Week 3 Story: Cupid and Psyche

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Cupid and Psyche
Source: Cupid and Psyche

Son Betrayal Leads to Happily Ever After 

In an unexpected turn of events, the famous son of the lovely goddess of love, Venus, defies his mother’s orders to kill the beautiful mortal, Psyche. Venus became overly jealous by rumors of the astounding beauty of Psyche, the third daughter of a local Queen and King. Citizen’s flocked to worship the young mortal beauty, thus eliciting jealous rage of the goddess. Venus orders her son, cupid to make Psyche fall in love with a poor, retched man. A servant from the Queen and King’s castle says, “The young beauty was miserable. She hated her beauty and feared for her marriage prospect. She is innocent in all of this and never asked to have this life. The King also consulted an oracle, because he was said that no one loved his daughter and was told to take her to the top of the mountain and that she would have a fatal and dark wedding.” 

The King and Queen dropped their daughter off on the mountain top and deserted her. From here she was taken by the wind from the mountain and carried the young beauty to the valley, but unbeknownst to Psyche this was all a part of Cupids grand plan. He provided her a place, riches and invisible servants, but the caveat to her happiness that she could not see him in the light. Psyche beds Cupid. 

Her sisters searched for their missing little sister. With the help of her husband, Psyche brings the two sisters to the place with the invisible servants. The sisters become envious of Psyche’s vast riches and become curious of Psyche’s illusive husband. When they find no answer, they get jealous and plan on doing her evil. Cupid tells her not the answer the sister and informs Psyche she is pregnant. The sisters come back to the palace to get more answers and fell the answe3rs Psyche gave them were lies. The devised a plan to convinced Psyche that she is married to a serpent. She believed them, admitting that she has never seen his face. The sisters advise Psyche to cut off Cupids head when he sleeps. That night Psyche lights the lamp to cut off his head and realizes that her husband is no serpent, but the beautiful Cupid, son of Venus. As she realizes who she is wed too, the the lamp oil burns him and he wakes up. He then admits he disobeyed his mother by marrying her and flies away. To get back at her sisters’ cruel ways, she visits each one individually about Cupid, and said as punishment for her disobeying him that he will marry the sister she was talking too. The sisters were ecstatic and go to the top of the mountain, jump to have they wind carry them, but the wind does not pull through, leaving each of the sisters to fall to their death. 

            Venus finds out about how her beloved son betrays her wishes. While Cupid was recovering in the other world. Psyche finds Venus and Venus gives Psyche fours life threatening tacks. Psyche had help with preforming the tasks. Psyche completes all the tasks but one. Vein Psyche failed the last, retrieving the jar of beauty, and takes one drop for herself to help get Cupid back, but it was a sleeping potion. Cupid wipes the poison from Psyches mouth and tells her to complete the task, while he seeks advice from his father. They convince Venus into approval. Psyche drink the drink of immortality. Psyche, Cupid, and their daughter, Pleasure, live happily ever after. 

Story Source: Apuleius, Origin stories: Apuleius's Golden Ass,, http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/p/weeks-3-4.html

This story is a rendition from the old love story of Cupid and Psyche. A story of a forbidden love turned true.