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*The Abduction of Psyche* by William-Adolphe Bouguereau

Psyche (pronounced: SY-kee) is a former mortal woman and goddess of the soul in Greek mythology. She is the wife of Eros (Cupid) and the mother of Hedone. Today, Psyche is known from a story called The Golden Ass, written by Lucius Apuleius in the 2nd century.

Mythology

Early life

Psyche was the youngest daughter of a Greek king and queen. She had two older sisters. She was very beautiful. Many people said she was more beautiful than Aphrodite. People started worshipping Psyche instead of Aphrodite. This made the goddess angry. As a punishment, she sent her son, Eros, to make Psyche fall in love with an ugly person. However, Eros fell in love with Psyche. He decided to save her from his mother's anger.

Psyche's sisters were jealous of her beauty. They eventually married kings and left to be with their husbands. Nobody asked to marry Psyche. She was left alone. Her father decided to ask the Oracle of Delphi for help.

Marriage to Eros

*Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss* by Antonio Canova

Apollo, spoke to Psyche's father through the Oracle. He told her father that Psyche would marry a monster that even the gods were afraid of. Apollo said to dress Psyche in funeral clothes, take her to the tallest rock in the kingdom, and leave her there. The king sadly obeyed Apollo.

Psyche waited for the monster. When it did not come, she jumped from the rock. Zephyrus, the Greek lord of west wind, held her up to save her from death. He took her to Eros's palace. When Eros returned, he talked to Psyche in the dark. He said that she must not try to see him. He said that it would ruin everything if he told her his name. The first few weeks of Psyche's life in the palace were good. But soon her sisters convinced her to see what her husband looked like.

*Psyche surprising sleeping Cupid* by Louis Jean Francois Lagrenée

Psyche sneaked into her husband's room with an oil lamp. Psyche shone the light on her husband's face. A small drop of hot oil fell onto his shoulder. That burned him and woke him up. Eros felt betrayed by his wife's actions. He left Psyche.

Psyche was very unhappy after learning what she had done. Aphrodite found her and made her do four things. ^[1]

The first thing was to sort a huge pile of seeds. An ant colony helped Psyche do this.
The second thing was to gather wool from a dangerous sheep. A river god helped her by teaching her to collect pieces of wool from bushes.
The third thing was to collect water from the underworld. The eagle of Zeus collected the water for her.
The last thing was the most difficult. She had to bring back some of Persephone's beauty for Aphrodite. Persephone gave Psyche some of her beauty. When she was on her way back to Olympus, Psyche opened the box of Persephone's beauty. The only thing inside was death. Psyche died. Her husband, Eros, forgave her. He took her to Olympus.

Psyche was made the goddess of the soul. Psyche and Eros had a daughter, Hedone. Their daughter was the goddess of physical joy.

Related pages

16 Psyche

References

↑ "The Myth of Cupid and Psyche". ThoughtCo. N.S. Gill. Retrieved April 2, 2021.

[Trials_Reference-1] "The Myth of Cupid and Psyche". ThoughtCo. N.S. Gill. Retrieved April 2, 2021.

[1]

