Myths and Legends: Cupid and Psyche, love and marriage

Transcription

1 Myths and Legends: Cupid and Psyche, love and marriage By Thomas Bulfinch, adapted by Newsela staff on Word Count 2,661 Level 1190L TOP: This Valentine postcard with Cupid in flight was produced around Getty Images. MIDDLE: Cupid and Psyche. BOTTOM: Psyche on the river leading to the underworld, painted by Eugène Ernest Hillemacher in Greek mythology is thousands of years old. The Greeks made up the gods to explain the weather, disasters and events in history. They wrote myths about gods and goddesses. The gods had supernatural powers, but they acted like humans. Venus Was Jealous Of Psyche's Beauty A king and queen had three beautiful daughters, but the beauty of the youngest, Psyche, was so wonderful that it was impossible to describe. Her beauty was so great that strangers from neighboring countries came in crowds to look on her with amazement, comparing her to the goddess of love and beauty, Venus. In fact, Venus found that men did not worship at her altars anymore because they turned their devotion to this young girl. As she passed along, the people sang her praises and threw chaplets of beads, wreaths and flowers in her path. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 1

2 All this attention greatly angered Venus who exclaimed, "Am I then to be eclipsed in my honors by a human girl? The god Mercury, with the approval of Jupiter, the king of the gods, declared I was more beautiful than all the goddesses, so I will punish this girl and make her sorry for her unlawful beauty." She called her winged son Cupid, who was mischievous himself, and told him why she was angry. She showed Psyche to Cupid and said, "My dear son, punish that girl that stubbornly challenges my beauty and give your mother a sweet revenge. Make her fall in love with some awful, low, and unworthy being or monster that will embarrass her and destroy her proud beauty." She told Cupid to go to the two fountains in her garden, one of sweet waters, the other of bitter. He was told to fill two amber, brownish-gold vases, one from each fountain. He did as he was told and flew to Psyche's bedroom, where she lay asleep. He put a few drops from the bitter water over her lips, but suddenly started to feel sorry for her. Then he touched her side with the point of his arrow, which caused her to awaken and open her eyes. Cupid was invisible, but was so startled that in his confusion he wounded himself with his own arrow and fell in love with Psyche. Not feeling his wound, he was overtaken by a feeling of fixing what he had done to Psyche, so he poured the sweet drops of joy over all her silken hair to keep away the curse from his mother. No Mortal Man Wanted To Marry Psyche As time passed, all eyes still saw her beauty and every mouth spoke her praises, but neither king, royal youth, nor poor worker asked her to marry. Her two elder sisters married royal princes, but Psyche grew to hate her loneliness and her beauty. Her parents, afraid that they had angered the gods, consulted the oracle of Apollo, who saw the future. The oracle said, "The virgin will be the bride of a god who awaits her on the top of the mountain, but he is a monster whom neither gods nor men can defeat." Her parents were deeply saddened by the oracle's words, but Psyche said, "Why, my dear parents, are you so sad for me? You should rather have been sad when the people called me Venus when I am no goddess. Now I am a victim to that name, so lead me to that mountain where my future lies." The royal maid took her place with her parents in the procession, which more resembled a funeral than a wedding, and ascended the mountain, where they left her alone and, with sorrowful hearts, returned home. Psyche, her eyes filled with tears, stood on the ridge of the mountain. She panted with fear as she was gently lifted from the earth by Zephyr, god of the west wind, and carried up to a flowery meadow, where she fell asleep. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 2

3 Psyche Was Treated Like A Goddess When she awoke, she saw a pleasant grove of tall trees. She entered it, and in the middle found a fountain with clear, crystal waters, close to a magnificent palace of a god. She entered, and everything she saw filled her with amazement. Golden pillars supported the high arched roof and beautiful carvings and paintings of country scenes and hunting hung on the walls. A voice addressed her, though she saw no one. "Royal lady, all that you see is yours. We whose voices you hear are your servants and shall obey all your commands. You may go to your chamber and rest on your bed of down, and when you are ready, go to your bath. Supper awaits when you wish to take your seat there." After her rest and bath, she took her seat for supper. The table was covered with the most special food and the most delicious, sweet wines. Her ears too were filled with wonderful music from invisible performers and a full chorus. Psyche had not yet seen the one who would be her husband. He came only in the hours of darkness and fled before dawn, but his words were full of love and filled her with love for him. She often begged him to stay and let her see him, but he refused. He told her to make no attempt to see him, for it was his wish to keep hidden. "Why should you wish to see me?" he asked. "Have you any doubt of my love? If you saw me, perhaps you would fear me. All I ask of you is to love me, for I would rather you love me as an equal not as a god." This article is available at 5 reading levels at 3

