The god Cupid, son of Venus, had been gravely injured and was recovering at his mother’s palace. During his recovery, his mother sought out his wife Psyche. Venus was jealous of Psyche because of her beauty. Psyche was a mortal and was so beautiful that other people would praise her and forgot to praise Venus. This did not sit well with Venus, so she sought to destroy Psyche however she could. Venus finally found Psyche and made her perform impossible tasks, like sorting grain and obtaining a sample of dangerous water. Psyche completed every task, but Venus was not satisfied. The completed tasks only fueled her rage and resulted in another task that was more difficult than the one before. Psyche’s third task was to obtain a vial of beauty from Proserpine in the underworld. She was warned not to look in the vial regardless of how persistent her curiosity became. However, Psyche did not listen. She was an extremely curious girl and it got the better of her. As soon as she opened the vial she fell into a deep sleep.
Cupid began to feel better and went looking for his precious Psyche. He finally located her and instantly went to where she slept. “Why do you have to be so curious,” he asked. “Have you never heard the saying ‘Curiosity killed the cat’?” Once he had finished lecturing her peaceful self, he gracefully bent over her sleeping form and lightly brushed his lips against hers. As soon as his lips came into contact with hers, she awoke.
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| Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss, by Antonio Canova, exhibited in the Louvre Source:Wikipedia |
Now that she was awake he quickly chided her again saying, “You must be more careful my silly wife and must not let your curiosity get the better of you.” Psyche apologized and began to tell Cupid of all the things his mother had done. “Take this vial to her and complete your third task, so that you may gain some favor with her. I will take care of the rest.” After uttering this command, he flew off to seek support from Jupiter. Cupid fell on his knees and begged Jupiter for help with his mother and support for his marriage. Jupiter, who had been pranked many times by Cupid, decided he would toy with him a little before agreeing to help. He told Cupid that there was not a good reason for him to help because Cupid had only ever caused him misery and did not fully respect him. Cupid, now beginning to panic ever so slightly, proceeded to apologize profusely. He was becoming so nervous that he was almost in tears. Jupiter found great pleasure in this and began to chuckle. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I simply could not resist this opportunity at payback. I will help you boy. I will tell your mother that she has no choice but to get over her jealousy and displeasure with Psyche. I will also see to it that this marriage is made official and that Psyche becomes immortal.” Cupid sighed a great sigh of relief and thanked Jupiter for his kindness.
Psyche, relieved to have seen her husband and to have gained some reassurance, headed back to Venus’s palace to complete her final task. She entered into her mother-in-law’s chambers and presented her with the vial. Venus was a little impressed. She had given Psyche one of the hardest tasks known to man and she passed. Venus had tempted and tormented her in every way she could think, and yet Psyche never failed. “If this girl is strong enough to withstand my torture and can complete these tasks with no fear, then I guess she might be a decent fit for my son,” she thought to herself. However, she was not going to tell Psyche any of this because that would mean Psyche had won. So, she decided to act unimpressed. “There is no doubt that someone helped you complete this task,” she said to Psyche. “Do you think that I am dumb? There is no way that a mere mortal such as your self could complete these tasks the way you did.” Psyche was beginning to lose hope. Would she ever be able to get Venus off her back? Just as Psyche was about to let despair take hold, Cupid came flying into the chambers. “I have news mother,” he began. “I have spoken to Jupiter and he has agreed to honor my marriage to Psyche and to make it completely official by turning Psyche immortal.” Venus was taken aback. She was starting to hate the girl less, but she did not like being left out of important decisions. “I do not condone this, therefore it may not take place,” she said. “You have no say in the matter,” Cupid replied. “Jupiter has agreed to do this and has informed me to tell you that you are to get over your childish jealousy at once.” Venus was shocked, but there was nothing she could do since these orders had come from Jupiter. Psyche ran to her beloved husband and embraced him tight. She began to cry quietly, relieved that it was all over. They could finally be together and now had forever to look forward to. Happily ever after was finally theirs.
Author’s note: The inspiration for this story was from The Sleep of the Dead. In this particular story, Psyche has just completed her third task for Venus, obtaining a vial of beauty from Proserpine, and decides to take some for herself. When she opens the vial, however, she does not find beauty but is overcome by a deep sleep. Cupid, who had been injured, has healed and goes to Psyche. He wipes off the sleep and returns it to the jar. He then awakens Psyche with an arrow and tells her to finish her task and then goes to Jupiter for help. Jupiter responds by listing all the things Cupid has done to him, but agrees to what he asks despite Cupid’s disrespect.
