Why is cupid and psyche significant

Pregnant, Psyche attempts suicide and when that fails, she asks her mother-in-law Venus for assistance. Venus, still jealous and vindictive, assigns her four impossible tasks. The first three are taken care of—with the help of agents—but the fourth task is to go into the underworld and ask Proserpina for a portion of her beauty. Assisted by other agents again, she achieves the task, but returning from the underworld she is overcome by a fatal curiosity and peeks into the chest reserved for Venus.

She falls unconscious, but Cupid awakens her and introduces her as a bride among the immortals. Venus is reconciled to the new resident of Mount Olympus, and the birth of their child "Pleasure" or "Hedone" seals the bond. His name was Lucius Apuleius, known as Africanus. His novel is thought to give us inside details of the workings of ancient mystery rites, as well as this charming romantic story of love between a mortal and a god.

The myth of the love story and the marriage of Cupid and Psyche is in some way a version of Lucius' own hope of redemption from the fatal error that turned him into an ass, and it is embedded in Lucius' tale in Books 4—6. The Cupid and Psyche myth was codified by Apuleius, but he apparently fleshed out the tale based on much older existing folktales. There are at least folktales from all over Europe and Asia that have components that include mysterious bridegrooms, evil sisters, impossible tasks and trials, and a trip to the underworld: "Cinderella" and "Beauty and the Beast" are two prime examples.

Some scholars also find the roots of Apuleius's tale in Plato's "Symposium to Diotima," also called the "Ladder of Love. Poverty found him there and resolved to make him the father of her child. That child was Love, a demon who always aspires to something higher. The goal of every soul is immortality, says Diotima, and the foolish seek it through worldly recognition, the common man through fatherhood, and the artist through the making of a poem or image.

The iconic Cupid with his baby-fat hands clenching his bow and arrows is all too familiar with Valentine's Day cards. Even during the Classical period, people described Cupid as a sometimes mischievous and precocious ancient baby, but this is quite a step down from his original exalted heights.

Originally, Cupid was known as Eros love. Cupid is the equivalent to the gods Amor and Eros, depending on which myths are told. He is represented by the symbol of two hearts with an arrow piercing through them. One of the major conflicts in the story of Cupid and Psyche is jealousy.

Jealousy is shown when Venus forces Psyche to complete lots of nearly impossible tasks. In the end, it takes the intervention of the king of the gods, Jupiter a. Zeus , to calm this jealous lady down. He is often portrayed as the son of the love goddess Venus and the god of Mars. He is also known in Latin as Amor "Love". His Greek counterpart is Eros. What human myth has mistaken for " Cupid " is actually a lower order of angel. Technically it's a cherub , third-class.

The hot oil made Cupid blind. He got really angry with her for breaking her promise and spill out oil in his eyes. Psyche tried to console Cupid , she begged of him to not leave her, but he left her. She accomplishes everything and gets to see Cupid and discovers that he is blind because of her oil spill. Who is cupid exactly? Widely popular on Valentines Day, the winged cupid may not seem like a god; an angel perhaps, but no more.

However, Cupid is no angel , and is certainly no cherub. Cupid was the god of love in Ancient Roman mythology. In vain then did that royal shepherd, whose judgment was approved by Jove himself, give me the palm of beauty over my illustrious rivals, Pallas and Juno.

But she shall not so quietly usurp my honors. I will give her cause to repent of so unlawful a beauty. Thereupon she calls her winged son Cupid, mischievous enough in his own nature, and rouses and provokes him yet more by her complaints. She points out Psyche to him and says, "My dear son, punish that contumacious beauty; give your mother a revenge as sweet as her injuries are great; infuse into the bosom of that haughty girl a passion for some low, mean, unworthy being, so that she may reap a mortification as great as her present exultation and triumph.

Cupid prepared to obey the commands of his mother. There are two fountains in Venus's garden, one of sweet waters, the other of bitter. Cupid filled two amber vases, one from each fountain, and suspending them from the top of his quiver, hastened to the chamber of Psyche, whom he found asleep.

He shed a few drops from the bitter fountain over her lips, though the sight of her almost moved him to pity; then touched her side with the point of his arrow. At the touch she awoke, and opened eyes upon Cupid himself invisible , which so startled him that in his confusion he wounded himself with his own arrow.

Heedless of his wound, his whole thought now was to repair the mischief he had done, and he poured the balmy drops of joy over all her silken ringlets. Psyche, henceforth frowned upon by Venus, derived no benefit from all her charms. True, all eyes were cast eagerly upon her, and every mouth spoke her praises; but neither king, royal youth, nor plebeian presented himself to demand her in marriage.

Her two elder sisters of moderate charms had now long been married to two royal princes; but Psyche, in her lonely apartment, deplored her solitude, sick of that beauty which, while it procured abundance of flattery, had failed to awaken love. Her parents, afraid that they had unwittingly incurred the anger of the gods, consulted the oracle of Apollo, and received this answer, "The virgin is destined for the bride of no mortal lover.

Her future husband awaits her on the top of the mountain. He is a monster whom neither gods nor men can resist. This dreadful decree of the oracle filled all the people with dismay, and her parents abandoned themselves to grief.

But Psyche said, "Why, my dear parents, do you now lament me? You should rather have grieved when the people showered upon me undeserved honors, and with one voice called me a Venus. I now perceive that I am a victim to that name. I submit. Lead me to that rock to which my unhappy fate has destined me. Accordingly, all things being prepared, the royal maid took her place in the procession, which more resembled a funeral than a nuptial pomp, and with her parents, amid the lamentations of the people, ascended the mountain, on the summit of which they left her alone, and with sorrowful hearts returned home.

While Psyche stood on the ridge of the mountain, panting with fear and with eyes full of tears, the gentle Zephyr raised her from the earth and bore her with an easy motion into a flowery dale. By degrees her mind became composed, and she laid herself down on the grassy bank to sleep. When she awoke refreshed with sleep, she looked round and beheld nearby a pleasant grove of tall and stately trees.

She entered it, and in the midst discovered a fountain, sending forth clear and crystal waters, and fast by, a magnificent palace whose august front impressed the spectator that it was not the work of mortal hands, but the happy retreat of some god.

Drawn by admiration and wonder, she approached the building and ventured to enter. Every object she met filled her with pleasure and amazement. Golden pillars supported the vaulted roof, and the walls were enriched with carvings and paintings representing beasts of the chase and rural scenes, adapted to delight the eye of the beholder.

Proceeding onward, she perceived that besides the apartments of state there were others filled with all manner of treasures, and beautiful and precious productions of nature and art. While her eyes were thus occupied, a voice addressed her, though she saw no one, uttering these words, "Sovereign lady, all that you see is yours.

The Golden Ass. Kennedy Penguin: London, Ashliman, D. Accessed July 1, Heiner, Heidi Anne. October Accessed July 5, She is also a graduate of Celtic and Viking Read More. I did at first think this story of Cupid and Psyche were just myths but, recently I have since learned that isn't the case and I look at the many statues of Cupid embracing Psyche with new eyes.

In fact I'm currently counting Cupids' and Psyche's but, their identified by other name's in other language's. I guess whatever has been chronicled as a Myth in the past with our Ancient Ancestors has forced me too re-think all of these stories similar to Cupid and Psyche as true.

Often reminding myself I wasn't there I can't make a full declaration of whether are not it did or didn't happen in the manner our Ancestors teach that events did take place this outlook is to my understanding of Cupid and Psyche's Tale. I won't dwell on the specifics of why I've changed my stance where Cupid and Psyche are concerned; I'll just say I enjoyed, the article, and I learn something new everyday.

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