Reading Notes: Cupid and Psyche B
Part twooooo!
So last time it stopped with Psyche getting revenge on her sisters. After that, Psyche begins wandering to try and find Cupid. While she is searching, Cupid returns to his mother's home to mend his burnt shoulder. While there, a bird tells Venus about Cupid's relationship with Psyche, and Venus gets extremely angry and starts looking for Psyche to take out her anger. Psyche stumbles upon a temple of Ceres. The temple is a mess so Psyche begins to clean and sort things. Ceres appears and tells Psyche that Venus is extremely angry and although Ceres wishes she could help her, the familial ties bond Ceres' loyalty to Venus so Psyche is sent on her way. She keeps wandering until she comes upon Juno's temple but encounters the same situation. Psyche decides that she is going to put aside her fear and confront Venus. Meanwhile, Venus is unable to find Psyche and decides to get help from other gods. She rides her chariot to Mercury. She has Mercury announce a reward for finding Psyche.
Psyche does not need to be found though because she soon arrives at Venus' temple. She is met by Venus' servant Familiarity who takes her to be flogged by other servants, Anxiety and Sorrow. Venus mocks, beats, and tortures Psyche. She then gives Psyche a huge mixture of all sorts of foods like wheat, barely, and assorted seeds. She tells Psyche to sort it all by the time she gets back. Psyche is overwhelmed by the task but an ant passing by takes pity on her and enlists all the other insects to help. Venus returns and is perturbed at Psyche finishing the task. She then tells Psyche to go fetch gold wool from a flock of sheep. A reed near the flock sees Psyche and tells her how to safely retrieve the wool. Venus then has Psyche go retrieve water from a deadly styx river, which Psyche fears but starts to do anyway. Jupiter's royal eagle sees her and helps her. When Psyche returns, Venus accuses her of being a witch because of the ease she achieved the impossible tasks. She then gives her one final task to go to the underworld and ask Proserpine for some of her beauty. Psyche is about to jump off a cliff to die so she can reach the underworld when she is told how to navigate to the underworld without dying. She retrieves the beauty and then makes it back.
Curiosity gets the better of her though and she looks in the vial at the beauty but it is not beauty but sleep and Psyche falls into a deep slumber. Thankfully, Cupid comes to her rescue and puts the sleep back in the vial. Psyche brings the vial to Venus. While Psyche does this, Cupid goes to Jupiter for help. Although Cupid has angered Jupiter in the past, he takes pity on Cupid and makes the marriage of Cupid and Psyche legitimate. He makes Psyche immortal so that she is the right status to be Cupid's wife, and he announces the marriage to the other gods. Eventually, Psyche and Cupid have a daughter named Pleasure.
Back in the original story, Lucius is not doing well and the robbers decide that they will just kill him. After hearing this, Lucius plots his escape. As he is attempting his escape, the captured girl mounts his back and rides off on him. She promises to take care of him if he brings her to safety.
the end
image information: Cupid and Psyche statue, Max Pixel
bibliography: Apuleius's Golden Ass, as translated into English by Tony Kline (2013).
So last time it stopped with Psyche getting revenge on her sisters. After that, Psyche begins wandering to try and find Cupid. While she is searching, Cupid returns to his mother's home to mend his burnt shoulder. While there, a bird tells Venus about Cupid's relationship with Psyche, and Venus gets extremely angry and starts looking for Psyche to take out her anger. Psyche stumbles upon a temple of Ceres. The temple is a mess so Psyche begins to clean and sort things. Ceres appears and tells Psyche that Venus is extremely angry and although Ceres wishes she could help her, the familial ties bond Ceres' loyalty to Venus so Psyche is sent on her way. She keeps wandering until she comes upon Juno's temple but encounters the same situation. Psyche decides that she is going to put aside her fear and confront Venus. Meanwhile, Venus is unable to find Psyche and decides to get help from other gods. She rides her chariot to Mercury. She has Mercury announce a reward for finding Psyche.
Psyche does not need to be found though because she soon arrives at Venus' temple. She is met by Venus' servant Familiarity who takes her to be flogged by other servants, Anxiety and Sorrow. Venus mocks, beats, and tortures Psyche. She then gives Psyche a huge mixture of all sorts of foods like wheat, barely, and assorted seeds. She tells Psyche to sort it all by the time she gets back. Psyche is overwhelmed by the task but an ant passing by takes pity on her and enlists all the other insects to help. Venus returns and is perturbed at Psyche finishing the task. She then tells Psyche to go fetch gold wool from a flock of sheep. A reed near the flock sees Psyche and tells her how to safely retrieve the wool. Venus then has Psyche go retrieve water from a deadly styx river, which Psyche fears but starts to do anyway. Jupiter's royal eagle sees her and helps her. When Psyche returns, Venus accuses her of being a witch because of the ease she achieved the impossible tasks. She then gives her one final task to go to the underworld and ask Proserpine for some of her beauty. Psyche is about to jump off a cliff to die so she can reach the underworld when she is told how to navigate to the underworld without dying. She retrieves the beauty and then makes it back.
Curiosity gets the better of her though and she looks in the vial at the beauty but it is not beauty but sleep and Psyche falls into a deep slumber. Thankfully, Cupid comes to her rescue and puts the sleep back in the vial. Psyche brings the vial to Venus. While Psyche does this, Cupid goes to Jupiter for help. Although Cupid has angered Jupiter in the past, he takes pity on Cupid and makes the marriage of Cupid and Psyche legitimate. He makes Psyche immortal so that she is the right status to be Cupid's wife, and he announces the marriage to the other gods. Eventually, Psyche and Cupid have a daughter named Pleasure.
Back in the original story, Lucius is not doing well and the robbers decide that they will just kill him. After hearing this, Lucius plots his escape. As he is attempting his escape, the captured girl mounts his back and rides off on him. She promises to take care of him if he brings her to safety.
the end
image information: Cupid and Psyche statue, Max Pixel
bibliography: Apuleius's Golden Ass, as translated into English by Tony Kline (2013).
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