Summary of Cupid and Psyche

Long ago there lived a king with three daughters. The youngest, Psyche, was the most beautiful of all. In fact, she was so lovely that people said she was prettier than Venus, the goddess of love and beauty. The goddess became so angry she made her son, Cupid, shoot Psyche to make her fall in love with the worst man on earth. Obediently, Cupid, who was the god of love, flew down to earth. Clumsily, his finger slipped and he pricked himself with the tip of his arrow, and he fell in love with Psyche!

The god of love sent a message to Psyche’s family and notified them that she must not marry a mortal, and told them that she must go to a mountaintop to meet the immortal, who was a terrible monster. The maiden went courageously to meet her fate. As she arrived at the summit, she felt a warm wind surround her and found herself in a palace. Cupid visited her every night in the dark, and left before she woke up.

Psyche loved her unseen husband, and for a while she did not ask him to show his face or state his name. However, she became curious, and was afraid that he was really a monster. To clarify, one night she lit a lamp and went to her husband to see his face. When she saw that he was Cupid, she trembled with delight, and a drop of hot oil fell from the lamp onto the god’s shoulder, which made him wake up. When he saw what the maiden had done, he left her and went back to his mother, Venus. The goddess locked him in her palace because he deceived her.

As soon as Cupid departed, the palace vanished and Psyche was alone on the cold mountaintop. She began to wander around in search of her lost love, but could not find him. At last, the poor maiden went to the temple of Venus. The goddess did not greet her kindly; instead she ordered Psyche to separate a pile of various grains into their respective piles. Fortunately, an army of ants had come to her aid, and helped her complete the difficult task.

Venus became angry and ordered Psyche to take a box and ask Proserpina, the queen of the underworld, to put a little of her beauty in it. The damsel set off, full of fear. Suddenly, she heard a voice telling her to take a coin to give the ferryman, who would carry her across a river, then take a cake to the three-headed watchdog of the underworld, and after the queen of the underworld placed some of her beauty in the box, to not open it. Psyche agreed, but after she got the box filled, she began to wonder what was inside. She thought that she might be able to win back Cupid if she acquired the beauty for herself. As she opened the box, a deep and heavy slumber drifted out, and the maiden fell senseless to sleep.

In the meantime, Cupid’s love for Psyche had returned, and he managed to escape Venus’ palace, and saw his love lying on the ground. He took the heavy sleep from her body and put it back into the box, then told her to take the box to the goddess of beauty and love. Happily, the beautiful maiden went to do her task while Cupid begged Jupiter, the king of the gods, to bless his marriage with Psyche. Jupiter obliged, and even made Psyche an immortal, so Venus could not object to Cupid marrying the girl. So, they were married, and lived happily forever.