Venus' Vanity
Venus, the goddess of beauty, love, sex and fertility, otherwise known as Aphrodite, embodied divine beauty unlike any other. Her unmatched grace was that of the gods, given to her as a symbol of power.
Her head was graced with golden locks, sparkling from the ocean's salty mist. The goddess of love's skin lacked any imperfections and retained the most dashing pink hue. Driven by her confidence she wed Vulcan, the god of fire and metalwork, but pledged her love to Mars, the god of war.
Assuming her beauty allowed her countless admirers, Venus spent her days without lifting a finger as she was assisted by the most rugged of soldiers, each under Mars' command.
Being that her beauty was unmatched, Venus grew in her confidence. She knew that attracting men from all over was the greatest power of them all, as it allowed thousands of men to be at her disposal.
Unaware of the watchful eyes of her husband and her lover, she grew in her ability to control the most powerful of men. As Venus' influence grew, she began to wonder just how much she could get away with.
One uneventful day, Venus decided to test just how much she could get away with and began to rule the thousands of men at her feet. So, she sent them on self-promoting missions promising them a kiss with the goddess herself in return for their allegiance.
Vulcan and Mars grew tired of their lover's vain demeanor and found great embarrassment in the men's actions, especially Mars. Both Vulcan and Mars tried their best to avoid the mutual embarrassment now coming at the hands of their wife/ lover and mortal men, Venus' antics proved enough reason for them to unite.
Knowing that there was little to be done about Venus' beauty, Venus and Mars hatched a plan to bring Venus back down from her heated escapades. Both Gods knew exactly how to regain control of Venus' men, and it all started with a rumor.
Mars sent for Mercury, the messenger of the gods. Once he arrived, Mars ordered Mercury to travel far and wide to warn the men against Venus for if they bent to her command they would turn to flies meant to live out their lives swarming a donkey's ass.
Needless to say, the flowing river of men that led to Venus began to dry out. The goddess began to question her own beauty, wondering if she had lost her appeal. Both Mars and Mercury appeared before Venus to enjoy the silence their work had permitted.
As she lay in bed concerned for her future, the truth dawned on Venus. Her true appeal was her unmatched beauty meant to inspire people of the earth, rather than enslave it. Venus realized that her god-like beauty should be untouchable, meant to separate herself from mortal grace. She then found great confidence in herself and pledged to never blur the line between mortal and godlike beauty because they both harbor much different power.
Author's Note
I based my story on the tale of Cupid and Psyche, but chose to focus mostly on Venus. The original "Cupid and Psyche" story was inspired by Venus's jealousy of a beautiful mortal named Psyche. Her insecurity guided her in attempting to ruin Psyche's life by having her fall in love with the worst of all men. As a favor from her son, Cupid, Venus planned to have Psyche hit with an arrow of love causing her to love a horrible man, but Cupid fell in love with Psyche against Venus' will, thus setting up the rest of the story. Her insecurity throughout the tale of Cupid and Psyche inspired me to discuss humility within my story thus creating a prequel to "Cupid and Psyche." I chose "Venus' Vanity" as the title because I think being vain, even when fully permitted (i.e. being for sure the most beautiful there ever was) immediately makes you unattractive. In addition to being vain, lacking confidence is equally as unattractive. It is hard to be comfortable within your skin, but remembering self-worth, regardless of who you are, is important because we are all humans trying to enjoy the short, short ride we call life. No matter who you are, never consume yourself with yourself, but rather with those around you. Finally, this story follows the ever so classic, "True beauty is found within".
Apuleius. “Myth-Folklore Unit: Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche.” Original Story