Cupid and Pscyhe

Cupid and Pscyhe

"Cupid and Psyche"

• a tale about the pursuit of true love

• the story comes from a Roman author, but it is based on ancient Greek myths and folk tales

Cupid

• the god of love and desire

• son of Aphrodite, the god of love, and Ares, the god of war

• The Greeks knew him as Eros

• First appeared in stories as a young man, but later stories depicted him as a boy.

• His weapon is a bow and arrow that can cause those he shoots to fall in love.

• In Greek myth and art, he is often depicted riding a dolphin.

Psyche

• her name means "soul"

• She was the goddess of the soul (after becoming immortal)

• Her beauty was said to rival that of even the goddess Aphrodite.

• Her symbols were butterfly wings.

Aphrodite

• Goddess of love and beauty

• Easily angered--- she gets angry a lot.

• She was born from the ocean after Uranus's blood spilled into it.

• Unlike Hades, Aphrodite was a popular goddess among the ancient Greeks, and was widely worshipped.

• Aphrodite is still an important figure in some modern religions, including Wicca.

• Roses and swans were among her symbols.

Like many myths, there are different versions of this tale. Psyche's journey to be with Cupid is either depicted as a heroic adventure (our version of the story), or a sinful temptation.

The Wedding of Cupid and Psyche

A popular subject of art has been the wedding between Cupid and Psyche, since it depicts many of the gods together in celebration.

Impact and legacy...

The story of Cupid and Psyche inspired many other later stories. The motif, or repeated element, of a marriage to a horrible creature, comes up a lot in fairy tales and other myths. Beauty and the Beast is thought to be a retelling of the Cupid and Psyche story.