Eros, Psyche and their eternal love
A timeless love story from Greek mythology (with faithfulness on both sides)...
As a student of Greek Mythology, I am used to reading about all the infidelity and adulterous relationships. Once in a while, though, I come across a beautiful story that genuinely moves me. One of which is of Eros (or Cupid), the God of intense desire, and Psyche, a mortal. This is from a play by Apuleius, which I’ve simplified for my blog so that I can share this legend with you all.
Now, Eros is the son of Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love. You might know him as Cupid, the chubby baby with wings in all Valentine’s merch. His weapon is the arrows of love, which can cause someone to fall in love with whatever’s in front of them.
Psyche is the youngest of three daughters, a princess in Ancient Greece known for her stunning beauty. When loads of people begin comparing her to Aphrodite herself, the Goddess is offended. How dare they compare a mere mortal to her, she thinks, and decides to punish Psyche by making her fall in love with a beast. She sends her son on this mission, to shoot an arrow at Psyche while there’s a bull in her vision.
Unfortunately, Eros messes up his shot and accidentally shoots himself with the arrow, such that he falls in love with Psyche. He can’t seem to stop these strong feelings, and decides to kidnap her to his castle on the clouds, as his wife.
On land, an Oracle tells Psyche’s father that he’s been asked by the Gods to offer his youngest to a winged beast as a punishment to his hubris. With extreme sadness, their townsfolk watch as this ‘beast’ takes her away to this castle.
Psyche is taken to an opulent castle with unparalleled riches and a feast like no other - but there’s one hitch. All the servants are invisible! At night, she meets her husband in the dark, and is told that she is not permitted to see him. She agrees, they make love, and eventually she falls in love with him too.
After she’s established a routine in the household, she invites her sisters for a visit to this castle. Out of jealousy, they spin stories about how her husband could be a monster waiting to kill their child, scaring Psyche enough to make her want to see her husband.
One night, after making love, Psyche decides to execute her plan. She waits until Psyche is snoring and lights a lamp so she can see his face. He is shocked and betrayed, and tells her that he will have to leave because she betrays his trust.
This is where things get messy. When Aphrodite finds out that her trust has been betrayed, she decides to punish Eros by imprisoning him. She tells Psyche to perform certain challenging tasks if she ever wants to see her husband again. These tasks are quite otherworldly, such as sorting rice and lentils from a mixed pile, getting the golden fleece, and finally a beauty cream from Persephone, the Queen of the Underworld. At the last mission, she messes up, opening the box of beauty cream that leads to eternal sleep.
Thankfully, Eros escapes from his prison and rushes to save Psyche from her slumber. He uses his arrow to wake her, and is able to reunite with her once again. The story ends with him appealing to Zeus to make her an immortal. This is granted, and she becomes the Goddess of the Human Soul (hence the term, Freudian psyche).
There are a lot of things to note in this story. First, the forbidden look at the husband - something we’re familiar with in a number of fairytales. There’s also this gallant woman pursuing various missions for love, holding on to faith and doing everything in her power for love. And then the immortal who is so in love, beyond the arrow of love, that he makes her an immortal. It’s a story that has all the ingredients of a good love story, which is why I hold it above the rest.
I hope you enjoyed reading a bit of Greek Mythology with me. I’m a budding historian, constantly seeking ways to understand the past better. Do follow me for more titbits from my learnings!