4 Psyche's Treachery Was Her Undoing For a time, Psyche felt quite happy. However, after a while, thoughts of missing her family made her begin to feel her palace was also a prison. When her husband came one night, she told him of her distress, and he finally allowed her sisters to be brought to see her. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 4

5 Telling Zephyr of her husband's approval, the god of the west wind soon brought them across the mountain down to their sister's valley. They joyfully embraced. Then taking their hands, she led them into her golden palace to refresh themselves in heavenly delights, which caused envy and jealousy to enter their bosoms. They asked her numberless questions, among others what sort of a person her husband was. Psyche replied that he was a beautiful youth who generally spent the daytime hunting in the mountains, but she soon confessed that she had never seen him. Their words then began to make her worry about her husband. They said, "Call to mind the oracle that said you would marry a great monster. The inhabitants of this valley say that your husband is a terrible and monstrous serpent who may by and by devour you. Take our advice. Provide yourself with a lamp and a sharp knife; hide them and when your husband is sound asleep, slip out of bed, bring forth your lamp, and see for yourself whether what they say is true or not. If it is, cut off the monster's head, and free yourself from this place." Those words of warning stayed with Psyche, and when her sisters were gone, she prepared her lamp and a sharp knife and hid them out of sight. When her husband had fallen asleep, she silently rose and uncovering her lamp she saw the most beautiful god, with his golden curly hair wandering over his snowy neck and crimson cheek, with two dewy wings on his shoulders, whiter than snow, and with shining feathers like the tender blossoms of spring. A drop of burning oil from the lamp fell on the shoulder of the god and he opened his eyes. Without saying a word, he spread his white wings and flew out of the window. Trying to follow him, Psyche fell from the window to the ground. Seeing her in the dust, Cupid stopped his flight for an moment and said, "Oh foolish Psyche, is this how you repay my love? After I disobeyed my mother and made you my wife, will you think me a monster and cut off my head? But go, return to your sisters, for you prefer their advice to mine. I now leave you forever, for love cannot live where there is no trust." He flew away, leaving poor Psyche crying on the ground. When she rose and looked around her, the palace and gardens had vanished, and she found herself in the open field not far from the city where her sisters lived. She went to them and told what had happened. They pretended to be sad, but those mean creatures inwardly rejoiced. "For now," said they, "he will perhaps choose one of us." With this idea, without saying a word of their plans, each of them rose early the next morning and ascended the mountain. Having reached the top, called upon Zephyr to carry them to the god. Then leaping up and not being held up by Zephyr, each fell down from the edge of the cliff and was dashed to pieces. Psyche, meanwhile, wandered day and night, without food or sleep, in search of her husband. Finding a tall mountain with a magnificent temple, she said to herself, "Perhaps my love lives there." This article is available at 5 reading levels at 5

