Myths and Legends: Cupid and Psyche, love and marriage By Thomas Bulfinch, adapted by Newsela staff on 10.26.16 Word Count 1,629 TOP: This Valentine postcard with Cupid in flight was produced around 1910. Getty Images. MIDDLE: Cupid and Psyche. BOTTOM: Psyche on the river leading to the underworld, painted by Eugène Ernest Hillemacher in 1865. 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 Disliked Psyche Because Of Her Looks A king and queen had three beautiful daughters, but the beauty of the youngest, Psyche, was impossible to describe. Her beauty was so great that she was compared to Venus, the goddess of love and beauty. This greatly angered Venus, so she wanted to punish Psyche for being so beautiful. Venus told her son Cupid, who was tricky and mean, to punish Psyche by making her fall in love with an awful monster. This would ruin her life. She told Cupid to go to the two fountains in her garden that had sweet and bitter waters. He filled two vases, one from each fountain, and flew to Psyche's bedroom where she was asleep. Cupid put a few drops from the bitter water over her lips, but suddenly he started
to feel sorry for her. Then he touched her side with the point of his arrow which made her wake up and open her eyes. Cupid was invisible, but was so surprised that he got confused and wounded himself by accident with his own arrow. This made him fall in love with Psyche. Now he felt he needed to end the curse from the bitter water. So he poured the sweet drops of joy over all her silken hair and flew off. As time passed, Psyche was still very beautiful, but no one wanted to marry her. Her two older sisters married royal princes, but Psyche lived alone. Psyche Married A God Her parents were afraid that they made the gods angry, so they went to the oracle of Apollo, who saw the future. They were told that Psyche would marry a god that was a mighty monster and that the god waited for her on top of a mountain. Her parents took Psyche up the mountain and left her there. Psyche's eyes filled with tears as she stood on the mountain panting with fear. Then she was gently lifted from the earth by Zephyr, god of the west wind. He carried her up to a flowery meadow, where she fell asleep. When she awoke, she saw the grand palace of a god. She entered and saw golden columns, high ceilings and beautiful paintings. A voice called out to her, "Royal lady, all that you see is yours." At supper, the table was covered with delicious food and drink. Invisible musicians played wonderful music. Psyche never saw her husband. He came only at night in the darkness and left before morning, never allowing lamps to be lit. But his words were full of love. She loved him, too. She often begged him to stay and let her see him, but he refused. "Why should you wish to see me?" he said. "If you saw me, you might fear me." All I ask of you is to love me as an equal, not as a god." Psyche Tried To Kill Her Husband For a time, Psyche was very happy, but she started to miss her family. She asked if she could see her sisters. Her husband agreed and told Zephyr to bring them to her. Psyche was so happy to see them. She showed them her golden palace, but the sisters began to get very jealous. They asked many questions about her husband. Psyche confessed that she had never seen him. They reminded her that the oracle said she would marry a great monster, so they said she was in serious danger. They told her to find and hide a lamp and sharp knife. Then, when her husband was asleep, she should take out a lamp, and see if he was a monster. If it was true, they told her to cut off his head.
Her sisters went back home, but the words of warning stayed with Psyche. She found and hid a lamp and a sharp knife. When her husband had fallen asleep, she lit her lamp and saw he was a very beautiful god. A drop of burning oil from the lamp fell on the shoulder of the god Cupid. 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 called to her, "Oh foolish Psyche, this is how you repay my love. After I disobeyed my mother and made you my wife, you thought to cut off my head. Go, return to your sisters. I now leave you forever. Love cannot live where there is no trust." He flew away. Psyche lay crying on the ground. The palace and gardens disappeared. Psyche went home to her sisters. She told them what had happened. They pretended to be sad. They weren't. Each sister felt that she could be the wife of Cupid. Early the next morning, they secretly climbed up the mountain. At the top, they asked the wind god Zephyr to fly them to the palace. Leaping up to reach for Zephyr, each fell from the cliff. They were killed. Venus Gave Psyche A Series Of Tasks Night and day, Psyche searched for her husband. Eventually, Psyche went to the temple of Venus. But she worried Venus would kill her. Psyche bowed before angry Venus. The goddess told her, "You are so awful and disliked. The only way you can deserve to get your lover back is through hard work. I will test your skills as a housewife." Then she sent Psyche to a place filled with wheat, barley, seeds, peas, and beans for her pigeons. Venus told her to separate all the grains and put each kind in packages. She had to finish by nighttime. Then Venus left. Psyche couldn't do anything. She just sat there. Cupid, knowing what was happening, wanted to help Psyche. He got the ant leader of the anthill and all his workers, to help Psyche. They took each piece, grain by grain, separated them and put them in packages. When it was all done, they left. Venus returned. She shouted, "This is no work of yours, wicked one. The poor husband you have wronged has helped you." The next morning, Venus ordered Psyche to go to the river. Sheep with golden wool were grazing across the river. Venus wanted the gold wool from each sheep. Psyche went to the river. She got ready to cross the river when the river god stopped her. He warned her that the waters were dangerous and the sharp horns of powerful rams would kill her. He told her to wait until noon. The sun would be hot and the rams would go to the shade and fall asleep. He told her to go at that time and take the woolly gold that was stuck on the bushes.
