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The Legend Cupid and Psyche
Cupid has always played a role in the celebrations of love and lovers.
He is known as a mischievous, winged child, whose arrows who would pierce
the hearts of his victims causing them to fall deeply in love.
In ancient Greece he was known as Eros the young son of Aphrodite,
the goddess of love and beauty. To the Roman's he was Cupid, and
his mother Venus.
One legend tells the tale of Cupid and the mortal maiden, Psyche.
Venus was envious of the Maid's beauty, and ordered Cupid to punish the mortal.
She instructed her son, Cupid to make Psyche fall in love with a hideous monster; but
he was
unable to resist her beauty, and fell deeply in love with her, himself.
He took her as his wife,
but as a mortal she was forbidden to look at him. Cupid became her unseen husband,
visiting her only at night.
Psyche was happy until her sisters convinced her to look upon Cupid.
Unable to resist the urgings of her kin, she dared to look upon her
husband. In doing so,
she lost him. Cupid punished her by departing, and took with him
their lovely castle and gardens.
He vanished, and Psyche found herself alone in an open field.
Psyche mourned her lost love, and wandered the land to find her
husband.
Her travels brought her to the temple of Venus. Be it known, Psyche
was a princess of
great beauty. Remember, the Goddess Venus was jealous of the Lady's
charms.
Wishing to destroy her, the Goddess of love gave Psyche a series of
tasks, each harder and
more dangerous than the last. As the last undertaking, Psyche was
given a small box
and instructed to go into the underworld, capture some of the beauty of Proserpine,
the wife of Pluto, and place it in the box.
During her trip she was given tips on avoiding the dangers of the realm of the dead.
She was
also warned not to open the box. Temptation overcame Psyche and just as
she could
not resist a gaze upon her husband, she could not resist opening the box.
She did not find beauty within, she found only a deadly slumber.
Cupid found her lifeless on the ground.
No longer could he bear to witness to her suffering, nor could he bear to be apart
from her.
He
gathered the sleep from her body and placed it back in the box. He
plead their cause
to the gods, who looked in favor on their love. Venus, her heart
softened to Psyche, forgave her.
The Gods, were so moved by Psyche's
love for Cupid and they made her a goddess.
Psyche now an immortal, could remain forever as Cupid's love, and wife.
ELABORATION....
Psyche's quest to win back Cupid's love first appears in The Golden Ass of
Lucius Apuleius in the 2nd century AD.
The origins of the story are obscure.
It could have been adapted from a folk-tale or have its roots in ancient myth.
It is a story of great charm,
a fact which has been reflected in the numerous
re-tellings since Apuleius's time.
Many writers have interpreted it as an allegory,
with Cupid representing Love and Psyche the Soul.
It was particularly popular with Renaissance audiences, when poetical,
dramatic and musical versions proliferated alongside the many visual
representations of the tale.
In the 19th century, it notably inspired an ode by John Keats, a prose version
by Walter Pater and a long poetical work by William Morris, illustrated
by Sir Edward Burne-Jones.
Today, Cupid and Psyche still symbolize everlasting love -
as can be seen by the numerous images of
them that appear on Valentine's cards.
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