Reading Notes: Cupid and Psyche, Part B

Apuleius' Cupid and Psyche 

(Found on Google Images, Cupid and Psyche statue in the Louvre)

The story picks back up depicting Cupid's despair as him and Psyche have been separated. Cupid is pleading with his mother, Venus, to allow him to return to make things right. Venus is angered at his desires, especially considering it's Psyche that he wants. Venus has been jealous of Psyche because of her beauty and power it holds, which is why she wanted Cupid to ruin her love life in the first place. However, they come to an agreement, and Cupid is sent on his way to make amends with Psyche.

While Psyche is out looking for Cupid, she stumbles across a shrine for Ceres - the goddess of harvest. She converses with Ceres and shares her dilemma, but Ceres is cousins and friends with Venus, which interrupts any help Ceres could offer Psyche. Psyche tried to reason with her that it was true love, but was at last turned away and sent on again in hopes to reunite with Cupid. As she leaves she stumbles across a heap of wealth and gold which summons Juno, who is Venus' mother-in-law. Psyche tries to reach out for help from Juno as well, but is turned away for the same reason she was from Ceres.

Venus had Psyche captured and thrown into her possession by Mercury, finally having the opportunity to lay her revenge on Psyche. She beat her and humiliated her, feeling no remorse for her actions. After this torture, she threw a collection of seasonings and garnishes at Psyche and demanded she sort them into separate piles, knowing that this would challenge her had she not worked a day in her life. However, a group of ants saw the distress Psyche was in, and came together to help her accomplish this task. Fulfilling Venus' desires, Venus was overcome with rage and assigned another task to Psyche; demanding that she collect a clump of sheep hair from a separate land and return it to her. Psyche accomplished this as well, further enraging Venus. To test her courage and intelligence, Venus assigned Psyche a third task: to collect freezing liquid from the river Styx and return it.

Going to fulfill this third task, Psyche was met by Jupiter's eagle, who aided her in the collection of the freezing liquid. She completed the task and returned to Venus, who gave her one final command. Venus demanded that Psyche go to the Underworld to meet with Proserpine to acquire a drop of her beauty so that Venus could use it for herself. Making it all the way down and collecting the beauty, as Psyche was returning she thought that she should use some of this beauty for herself, as it may reunite her with her husband. However, Proserpine tricked her, and filled the jar with a deep slumber.

Psyche was overcome with this sleep, but was met by Cupid as he finally escaped to find her. He removed the sleep and put it back in the jar, sending Psyche back on her journey to give the jar to Venus. Cupid went to Jupiter to request that he and Psyche could be reunited, and she complied. Cupid and Psyche were married officially, and Psyche was given immortal status.