Valentine’s Day is coming up, there’s no better time to take a look at the love story of the God of Love himself. Most people are probably more familiar with Cupid. The Roman god of love who is portrayed as a fat baby with wings and arrows that could cause anyone to fall in love instantly. But his Greek counterpart is very much different.
Eros, is the son of Aphrodite and Ares. Being the child of the two most gorgeous gods there is, he is also a beautiful young man who had angel-like wings. Like his Roman counterpart, he is characterized by his famous bow and arrow. There are many types of love, and the one that Eros rules over is the one that intrigues us the most. He is the god of passionate love, which makes sense, given the passion and impulse that his parents possess.
You'd think that the god of love would be immune to the painful ups and downs of relationships, but Eros's love story is quite a tumultuous one. I love this story because I believe that true love requires determination and hard work. Popular culture has convinced many people to believe in the concept of soulmates, but I’m not persuaded. Like Chandler from Friends, I believe that “there are people who are more suited for one another” but not soulmates. When people say that people in happy relationships are simply lucky to have found their soulmates, I feel like these people are diminishing the hard work they have put into maintaining the relationship. Even in the best relationships, there are arguments and hardships. Sometimes it may even be those things that bring two people even closer together. Enjoying the good times is how we define a good relationship, but we often forget that in order for that to happen, we also need to pull through the difficult ones.
There once was a gorgeous princess named Psyche whose beauty was so astounding that people often compared it to that of Aphrodite. Some even said that she was more beautiful than the goddess of beauty herself. Over time, people began to build statues of Psyche and slowly forgot Aphrodite and her temples were deserted. Aphrodite was jealous and furious. She instructed her son, Eros, to shoot an arrow and make Psyche fall in love with the most grotesque creature there is. However, upon laying eyes on Psyche, Eros instantly fell in love with her, as if being shot by one of his own arrows. He disobeyed his mother and left Psyche untouched.
Although Psyche was blessed with immense beauty, her life was lonely. While men worshipped her, no one was brave enough to pursue her. She watched as her sisters married kings, living in their respective kingdoms with loving husbands, building their own families. Worried about his daughter, the king visited the Oracle of Delphi to ask Apollo what he could do to find a husband for Psyche. Apollo told him that he should send Psyche to the summit of a mountain wearing a black dress and that is where she would be given a husband, a terrifying winged serpent that even the gods feared.
Needless to say, the king was devastated, but Psyche followed the instructions and ascended to the top of a cliff. She waited there for hours for her husband to show up, crying in the cold, until finally, a breeze came that lifted her from the ground and eased her pain. When She woke up again, she was on a meadow in front of a huge castle. The castle was so magnificent it could only belong to a god. As she approached the castle, she noticed that it was uninhabited. A soft whisper told her not to be afraid, that the castle was hers, and to take a bath before they welcome her arrival. Psyche did so and patiently waited for her husband to appear. By evening, he finally showed up and whispered in her ear. She could tell that the voice was so gentle and beautiful that it could not be that of a monster.
Psyche spent most of her days alone until her husband returned in the evening. Though she was never able to physically see her husband, his presence brought her great joy. But her sadness slowly grew as she remained alone in the castle most of the time. Finally, her husband agreed to let her sisters visit. He warned her, “if you let your sisters influence you, our relationship will be destroyed, and there will be suffering.”
When Psyche’s sisters arrived, they were all overjoyed to see each other again. Her sisters saw the magical castle and began asking Psyche a series of questions. They thought that her husband must be a king or even a god! But Psyche told them that he was a young hunter. They didn’t believe her because a hunter couldn’t possibly be so rich. As they marveled at the treasures found in the castle, jealousy began to grow. Before they left, they taunted Psyche. They told her that they pitied her, that her husband must be the scary serpent prophesied by the Oracle, and that’s why she never sees him.
Psyche tried her best to ignore her sisters' remarks, but doubt has been planted in her head. She decided that she will light a candle that night once her husband is asleep. If he was the evil serpent, she would kill it. If not, she would put out the candle and sleep happily. That night, Psyche followed through with her plan, and the candle revealed the most handsome man she’s ever seen. Overcome with the shame of her distrust, she went to dowse the flame, but as she did so, hot wax dripped onto her husband and woke him. He looked into her eyes with heartbreak, and as he flew out the window, he left a final whisper, “love is nothing without trust.”
Psyche realized that her husband was the god of love, but she had ruined their marriage. She cried for days before she decided to ask Aphrodite to help win back the goddess’s son.
Aphrodite was still bitter with jealousy and told Psyche that she must first prove herself worthy to be Eros’ wife. For Psyche’s first task, Aphrodite gave her thousands of seeds to sort. It was an impossible task and would take forever! Psyche cried, believing she would never see Eros again. Her cries were heard by a nearby colony of ants, who took pity on her and helped her. In no time, the seeds were sorted. Aphrodite had hoped that the hard labor would take a toll on Psyche’s beauty, but it didn’t.
Her second task was much more dangerous. Aphrodite told her to make a fleece out of the golden sheep across the river. As Psyche swam across the river, a spirit appeared to her, telling her how dangerous the golden sheep were and that she should collect the fur from the nearby bushes. Psyche took the advice and collected enough to make a golden fleece.
The next task was even more perilous than the last. Aphrodite gave Psyche a bottle and asked her to climb a waterfall to the River Styx and fill the bottle. When Psyche arrived, she noticed that the rocks around the waterfall were too steep and slippery to climb. This time, an eagle swooped down, taking the bottle from her and filling it with water from the River Styx.
Aphrodite couldn’t hide her resentment. She said, “someone must have helped you, or you couldn’t have accomplished this on your own. I’ll give you one last chance to prove your determination.”
For Psyche’s final task, Aphrodite gave her a box. Psyche must travel to the Underworld and ask Persephone to place some of her beauty in it. Psyche set off to the Underworld. Persephone was more than happy to help Aphrodite and gladly obliged. On her way back, Psyche thought, what does pure beauty look like? If the box contained beauty, she should open it and become even more radiant for her husband. However, when she opened the box, it did not contain beauty but sleep. She had fallen for Aphrodite’s trick. Psyche fell into an endless slumber. Finally, the other gods decided to interfere and Hermes was sent to inform Eros of his wife’s misfortunes.
Upon hearing the news, Eros finally left his room for the first time since Psyche’s betrayal. When Eros found Psyche, he was able to wake her, and they reunited.
To many, this is a story of true love triumphing over the difficulties of the world. And that love requires trust, sacrifice, and determination, even for the god of love himself.
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