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Once upon a time, there was a king and queen who had three beautiful daughters. The youngest of them, Psyche, was so lovely that people came from far and wide just to see her. Her beauty was said to outshine even that of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty. Because of this, people started to forget about Venus and began to worship Psyche instead. They would bring her flowers and call her divine. This made Venus very angry and jealous. She decided that Psyche must be punished for stealing the attention that belonged to the goddess herself.
Venus called upon her mischievous son, Cupid, the god of love. She ordered him to make Psyche fall in love with the most hideous man on earth. Cupid agreed, but when he went to carry out his mother’s command, he looked upon Psyche and was struck by her beauty. Instead of shooting her with an arrow of love meant for a monster, he accidentally pricked himself and fell deeply in love with her. He returned to his mother but said nothing of what had happened.
Meanwhile, Psyche’s beauty brought her no happiness. Though everyone admired her, no one wanted to marry her. Her sisters, both married to kings, mocked her for remaining alone. Her parents grew worried and went to the Oracle of Apollo to ask why their daughter could not find a husband. The Oracle gave a strange and frightening answer. It said that Psyche was meant to be the bride of a powerful being, feared by gods and men alike. She was to be taken to a high mountain, where her husband would claim her.
Heartbroken but obedient to the gods, Psyche went with her parents to the mountain. Dressed as a bride but trembling with fear, she waited as the wind gently lifted her from the peak. The soft breeze, known as Zephyr, carried her down to a beautiful valley where a grand palace stood. It shimmered with gold and precious stones, more splendid than any earthly home. When she entered, invisible servants welcomed her and spoke kindly, assuring her that this was her new home.
At night, Psyche met her husband. She could not see him, for he came only in darkness and asked her never to look upon his face. His voice was gentle, and his words full of love. Though she was afraid at first, she soon found comfort in his kindness. Every night, he came to her, and every morning he was gone before sunrise. She began to love him dearly, though she still did not know who he was.
Psyche lived happily in the palace, cared for by invisible hands. But she began to feel lonely during the day when her husband was away. She missed her family and wished to see her sisters. Her husband warned her that seeing them might bring sorrow, but she pleaded so earnestly that he finally agreed. He asked the wind Zephyr to bring her sisters to the palace.
When her sisters arrived, they were amazed by the beauty of Psyche’s home and by the luxury she lived in. They grew jealous of her happiness and wanted to ruin it. They asked many questions about her husband. Psyche told them that he was kind and loving but that she had never seen his face. Her sisters gasped and whispered that he must be a terrible monster hiding his true form. They told her she must take a lamp and a knife and look at him while he slept. If he was indeed a monster, she should kill him before he could harm her.
Psyche, though doubtful, was filled with curiosity and fear. That night, after her husband had fallen asleep, she lit a lamp and crept close to his bed. To her surprise, she did not see a monster but the most beautiful being she had ever beheld—Cupid himself, the god of love. She was overcome with awe and wonder. But as she leaned closer, a drop of hot oil from her lamp fell on his shoulder. Cupid awoke in pain and disappointment. Seeing her betrayal, he said sadly that love cannot live with suspicion. He spread his golden wings and flew away into the night.
Psyche cried out in despair and tried to follow him, but he was gone. She wandered through fields and forests, searching for her lost husband. At last, she decided to beg Venus for help, even though she knew the goddess hated her. Venus received her with cruel laughter. She blamed Psyche for making her son ill and for daring to love a god. To punish her, Venus said she must perform a series of impossible tasks.
For her first task, Venus led Psyche to a great heap of mixed grains—wheat, barley, millet, beans, and lentils—all jumbled together. She told Psyche she must separate them into their own piles before evening. Psyche sat before the huge pile and began to cry, for it was impossible. But as she wept, a colony of ants took pity on her. They came in swarms and quickly sorted the grains into neat piles. When Venus returned, she was surprised but said nothing, only planning another test.
The next day, Venus brought Psyche a field near a river where golden sheep grazed. She ordered Psyche to bring her a tuft of their shining wool. But the sheep were fierce and attacked anyone who came near. Psyche felt hopeless and stood by the river’s edge, ready to give up. A gentle reed whispered to her that she should wait until the sheep rested in the shade, and then collect the golden wool from the branches where it had caught. Psyche followed the advice and safely brought the wool back to Venus.
Still unsatisfied, Venus set a third task. She gave Psyche a crystal jar and told her to fill it with dark water from the source of a dangerous river that flowed from a mountain guarded by dragons. Psyche climbed the mountain but could not reach the stream because of the roaring dragons below. As she despaired, Jupiter’s eagle swooped down, took the jar, and filled it with the dark water for her. Psyche thanked the bird and brought the jar to Venus.
Venus, angry that Psyche had succeeded again, devised the hardest task of all. She gave her a small box and told her to go down into the Underworld and ask Proserpina, the queen of the dead, to fill it with a bit of her beauty. Venus warned her not to open the box. Psyche set out on her journey, determined but frightened. She wandered until she came to a tall tower. The tower itself spoke to her, telling her how to reach the Underworld safely. It instructed her to carry two coins for the ferryman, Charon, and two barley cakes for Cerberus, the three-headed dog who guarded the gates.
Following the tower’s advice, Psyche reached the Underworld. She paid Charon with one coin to cross the river Styx. When Cerberus growled, she gave him one of the barley cakes, and he let her pass. Before Proserpina, Psyche bowed low and asked for a little of her beauty for Venus. The queen kindly filled the box and sent her on her way. Psyche gave the second coin to Charon for the return journey and the second cake to Cerberus to leave safely.
When Psyche came back to the upper world, curiosity once again overcame her. She thought, “If I take just a little of this beauty for myself, perhaps Cupid will love me again.” She opened the box—but instead of beauty, a deep sleep like death poured out. She fell to the ground, motionless, as if lifeless. At that moment, Cupid, who had recovered from his wound, came flying to find her. Seeing Psyche lying still, he brushed away the sleep from her eyes and put it back in the box. Then he touched her gently with one of his arrows, waking her instantly. He forgave her for all her mistakes, for her heart had always been full of love.
Cupid flew to heaven and pleaded with Jupiter, the king of the gods, to allow him to marry Psyche properly. Jupiter, touched by their love, agreed. He sent Mercury to bring Psyche to Mount Olympus. There, Jupiter gave her a cup of ambrosia, the drink of the gods, making her immortal. Venus finally accepted her as her daughter-in-law, and her anger faded.
Cupid and Psyche were united forever in joy. The gods rejoiced, and even Venus smiled again. In time, Psyche gave birth to a daughter named Voluptas, meaning “Pleasure.” Her name became a symbol of the human soul’s journey—through trials, through love, through mistakes and forgiveness—toward divine happiness. And so, the love between Cupid and Psyche lived on forever, shining brighter than the stars.