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Cupid and Psyche
Cupid and Psyche
The mythological tale of Cupid and Psyche is one of the few Greek and Roman myths that has not fully become
assimilated into modern consciousness. Though adapted somewhat into the better known "Beauty and the Beast"—
first written by French author Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont as "La Belle et la Bête"—the correlation to the
earlier ancient text is relatively unrecognized. Cupid is often still portrayed as a chubby baby cherub with a
fondness for arrows, and Psyche is still predominately unknown outside the psychological community –"psyche"
means "soul" in ancient Greek and was subsequently utilized in the literature of psychologists. However, in the
ancient world, Cupid and Psyche's love was well documented and appreciated among the literary scholars. Despite
that its original Greek form is now lost, the length of the text remains within Lucius Apuleius' The Golden Ass , a side
anecdote that—in many ways—overshadows the remainder of the novel.
Once upon a time...
Cupid and Psyche's narrative begins as most modern fairy tales do: with a kingdom, a daughter with an
insurmountable burden over her head, a trial, and a subsequent moral. It is as follows: a king and queen give birth
to three daughters, but only the third possesses unearthly beauty. Apuleius' text claimed that her beauty was so
astounding the "poverty of language is unable to express its due praise." Rumors spread of this girl, Psyche's,
astounding loveliness, eventually reaching the ears of the Roman goddess Venus. Angry that so many mortals
were comparing Psyche's beauty to her own—and in many ways claiming that the mortal surpassed her—Venus
calls upon her son Cupid to demand that he use one of his arrows of desire to ensure Psyche fall in love with a
human monster.
Obedient as always to his mother, Cupid then descends to the earthly plane to do as she wishes. Yet he was so
astonished himself by the mortal princess' beauty that he mistakenly shot himself. From that moment, Cupid was
irrevocably in love with the princess. Around this time, it became evident to her parents that Psyche's attractiveness
had angered the gods, as no mortal man would take her hand in marriage. Imploring the temple of Apollo, they
learn that Psyche is destined for a much worse fate than celibacy: "The virgin is destined for the bride of no mortal
lover. Her future husband awaits her on the top of the mountain. He is a monster whom neither gods nor men can
resist." Psyche, conscious of the mistakes of her mortal kingdom for praising her so highly, is content to follow the
oracle's advice.
From the top of the highest cliff, dressed in funerary garbs, Psyche is swept away by the west wind, Zephyr. She is
brought to a striking valley, in the center of which stands a palace so magnificent it could not have been built by any
hands other than the gods'. Surrounded by luscious trees with a crystalline fountain at its heart, Psyche soon
comes to the conclusion that this golden hall is her new home, further reiterated by the voice of her new husband
echoing through the halls. This faceless stranger begins to visit her in the night, every night, to make love to her in
the darkness. But despite his nighttime tenderness, Psyche is haunted by the oracle's claim that he was a monster.