Eros and Psyche

Art by Rowena Morrill

Valentine's Day is almost here and full of love stories. It's worth mentioning this beautiful tragic romance story from Greek mythology. As I touched on the subject in my previous post about Cherubs, I will explain more about the story of Cupid (Eros) and Psyche. 

There was a princess named Psyche, the youngest of three sisters, daughter of a king from ancient Greece. Psyche was loved by everyone and she had so many admirers. They even called her Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. Then annoyed the goddess herself, who sent her son, Eros to give Psyche a magic potion to drink. This potion would make no one fall in love with Psyche or desire to marry her. Eros went to fulfil his mother's plan, but he accidently released one of his arrows and shot her, and in panic he shot another arrow at himself. His arrows are powerful and whoever is shot will fall in love. Psyche had already drunk the potion and found no men was interested in wanting her even though her sisters found lovers and settled down to marry. This made Psyche depressed, and her worried father sought help from the Oracle of Delphi. 

The god Apollo answered the king's worried question, and advised him on what to do. So Psyche was made to dress all in black, and spend her days on a mountain waiting for a husband. Zephyrus found Psyche on the mountain, and carried her off to the palace of her secret husband, who summoned her. There she was in a beautiful place, where she was treated very well, but on one condition: she must not look at her husband's face. This was only because she wasn't allowed to know who he was, and he was really Eros. So every night, Eros would go to Psyche and it would be dark, although blissful. 

While the nights were good, Psyche felt lonely during the daytime. At night when Eros went to her bed, Psyche asked him if her sisters could visit. He agreed, but that was a big mistake. When Psyche's sisters arrive seeing the beautiful palace and luxurious clothes, they felt jealous and became spiteful. They told Psyche that her husband was probably an ugly monster. Psyche was convinced this had to be true which is why he didn't want her looking at him. They advised her to bring a lamp at night, and also carry a knife just if the monstrous husband would turn violent. That night, she saw the truth, her husband was the god Eros. 

After that, Eros left her. An unhappy Psyche tries to kill herself by drowning in the river but nymphs rescue her. The goddess Aphrodite learns about all of this, knowing that her son failed to carry out her plan as she instructed. Psyche was summoned to meet the goddess Aphrodite, and was given terms to be spared punishment. The first was to sort through lentils, poppy seeds and chickpeas, and put them in their own piles. Psyche was helped by ants to complete the task. The second task was more dangerous, she had to skin the fleece of predatory carnivorous golden sheep, and a nymph suggested she try this while the sheep is sleeping, and to gather loose fleece on bushes and grass. After finishing the task, the third one was harder. Psyche was told to visit the Underworld and get a box of magic from goddess Persephone. But Psyche was warned she must never open it.   

However, what Aphrodite didn't tell Psyche was that the box contained an elixir for eternal sleep. After she successfully collects the box and returns to the earth, Psyche opens the box believing it would help her find Eros, and she quickly entered a deep sleep. Eros locates Psyche in her eternal deathlike sleep. Using his arrows, he brings Psyche back and she wakes up. Eros marries Psyche. Zeus makes Psyche a goddess of the immortal human soul.

She Wolf Night