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-{{for| the [[psychology|psycholgical]] concept|Psyche (psychology)}}
 [[Image:Psycheabduct.jpg|thumb|250px|''The Abduction of Psyche'' by [[William-Adolphe Bouguereau]]|right]]
-'''Psyche''' (pronounce: SY-kee) is a [[mortal]] woman in [[Greek mythology]]. She was the wife of [[Eros]] and the mother of [[Hedone]].  She is always pictured with [[butterfly]] wings. Today, Psyche is known from a story called ''[[The Golden Ass]]'', written by [[Lucius Apuleius]] in the [[2nd century]].
+'''Psyche''' (pronounced: SY-kee) is a former [[mortal]] woman and goddess of the soul in [[Greek mythology]]. She is the wife of [[Eros]] (Cupid) and the mother of [[Hedone]].  Today, Psyche is known from a story called ''[[The Golden Ass]]'', written by [[Lucius Apuleius]] in the [[2nd century]].
+==Mythology==
-== Legend of Psyche ==
+=== Early life ===
-Psyche was not a natural-born goddess. She was the daughter of a king and queen. When Psyche grew up she was so beautiful and graceful that people dared to compare her beauty to Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. Aphrodite was thought to be the most beautiful goddess/woman who ever lived, and Psyche made her jealous. All the gods and men who once loved Aphrodite now turned towards Psyche. This made Aphrodite very mad and jealous.
+Psyche was the youngest daughter of a Greek king and queen. She had two older sisters. She was very beautiful. Many people said she was more beautiful than [[Aphrodite]]. People started worshipping Psyche instead of Aphrodite. This made the goddess angry. As a punishment, she sent her son, [[Eros]], to make Psyche fall in love with an ugly person. However, Eros fell in love with Psyche. He decided to save her from his mother's anger.
+Psyche's sisters were [[Jealousy|jealous]] of her beauty. They eventually married kings and left to be with their husbands. Nobody asked to marry Psyche. She was left alone. Her father decided to ask the [[Oracle of Delphi]] for help.
-To get rid of Psyche, Aphrodite asked her son [[Eros]] to make Psyche fall in love with the ugliest man on Earth. Eros shoots golden arrows which make people fall in love. He accidentally pricked himself with one of his arrows and fell in love with Psyche himself. He could not bear to do harm to her, so they got married and had a daughter named [[Hedone]] (called ''Voluptas'' in Roman mythology). Hedone is seen as the personification of [[lust]].
+=== Marriage to Eros ===
-Aphrodite said she would allow the marriage if Psyche could take a challenge and pass. Psyche was supposed to live with her husband without knowing who he was or what he looked like. Psyche's sisters Orotia and Thessela tricked her into believing that her husband might be a monster or that he might be cheating on her, so she lit a candle and looked at his face and found out he was Eros.
+[[File:Amore e Psiche, Canova.jpg|thumb|left|''[[Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss]]'' by [[Antonio Canova]]]]
+[[Apollo]], spoke to Psyche's father through the Oracle. He told her father that Psyche would marry a [[monster]] that even the gods were afraid of. Apollo said to dress Psyche in funeral clothes, take her to the tallest rock in the kingdom, and leave her there. The king sadly obeyed Apollo.
+Psyche waited for the monster. When it did not come, she jumped from the rock. [[Zephyrus]], the Greek lord of west wind, held her up to save her from death. He took her to [[Eros]]'s palace. When Eros returned, he talked to Psyche in the dark. He said that she must not try to see him. He said that it would ruin everything if he told her his name. The first few weeks of Psyche's life in the palace were good. But soon her sisters convinced her to see what her husband looked like.
-Eros left and Psyche meet Aphrodite for the first time.
+[[File:Louis Jean Francois Lagrenée - Psyche Surprises the Sleeping Cupid, 1769.jpg|thumb|''Psyche surprising sleeping Cupid'' by [[Louis Jean Francois Lagrenée]]]]
-Aphrodite said Psyche could get her husband back if she completed four tasks, the last one being to retrieve some cream from Hades and bring it back to Aphrodite. Psyche passed these tests with the help of Zeus and she and Eros were allowed to be together.
+Psyche sneaked into her husband's room with an [[oil lamp]]. Psyche shone the light on her husband's face. A small drop of hot oil fell onto his [[shoulder]]. That burned him and woke him up. Eros felt [[Betrayal|betrayed]] by his wife's actions. He left Psyche.
+Psyche was very unhappy after learning what she had done. Aphrodite found her and made her do four things. <ref name="Trials Reference">{{cite web |title=The Myth of Cupid and Psyche |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/the-myth-of-cupid-and-psyche-117892 |website=ThoughtCo |publisher=N.S. Gill |access-date=April 2, 2021}}</ref>
-{{Wikisource|Cupid and Psyche}}
+*The first thing was to sort a huge pile of seeds. An [[ant]] colony helped Psyche do this.
-{{Commonscat|Psyche}}
+*The second thing was to gather [[wool]] from a dangerous [[sheep]]. A river god helped her by teaching her to collect pieces of wool from bushes.
+*The third thing was to collect water from the [[Greek underworld|underworld]]. The [[eagle of Zeus]] collected the water for her.
+*The last thing was the most difficult. She had to bring back some of [[Persephone]]'s beauty for Aphrodite. Persephone gave Psyche some of her beauty. When she was on her way back to [[Olympus]], Psyche opened the box of Persephone's beauty. The only thing inside was death. Psyche died. Her husband, Eros, forgave her. He took her to Olympus.
+Psyche was made the goddess of the soul. Psyche and Eros had a daughter, [[Hedone]]. Their daughter was the goddess of physical joy.
-[[Category:People in Greek mythology]]
+== Related pages ==
-<!-- interwiki -->
+*[[16 Psyche]]
+==References==
+{{Commonscat|Psyche}}
+{{Wikisource|Cupid and Psyche}}
+{{reflist}}
+[[Category:Greek gods and goddesses]]
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