Cupid and Psyche

Dear reader, the story of Cupid and Psyche has been retold in so many different ways over so many different years that the meaning of the tale has been lost. Too many focus on the theme of jealousy and overlook the importance of love and redemption. Please, for the sake of verity, read the words of Erato, our muse of love and lyric poetry:

He didn't want to do it, but he was afraid of his mother, so he did.

Cupid didn't really like using his powers for anything but causing two deserving lovers to find each other. His mother, on the other hand, did not really see a point in having such an ability if not to use it to achieve one's own desires. And so Aphrodite commanded her son to shoot young Psyche with an arrow and make her fall in love with a hideous monster as retribution for daring to accept worship over the goddess herself.

Cupid found his way to the humble village where Psyche lived with her parents and sisters. As he watched her through the branches of an olive tree, he was so struck by her beauty, he forgot entirely of his mission given to him by his mother. After observing her for a few more minutes, Cupid began to leave. But he turned back for one last look and, in doing so, scratched himself with his own arrow and fell in love with Psyche.

Meanwhile, having no idea that a handsome, young god was yearning for her, Psyche was lamenting to her father that she would never find love. On the advice of Apollo, her father took her to the top of a mountain where she was to find a husband.

On the mountain, Psyche found not a husband, but a beautiful mansion she could live in. And each night, a being whom Psyche could not see came into her bed with her. Faithfully, she swore to him she would never look upon his face.

But she soon became pregnant and fretted that she did not know who her child's father was, or even what he looked like. She became afraid of what she was now sure was a monster. One night, when he came into her bed once again, she lit a candle and held up one of the monster's arrows with the intent of killing him.

But the candle cast a light across the face of none other than Cupid. Psyche was so taken aback by his beauty that she scratched herself with Cupid's arrow and fell in love with him on sight. Cupid, however, was frightened by this attempted murder and fled from the house.

Psyche searched far and wide for her lover. She subjected herself to seemingly impossible tasks set forth by Aphrodite in an attempt to win her son back. Cupid longed to see Psyche once more, but his mother was stern: Psyche had to earn a place next to him.

In Aphrodite's final task, Psyche made a foolish error that caused her to fall into a deep sleep. Cupid could not bear to see his true love suffer any longer, so he escaped his mother's house and went immediately to Psyche's side. He healed her and swore to her he would never leave her again.

When their daughter was born, they named her Hedone. Pleasure. For after months of suffering and heartbreak, Psyche and Cupid wanted nothing more than the simple pleasures together in their home.

Author's note: I really love the story of Cupid and Psyche, and I wanted to retell it in a way that focused more on their relationship and time with each other, and less on Aphrodite's jealousy and punishment for Psyche. In the original myth, Aphrodite gives Psyche four tasks that were meant to be impossible: sorting a mountain of grains, shearing wool from a golden sheep, stealing water from the river Styx, and collecting beauty from Persephone, the goddess of the underworld. Each time, Psyche has help from someone who takes pity on her, and she is able to complete the tasks.

I also want to note that throughout the story I used each character's Greek name, except for Cupid, as his Roman name is more well-known. His Greek name is Eros.

The article by Riley Winters I based this story from can be found at Ancient Origins.