame.

At that moment a drop of hot oil spilled from the lantern and landed on the shoulder of her slumbering partner. He awoke at once and seeing that Psyche did not remain faithful to her promise fled from her without uttering a word. Frantically Psyche ran after him, but she could not see him in the darkness. She was only able to hear his voice as he called out "Love cannot live where there is no trust", and then he was gone.

It became apparent to Psyche that her husband had been none other than Cupid the god of love. Helpless and alone, she gathered her thoughts and with great determination decided she would seek out her angry lover and beg his forgiveness. To the far ends of the earth she would travel if it meant being able to prove her love to him once more. And so she began her search, walking as a blind woman would, for she knew not where to look.

Cupid had returned to his mother's chamber to have his wound cleaned but when Venus learned her son had chosen her most hated rival as his wife, the angry goddess left him alone to tend to his injury. She then went to punish the girl who had brought her so much trouble.

Psyche searched in vain for her lost love. She desperately appealed to the gods for help, but not one would come to her aid. All feared the wrath of Venus so her pleas went unheard. Psyche concluded the only thing left to do was to appeal directly to the goddess herself. She would offer Venus her life as a humble servant if only she would grant her an audience with her son. The goddess greeted her with scornful laughter, mocking Psyche's grief over the loss of her husband. She told the sobbing young woman that she would first have to complete some tasks before she would even think of helping her regain her love. Venus took a multitude of tiny seeds; millet, wheat and poppy and scattered them in a heap in front of the cowering maiden.

Psyche's first task was to have each seed sorted in it's proper pile by the time night fell. Knowing there was no way that she could accomplish this incredible feat, Psyche hung her head in sorrow. As she wept, she was approached by a gathering of ants who had taken pity upon the vulnerable young girl.

Her new friends worked diligently sorting seed by seed, until finally all were in their perspective piles. When Venus returned she was furious to see that Psyche had completed her task and as she tossed her a crust of bread, the goddess announced to Psyche that her work was not yet finished.

Her next endeavor would be a dangerous one. It would require Psyche to travel to the banks of a river where she would find among the thick bushes a herd of ferocious sheep covered with fleece of gold. Her mission was to retrieve some of this precious wool and bring it back to the goddess. Psyche did as she was told, but when the exhausted girl reached the water she was consumed with the urge to throw herself in to drown.

As she leaned across the flowing stream, she heard a tiny voice coming up from the ground where she knelt. It was a green reed that begged her to reconsider and not take her own life. "It is true that the sheep are extremely fierce" the reed whispered to Psyche, "but if you wait until the they come in from the field to rest, you will be able to collect the shreds of wool left hanging on the sharp briars."

Psyche trusted the kind voice, and because of its help was able to successfully return to her mistress with an armfull of the shining fleece. Once again the cruel goddess resentfully accepted her payment only to bestow another duty upon her pitiful servant. This time Psyche was to fill a flask with the black water flowing from the source of the River Styx.

This was truly the worst task of all as no one without wings could reach the place where the dreaded river began. The source was surrounded by steep and slimy rocks, and the ascending water ran with raging speed. As with her previous trials, a creature came to Psyche's aid. This time it was an eagle that appeared to her. He took the flask into his own mouth and flew past the treacherous rocks, returning with it full of the murky water.

Knowing that Psyche must be receiveng help from somewhere, Venus assigned her yet another difficult task. She gave the maiden an empty box made of gold and instructed her to travel down to Hades and ask Queen Proserpine to fill it with some of her beauty. Psyche was to tell the queen that Venus was very worn out from taking care of her sick son and needed to refresh herself.

Psyche agreed and set out to find the entrance to the realm of Hades. A tower showed her the way, making sure that she had both a penny to pay the ferryman Charon for her ride across the River Styx and a cake to give to Cerberus, the three headed dog that guarded the palace of the dead. Proserpine was more than happy to do Venus this favor, and sooner than she anticipated Psyche was on her way back to her mistress.

As she traveled back to Venus, Psyche became filled with curiousity concerning what was in the box she was carrying. Thinking that she too could use a little of the beauty for herself, she cracked open the lid of the container and peeked inside. Surprisingly, she found it to be empty. A moment later as if bewitched, Psyche fell into a deep sleep. It was just then that Cupid appeared, healed of his wound and free from the watchful eye of his mother.

By escaping from the barred doors that held him, Cupid declared to the world that it was impossible to keep love imprisoned for long. Finding his wife lying just outside the palace, he wiped the sleep from her eyes and returned it to the box. He then woke her by lightly pricking her arm with one of his magic arrows.

After assuring her that all would be well, Psyche was told to carry the box back to his mother. With that Cupid flew to Mount Olympus where he asked Jupiter to step in and prevent Venus from making anymore trouble. Jupiter could not refuse the youth and called an assembly of the gods where he announced to all that Cupid and Psyche were formally married.

Mercury escourted Psyche into the palace where Jupiter fed her nectar and ambrosia. Once the divine food of the gods passed over her lips, Psyche herself became immortal. In the end Venus accepted the union, after all, with Psyche married and out of the way she would no longer be a threat to the goddess's worship. From that moment on Love and Soul (for this is what Psyche means) were united forever.

Medea's Lair Of Greek Mythology © 1999-2009.