Psyche brought the woolly gold to Venus. But Venus said, "I know very well you didn't do this on your own. I have another job for you. Take this box and go to the river where the dead wait to go across to the underworld of Pluto. Give this box to Proserpine, the daughter of Jupiter. She is there because Pluto kidnapped her. Tell her I want her to put a little of her beauty in the box to help cure Cupid. Do this quickly." Psyche Disobeyed The Gods 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. She got ready to jump to her death, but a voice from the tower said to her, "Poor unlucky girl, do not put an end to your days." Then the voice told her how she might reach the world of Pluto safely. But the voice added, "When Proserpine has given you the box filled with her beauty, remember that you cannot be curious and open the box." Psyche traveled safely to the kingdom of Pluto. She found Proserpine and delivered her message from Venus. The box was quickly brought to her filled with the beauty. Then she returned the way she came. On the way, she said to herself, "I have this box of beauty. Maybe a small bit on my cheeks will make me 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 Still Loved Psyche Cupid was no longer ill and was missing his love, Psyche. He flew to the spot where Psyche lay, and gathered up the sleep from her body, closed it again in the box, and awakened her with a light touch of one of his arrows. "Again," said he, "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 to the heights of heaven, and told Jupiter about his love for Psyche. Jupiter decided that they should be together and went to Venus and convinced her to let them be husband and wife. When Psyche arrived at Jupiter's palace, he gave her a cup of ambrosia, the sweetest wine of the gods and said, "Drink this, Psyche, and live forever married to Cupid." 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 1855.
Quiz 1 Read the section "Venus Disliked Psyche Because Of Her Looks." What was Venus' MAIN goal in sending Cupid to Psyche? to fall in love with Psyche and make her his bride to help Psyche find her true love in the world to make Psyche afraid of Cupid's true powers to hurt Psyche because she was so beautiful 2 Read the section "Psyche Married A God." Based on information in the section, which of these statements is TRUE? Psyche's parents did not care about angering the gods. The oracle of Apollo told Psyche's parents about her future. Psyche's new home with her husband was not very nice. Psyche did not feel any love for her new husband. 3 Select the sentence from the section "Venus Gave Psyche A Series Of Tasks" that shows Cupid disagreed with Venus' attempts to hurt Psyche. Night and day, Psyche searched for her husband. Cupid, knowing what was happening, wanted to help Psyche. The next morning, Venus ordered Psyche to go to the river. "Tell her I want her to put a little of her beauty in the box to help cure Cupid." 4 Which answer option is a summary of the section "Cupid Still Loved Psyche"? Cupid woke Psyche from her death-like sleep but reminded her that she was injured because of her curiosity. He flew to Jupiter and convinced him to let them be husband and wife forever. Cupid woke Psyche from her death-like sleep by asking Jupiter for his help closing the box. He sent a cup of ambrosia to his mother and brought Psyche to his palace to live forever. Psyche fell into a death-like sleep because she opened a box given to her by Proserpine in the underworld. She had gone to the underworld with the help of a voice from a high tower. Psyche fell into a death-like sleep because she was completing a number of tasks given to her by Venus. One of the tasks was to separate all different kinds of grains for Venus' pigeons.
Answer Key 1 Read the section "Venus Disliked Psyche Because Of Her Looks." What was Venus' MAIN goal in sending Cupid to Psyche? to fall in love with Psyche and make her his bride to help Psyche find her true love in the world to make Psyche afraid of Cupid's true powers to hurt Psyche because she was so beautiful 2 Read the section "Psyche Married A God." Based on information in the section, which of these statements is TRUE? Psyche's parents did not care about angering the gods. The oracle of Apollo told Psyche's parents about her future. Psyche's new home with her husband was not very nice. Psyche did not feel any love for her new husband. 3 Select the sentence from the section "Venus Gave Psyche A Series Of Tasks" that shows Cupid disagreed with Venus' attempts to hurt Psyche. Night and day, Psyche searched for her husband. Cupid, knowing what was happening, wanted to help Psyche. The next morning, Venus ordered Psyche to go to the river. "Tell her I want her to put a little of her beauty in the box to help cure Cupid." 4 Which answer option is a summary of the section "Cupid Still Loved Psyche"? Cupid woke Psyche from her death-like sleep but reminded her that she was injured because of her curiosity. He flew to Jupiter and convinced him to let them be husband and wife forever. Cupid woke Psyche from her death-like sleep by asking Jupiter for his help closing the box. He sent a cup of ambrosia to his mother and brought Psyche to his palace to live forever. Psyche fell into a death-like sleep because she opened a box given to her by Proserpine in the underworld. She had gone to the underworld with the help of a voice from a high tower. Psyche fell into a death-like sleep because she was completing a number of tasks given to her by Venus. One of the tasks was to separate all different kinds of grains for Venus' pigeons.