In Greek mythology, the power of love is told in many legends, but one of the most fascinating and emotional stories is the legend of Cupid and Psyche. This story shows the power of love to overcome obstacles and the impact of loyalty and sacrifice in the glory of love. While Cupid is known as the god of love, Psyche is the symbol of the human soul. The love of these two characters is a powerful story that shows how love can both withstand adversity and overcome the most difficult tests of lovers in mythology. Let me tell you the story of Cupid and Psyche...
According to legend, Cupid was the son of Mercury, the winged messenger of the gods, and Venus, the goddess of love. It is also well-known that Venus controlled her son's behavior. He was often depicted as a winged baby carrying a bow and quiver, and the wounds he caused would awaken love or passion in each of his victims. Although some sources portray Cupid as lethargic and careless, or mischievous when playing matchmaker, he is generally known as a benevolent person due to the happiness he brought to both mortal and immortal couples.
Psyche was a girl famous for her beauty. This infuriated Venus, so she sent a plague to the country and announced that the only way for the country to return to normal was to sacrifice Psyche. Psyche's father, the king, believed this lie and left his daughter to die at the hands of a terrible monster. But Venus's son, Cupid saved Psyche first and then married her. Unfortunately for the young couple, Venus wasn't the only one trying to ruin things; Psyche had two sisters who were just as jealous as Venus.
Cupid was a wonderful husband to Psyche, but there was something strange about their relationship: he prevented her from seeing what he was like. At first, Psyche didn't care; she lived a beautiful life with her husband, although in the dark, and during the day, she had all the luxuries she could want. When the sisters learn of Psyche's luxurious lifestyle, they began to interfere in their life. Cupid was a god, after all, and although he was very beautiful, he did not want his mortal wife to see him. Psyche's sisters did not know that Cupid was a god, but they suspected it. They knew that Psyche's life was much better than theirs and that she was very happy. Since they knew their sister well, they took advantage of her insecurities and convinced Psyche that her husband was a monster who was hiding from her. Psyche told her sisters that they were wrong, but since she had never seen him, she began to have doubts herself. Psyche could not resist her sisters' pressure and one night, she used a candle to see her sleeping husband's face. Cupid's form was magnificent, and as Psyche stood there in awe, a drop of the candle dripped onto her husband. Cupid woke up in pain and flew to his mother. Venus said that she told her son that his wife was no good several times and demanded that her son leave his wife. Cupid could have accepted the separation, but Psyche did not. Unwilling to part with her beautiful husband, Psyche asked her mother-in-law to give her another chance. Venus agreed, but there were certain conditions for Cupid and Psyche to be reunited, and she had no intention of being fair. She gave her four tasks, each more difficult than the last. The four tasks were: sort a large pile of barley, millet, poppy seeds, lentils, and beans; gather a ball of wool from a shining golden sheep; fill a crystal bowl with water from the spring that fed the Styx and Cocytus; and bring Persephone's beauty cream. Even for the bravest heroes in Greek mythology, traveling to the Underworld was a challenge. But when Venus told her she had to go to the most dangerous place known to mortals, Psyche was confident. The journey was easy for her because a talking tower told her how to find the entrance to the Underworld, how to evade Charon and Cerberus, and how to behave in front of the queen of the underworld. The last task was the most difficult, and it was to retrieve the beauty cream from the underworld. Psyche was tempted to become more beautiful. If the beauty of the perfect goddess Venus required this subterranean beauty cream, Psyche thought that how much more could it help a mortal woman like her. So, Psyche successfully retrieved the cream, but because of these thoughts, she decided to open the package and use the cream by herself. As soon as he opened the package, as Venus had secretly planned, he fell into a death-like sleep. At this point, divine intervention was needed for the story to have a happy ending. Cupid brought his wife to Olympus, where, on Zeus' orders, the gods made her immortal. On Olympus, in the presence of the other gods, Venus reluctantly reconciled with her pregnant bride; the child was named Voluptas. Thus, Cupid and Psyche lived happily ever after.