In the art galleries and museums of art from around the world you will be able to see them reproduced countless times. he with his wings and she young, beautiful and innocent. What story is this couple hiding? Mythology has the answer: the wonderful story of the myth of Cupid and Psyche. A story that serves to offer a real perspective of love and affection to people. Talk about trust in that special someone, and how important it is not to get carried away by thoughts and expectations. Discover every detail here in Supercurioso.
Know love with the myth of Cupid and Psyche
The story of Cupid and Psyche is told for the first time in the only Roman novel that has come down to us in its entirety. The work is entitled “Metamorphosis” or “The Golden Ass” and was written by Lucio Apuleius in the second century.. Subsequently, other more or less similar versions were made. In essence, the story is as follows:
The kings of a country had three daughters and the youngest, called Psyche, was so beautiful that men forgot to make their offerings to Venus when contemplating her. For this reason, the goddess, jealous of her, ordered Cupid to shoot her with an arrow that would make her fall in love with the ugliest man in the world. But the god accidentally pricked himself with one of her arrows and fell madly in love with Psyche.
The parents, seeing that she was still single, consulted an oracle that told them that she should join a monster that lived on top of a mountain. She went to fulfill her destiny and when she reached the top of the mountain, “Zefiro”, the west wind flying, left her in a cave full of jewels and ornaments. In the dark she was visited by the supposed monster that was none other than Cupid who had bribed the oracle..
Then they made passionate love and Cupid asked him never to turn on a light. The god feared being recognized by the wings. Some time later, Psyche met her sisters and explained that the “monster”, her husband, treated her wonderfully. However, they were jealous and convinced her that she should finish him off. Here, the myth of Cupid and Psyche takes an unexpected turn.
What did Psyche do?
Psyche returned to the cave armed with a dagger, but she couldn’t decide to kill him. He turned on a small lamp to watch him while he slept and discovered that it was Cupid. Startled, the dagger fell from her hands and she seized one of the god’s arrows to attack him, irritated by the deceit. The young woman pricked herself with her and in an instant she fell in love with him. Unfortunately, a drop of oil from the lamp fell on Cupid’s back, who woke up and exclaimed: “the love you cannot live where there is no trust.” Disappointed, the god walked away from the cave never to return, giving him a temporary end between Eros and Psyche and his story.
tests of psyche
Psyche searched for her husband everywhere. Greece and finally the goddess Demeter, to thank him for having ordered the grain from the offerings of her temple, told him that to find it he had to visit Cupid’s mother, Venus. The young woman went to a temple dedicated to this goddess and Venus proposed three tests and if she passed them she would help her. This is a crucial part of the myth of Cupid and Psyche.
The first was to order grain, as in the temple of Demeter, but in an impossible time to fulfill. Cupid, who was still in love with her, He sent some ants to help her and so she was able to fulfill her mission. Venus, furious, sent him a second test. She had to shear some sheep that produced golden wool. The river god helped her and explained how she should collect the wool without exposing herself to the danger of the violent sheep. She got the golden wool and took it to Venus.
The visit to Hades in the myth of Cupid and Psyche
As a last test, the goddess forced her to go down to Hades to speak with Proserpina and for her to give her a bit of the beauty she had lost due to her son’s suffering due to the betrayal of Psyche herself. She had to bring it in a box. Psyche thought that death was the fastest way to enter Hades, but when she was about to throw herself off a cliff, a voice stopped her, showed her a direct path and explained how to overcome the Cerberus and Charon, the ferryman.
The girl followed the instructions and got to Proserpina, who didn’t mind giving her some beauty for Venus. When she was back in the world of the living, Psyche opened the box to take some beauty and win Cupid back, but What was in the box was an infernal vapor that plunged her into a torpor close to death.
Cupid, who had already forgiven her, came to her aid and wiped the sleep out of her eyes, bringing her back to life. The god pleaded with her mother, her Venus, and Jupiter, to allow him to marry Psyche, to which they finally agreed, granting the girl her immortality.
Cupid or Eros? They are the same person?
Generally, Eros and Psyche is the story that is also found when talking about this mythological story. That’s why, many people are confused between who is Cupid and Eros. The truth is that they are about the same person, but in different cultures. Therefore, it is important to understand the difference between Greek and Roman mythology.
In ancient Greece (Greek mythology), whom we know as Eros, for them it was Cupid. The young male child of Aphrodite, goddess of love, beauty, and fertility. On the other hand, for the Romans (Roman mythology), Cupid is actually the god of love, son of Venus and Mars, god of war. In this context, Cupid helped his mother Venus with the tasks of bringing love to mortals.
From there, the myth of Cupid and Psyche arose, a story that leaves many lessons to anyone who knows it. That’s why, We invite you to leave us your opinions about it in the comments.