Reading Notes: Cupid and Psyche, Part A

Psyche Honored by the People, Giordano (Source: Wikipedia)

Story Source: Apuleius's Golden Ass, as translated into English by Tony Kline (2013).

The Captive Woman/ Her Dream

• The hero Lucius has been turned into a donkey and now belongs to some robbers.
• A young woman is kidnapped by the gang for ransom and is very upset 
• An old woman from the gang is sent to calm her down
• The girl says she was taken on her wedding day. She has a nightmare about the events and her husband potentially dying
• The old woman entertains her by telling her about Cupid and Psyche

Psyche's Beauty and the Anger of Venus

• A princess named Psyche was so beautiful that she drew crowds from all over to see her Venus-like features
• The actual goddess Venus became angry. She called her son, Cupid to avenge her
• Cupid is described as a winged mischievous archer who goes around ruining marriages at night
• Venus asks him to make Psyche fall for the "most wretched of men"

The Oracle of Apollo

• Psyche had no one to marry bc she was too perfect
• Her dad believed there to be divine hostility, so he consulted the oracle of Apollo at Didyma
• He asks for a man to marry Psyche
• But Apollo responds by telling him that she must go to a mountain crag and prep for a fatal marriage. Her child will be an evil creature
• They dreadfully obey the divine command ("living corpse")
• Psyche accepts and welcomes her fate
• The west wind Zephyr takes her from the mountain to her new home

The Magical Palace

• Psyche is led to a beautiful divine palace
• There are invisible servers ready to wait on her
• She is treated to a royal feast

The Mysterious Husband

• She nervously goes to bed, her new husband takes her virginity and leaves before morning
• This continues several nights, without her ever seeing him
• The husband informs Psyche that her family believes she is dead and are grieving for her. Her sisters plan on coming to their mountain soon. He tells her not to engage with them or he will be hurt
• She is very upset since she has no human company and misses her fam
• He reluctantly agrees that she can meet and give them some jewels, but she shouldn't listen if they urge her to look into his appearance
• Psyche is happy now and agrees, saying that she loves him

The Jealousy of Psyche's Sisters

• Psyche brings her sisters to her palace and they take in all the opulence
• When they start asking about the husband, Psche lies and says he's a nice-looking guy with a beard
• The sisters become super jealous of her fortune and both decide not to tell the parents that she's alive and plan on returning with a punishment