Cupid and Psyche

The story of Cupid and Psyche begins with the birth of a girl named Psyche to a ruling family of some unnamed city. Psyche was the youngest of three daughters to the king and queen of the city, and although both of her sisters were extremely beautiful, she was clearly the most beautiful out of the three.  In fact, she was so beautiful that some people began to neglect the proper worship of Venus (the goddess of love and beauty), instead worshipping Psyche. This, of course, made Venus very angry, and so she sent her son Cupid (the god of love and beauty) to enact her wrath on Psyche. Cupid, however, fell in love with Psyche once he saw her and refused to fulfill his mother's bidding. Meanwhile, as Psyche grew older, her parents became increasingly worried that she would never marry, considering her other two sisters had married long before then. Seeking assistance in guiding their daughter's future, they consulted the Oracle at Delphi, but the prophecy foretold to them was disturbing. They were told to "expect no human son-in-law, but rather a dragon-like creature who harasses the world with fire and iron and is feared by even Jupiter and the inhabitants of the underworld." Unsurprisingly, they were not pleased by this vision and, in an effort to protect their daughter from monster foretold in the prophecy, they conducted to the peak of a rocky crag, where she would be conveyed by Zephyr, the West Wind, to the "unknown." Zephyr carries her to a verdant meadow and, after promptly falling asleep, she awakes to explore her surroundings. In a grove, she finds a splendidly ornate house decorated with precious metals and other valuables. As she enters the house, a disembodied voice calls out to her and eventually leads her to the bedroom. Curious, Psyche follows the voice and discovers, in the bedroom, its mysterious origin: an inscrutable, cryptic figure shrouded in darkness. Although she is in inexperienced in romantic affairs, she allowed him to take her into bed. These encounters became commonplace, and she eventually began to expect a child. However, she also became curious as to who the mysterious man in the bedroom was. So, one night after the figure had fallen asleep, Psyche brought a dagger and a lamp that she had hidden in the bedroom, believing the figure to be the monster described in the prophecy, yet the light revealed the most beautiful creature that she had ever seen. The figure was Cupid, who had desired Psyche since he first saw her some time before. Unfortunately, in the process of uncovering Cupid's secret, Psyche accidentally spilled hot lantern oil on him and burned him badly. Shocked, Cupid fled the house and left Psyche alone. Grieving over the departure of her new husband, Psyche began to wander the land in an effort to find him. She is eventually visited by Venus who claimed that she would allow her reunion with her son if she could complete three trials, which included sorting a pile of grains before dawn, fetching golden wool from a flock of dangerous sheep, and collecting some of the water from the river Styx in a crystal vial. She completed all of these tasks with aid from the gods, yet one final task still remained. For her final trial, Psyche was to venture into the underworld and obtain a box containing a dose of beauty from Proserpina (Persephone), queen of the underworld. Proserpina takes pity on Psyche and allows her to have the box; however, she is warned not to open the box (somewhat like the story of Pandora's box). Of course, it would not have made for an interesting story if Psyche had not opened the box, so it came to pass that Psyche, overcome by curiosity, opened the box. She immediately fell into a deep stupor, and it seemed as if her quest to find Cupid would not never be accomplished. But Cupid, now fully recovered from his injuries, found Psyche and woke her from her stupor. Reunited, Psyche and Cupid present the box to Venus and live happily ever after.

I am not much of a fan for romantic stories of any kind. Such stories are often too sweet and, honestly, rather depressing. Romeo and Juliet is often considered one of the best love stories of all time, yet I did not enjoy reading the story since it is so tragic; almost everyone dies in the end. Although I am not much interest in romantic stories, I do believe they should end happily. Thus, the story of Cupid and Psyche is a good love story in that the characters are united in the end. Besides this story, I do not have much more to say on the topic of romantic literature.