I decided to elaborate on this story more. I first changed how Cupid woke Psyche up. I thought it would be interesting to give it a Disney feel and have Psyche be awoken by a kiss like in Sleeping Beauty. Aurora also fell into a deep sleep because of curiosity and I thought these similarities would help make the story a little more interesting. I also changed the interaction between Cupid and Jupiter a little. Instead of Jupiter saying “I’ll help you despite what you’ve done,” I had him toy with Cupid a little to get payback for the things that he had done. I also had Jupiter say that he would take care of Venus. The part that I was most excited about was elaborating on the interaction between Venus and Psyche when Psyche returned with the completed task. I thought it would be interesting to show that Venus was impressed, but that she was so proud that she would not admit it. I also thought it would be good to show that Venus was starting to warm up to Psyche a little bit. I thought it was important to have Cupid come tell his mother that Jupiter was supporting the marriage and was demanding that she back off because it kind of let Venus off the hook. She could allow them to still be married, but she didn’t have to admit that she was starting to like Psyche. Her pride was still intact, despite being told what to do.
Psyche, relieved to have seen her husband and to have gained some reassurance, headed back to Venus’s palace to complete her final task. She entered into her mother-in-law’s chambers and presented her with the vial. Venus was a little impressed. She had given Psyche one of the hardest tasks known to man and she passed. Venus had tempted and tormented her in every way she could think, and yet Psyche never failed. “If this girl is strong enough to withstand my torture and can complete these tasks with no fear, then I guess she might be a decent fit for my son,” she thought to herself. However, she was not going to tell Psyche any of this because that would mean Psyche had won. So, she decided to act unimpressed. “There is no doubt that someone helped you complete this task,” she said to Psyche. “Do you think that I am dumb? There is no way that a mere mortal such as your self could complete these tasks the way you did.” Psyche was beginning to lose hope. Would she ever be able to get Venus off her back? Just as Psyche was about to let despair take hold, Cupid came flying into the chambers. “I have news mother,” he began. “I have spoken to Jupiter and he has agreed to honor my marriage to Psyche and to make it completely official by turning Psyche immortal.” Venus was taken aback. She was starting to hate the girl less, but she did not like being left out of important decisions. “I do not condone this, therefore it may not take place,” she said. “You have no say in the matter,” Cupid replied. “Jupiter has agreed to do this and has informed me to tell you that you are to get over your childish jealousy at once.” Venus was shocked, but there was nothing she could do since these orders had come from Jupiter. Psyche ran to her beloved husband and embraced him tight. She began to cry quietly, relieved that it was all over. They could finally be together and now had forever to look forward to. Happily ever after was finally theirs.
Author’s note: The inspiration for this story was from The Sleep of the Dead. In this particular story, Psyche has just completed her third task for Venus, obtaining a vial of beauty from Proserpine, and decides to take some for herself. When she opens the vial, however, she does not find beauty but is overcome by a deep sleep. Cupid, who had been injured, has healed and goes to Psyche. He wipes off the sleep and returns it to the jar. He then awakens Psyche with an arrow and tells her to finish her task and then goes to Jupiter for help. Jupiter responds by listing all the things Cupid has done to him, but agrees to what he asks despite Cupid’s disrespect.
I decided to elaborate on this story more. I first changed how Cupid woke Psyche up. I thought it would be interesting to give it a Disney feel and have Psyche be awoken by a kiss like in Sleeping Beauty. Aurora also fell into a deep sleep because of curiosity and I thought these similarities would help make the story a little more interesting. I also changed the interaction between Cupid and Jupiter a little. Instead of Jupiter saying “I’ll help you despite what you’ve done,” I had him toy with Cupid a little to get payback for the things that he had done. I also had Jupiter say that he would take care of Venus. The part that I was most excited about was elaborating on the interaction between Venus and Psyche when Psyche returned with the completed task. I thought it would be interesting to show that Venus was impressed, but that she was so proud that she would not admit it. I also thought it would be good to show that Venus was starting to warm up to Psyche a little bit. I thought it was important to have Cupid come tell his mother that Jupiter was supporting the marriage and was demanding that she back off because it kind of let Venus off the hook. She could allow them to still be married, but she didn’t have to admit that she was starting to like Psyche. Her pride was still intact, despite being told what to do.
Bibliography: Apuleius's Golden Ass, translated by Tony Kline; Mythology and Folklore Untextbook