6 Ceres, the god of the temple, spoke to her, "Oh Psyche, truly worthy of our pity, though I cannot shield you from the anger of Venus, but I advise you to go to the goddess, beg for her forgiveness, and perhaps she will return the husband you have lost." Venus Punished Psyche Psyche obeyed the commands of Ceres and journeyed to the temple of Venus, thinking of ways to calm her anger, but worrying that this might end in her death. Psyche bowed before an angry Venus. "Most faithless of servants," Venus said, "do you at last remember that you really have a mistress or have you come to see your sick husband, wounded by his wife? You are so awful and disliked that the only way you can deserve to get your lover back is through most careful hard work. I will test your skills as a housewife." Then she ordered Psyche to be led to the storehouse of her temple, where there were great quantities of wheat, barley, millet seed, peas, beans, and lentils for her pigeons. Venus said, "Take and separate all these grains, putting all of the same kind in a package by themselves, and see that you get it done before evening." Then Venus left her to complete the task. But Psyche, upset and worried about the enormous work, sat silently, without moving a finger. Cupid, knowing what was happening, stirred up the little ants of the fields, to want to help Psyche. The leader of the anthill, followed by all the other six-legged workers, took each piece, grain by grain, and separated the pile. Each different kind was put in a package and when it was all done, they vanished. Venus, as the sun was going down, returned from the banquet of the gods. Seeing the task done, she shouted, "This is no work of yours, wicked one. The poor husband you have wronged has done this." Then she threw her a piece of black bread for her supper and went away. The next morning, Venus summoned Psyche and said to her, "Go to that grove over there along the bank of the river. There you will find sheep feeding without a shepherd, with golden wool fleeces on their backs. Bring me a sample of that golden wool from every one of their fleeces." Psyche went to the riverside. She got ready to cross the river when the river god warned her, "Oh maiden, these waters are dangerous, and if you get to the other side the sharp horns of powerful rams will kill you. But when the noontide sun has driven them to the shade, they will fall asleep and you may then cross in safety, finding the woolly gold sticking to the bushes and the trunks of the trees." Psyche soon returned to Venus with her arms full of the golden fleece, but she received no praise from her cold and cruel mistress, who said, "I know very well it is by none of your own doings that you have succeeded in this task, and I am not satisfied yet that you have any ability to make yourself useful. But I have another task for you. Here, take this box and go your way to the shore of the river Styx, where the spirit of the dead wait to be ferried across to the This article is available at 5 reading levels at 6

7 underworld of Pluto. Give this box to Proserpine, the daughter of Jupiter, who has been kidnapped by Pluto, and say, 'My mistress Venus desires you to send her a little of your beauty, to help cure her sick son, Cupid.' Be not too long, for I must paint myself with her beauty for a meeting of the gods and goddesses this evening." Psyche Traveled To The Underworld Psyche was now sure she would die because she was being sent down to the underworld, where death begins, so she went to the top of a high tower and got ready to leap to her death. But a voice from the tower said to her, "Why, poor unlucky girl, do you want to put an end to your days?" The voice then told her how by a certain cave she might reach the the world of Pluto safely, avoiding Cerberus, the vicious three-headed dog, and get Charon, the ferryman, to take her across the black river and bring her back again. But the voice added, "When Proserpine has given you the box filled with her beauty, remember that you cannot allow your curiosity to make you open the box and see the treasure of the beauty of the goddesses." This article is available at 5 reading levels at 7

8 Psyche, encouraged by this advice, traveled safely to the kingdom of Pluto. She was admitted to the palace of Proserpine and delivered the message from Venus. The box was quickly brought to her, shut and filled with the precious beauty. Then she returned the way she came. On the way, she asked herself, "Shall I, the carrier of this divine beauty, not take a small bit to put on my cheeks to look more beautiful to my beloved husband?" So she carefully opened the box, but there was no beauty at all, only a death-like sleep which caused her to fall in the middle of the road. Cupid Rescued Psyche Cupid, being now recovered from his wound and missing his beloved Psyche, slipped through the smallest crack of the window of his bedroom which happened to be left open, flew to the spot where Psyche lay, and gathered up the sleep from her body, closed it again in the box, This article is available at 5 reading levels at 8

9 and awakened Psyche with a light touch of one of his arrows. "Again," he said, "have you almost died because of your curiosity. But now bring this box to my mother, and I will take care of the rest." Then Cupid, as swift as lightning, flew the heights of heaven, and told Jupiter of his love for Psyche. Jupiter decided that Cupid and Psyche should be together, went to Venus and convinced her to let them be husband and wife. He then sent Mercury to bring Psyche up to his heavenly palace, and when she arrived, handing her a cup of ambrosia, the sweetest wine of the gods, he said, "Drink this, Psyche, and be immortal; nor shall Cupid ever break away from the knot in which he is tied, for you will be married forever." Thus Psyche became at last united to Cupid, and in due time, they had a daughter born to them whose name was Pleasure. From Thomas Bulfinch's "The Age of Fable; or, Stories of Gods and Heroes" published in This article is available at 5 reading levels at 9