Week 3 Story: The Story of Psyche
Once upon a time, there was a princess named Psyche. She was so beautiful, that strangers from all over the world came to her city to see her. When Venus noticed that people had stopped visiting her temples and instead were focused on the beautiful princess Psyche, she became very angry. She called to her son, Cupid, and commanded him to punish the girl.
Psyche's father feared for his daughter. He visited an oracle for advice and received bad news. The oracle told the king he must take Psyche to the top of a cliff and abandon her. The king refused to do this to his daughter and tried to come up with a different plan. However, when Psyche heard, she insisted that it be done. She could not bear the thought of burdening her parents with Venus's wrath. The next day, she was taken to the top of the mountain.
Left alone, Psyche prayed to Venus, asking for mercy. While she was praying, a gentle wind caught her and carried her to the doorstep of a hidden abode. What Psyche saw inside the house amazed her. She was surrounded by riches, and in front of her was a table piled high with food. The princess sat down and ate. When she was done she stumbled upstairs in search of a bed. Almost as if guided by invisible spirits, the princess found herself opening a door to a lovely bedroom, and lying down in bed.
As the princess closed her eyes, she heard something.
"Who's there?"
She sat up, startled. A male voice answered,
"Dear princess, do not fear. I am the owner of this house and this is my bedroom you sleep in. It was no mere accident that you found your way to my home. I noticed your plight and felt pity for such a beautiful girl. But my mercy is not free."
Psyche was confused. She did not know that this man was actually the god Cupid.
"What do you want from me?"
He laughed.
"I want you to be my wife."
Psyche was shocked.
"I cannot marry a stranger! In fact, I have not even seen your face. Produce a light and let me look at you."
"I cannot do this, my dear. But don't worry, I am no beast. Now go to sleep."
Psyche found herself instantly obeying his command. When she woke the next morning, she wondered if she had dreamt the whole thing. She spent her day exploring the house. When she was hungry, all she had to do was think about food and it would appear at the table. By nightfall, she felt very relaxed.
She went to bed, and lay there anxiously, hoping last night had been a dream. Alas, only a few minutes had passed when she felt the stranger enter her bed. Alarmed, she sat up and said,
"How dare you enter my bed? I do not even know your name."
The man replied.
"All you need to know is that I am your husband. Now, sleep."
The young princess was scared, but she felt a wave of sleepiness wash over her, and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep. This same routine continued on for a week. During the day, the princess would come up with plans to reveal her husband's identity, but when night came, she would fall asleep before she could cause him trouble.
Psyche realized what was going on, and the next night, she confronted him.
"Stop using magic to make me fall asleep."
He replied,
"Only if you promise to stop trying to reveal my identity."
She promised, and the nights were more pleasant after that. They began to talk and get to know each other. However, no matter how well they seemed to be getting along, Psyche was never allowed to know his name or see his face. Even so, she began to feel content.
Time passed, and Psyche realized she was falling in love with the faceless stranger. Upon realizing this, she felt scared and lonely. That night, Psyche asked him for the first time in months about his identity.
"My dear husband, please let me see you. I love you. I am your wife and you can trust me."
Cupid replied.
"My dear wife, I wish I could tell you the truth. Alas, if you are ever to find out my true identity, our love would be destroyed."
This made the princess weep, for she so desperately wanted to see her lover's face. However, she knew he would never agree to it and she fell asleep.
The next day, Psyche came up with a plan. When night came, she lulled Cupid to sleep with her sweet caress, and then, once he was sound asleep, she got up and unveiled her light. What the princess saw shocked her. The man that lay in her bed was the most beautiful person she had ever laid eyes on. Even more shocking were the great white wings folded on his back. She dropped her lantern out of shock, and Cupid awoke. He jumped out of bed, and lit the room with his godly light.
"My love, now you have seen my true form! You broke your promise to me, that you would not reveal my identity. You have doomed our marriage! My mother is Venus, the goddess whose wrath you incurred, and she sent me here to make you fall in love with me, with the curse being that you must never know my identity. She knew your curiosity would be the ruin of you, and now it has been the ruin of me too, for I fell in love with you when I was only supposed to trick you. My dear Psyche, you have broken my heart. I love you, but now I must say goodbye."
And with that, he flew out the window. Poor Psyche was in shock. She lived the rest of her life alone and heart-broken. Venus's revenge was achieved.
Authors Note: This is a retelling of the story Cupid and Psyche. I kept the gist of the story, only I retold it in the way I would imagine telling it as a bedtime story. I didn't change much from the original, only leaving out some details and adding my own dialogue and descriptions.
Bibliography:
Cupid and Psyche, by Tony Kline. A Translation of Apuleius's Golden Ass.
I loved this retelling! It definitely had elements of the original Greeth myth but with your own individual style to it. I wasn't bored at all reading it (which is awesome since I've read this story and other retellings of it a lot!). The way you approached it, as if you were telling a bedside story, is an interesting technique. The way the dialogue was written was very effective as well. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteHey again Ann Marie! Great writing. Dare I say the Bronte (Emily, I'd guess) is leaking :). Great take on Venus, and Psyche's characterization was very evident. I am a big fan of the way you use dialogue in this. It does not seem to take up too much material, but is delivered in a way that tells a story in of itself. I really liked the bedside story angle, I could feel that in the writing.
ReplyDeleteWow! What a story! I felt like I was right there experiencing it all. I love Greek Mythology and I loved your take on this story and how you kept to the original story, but making it more of a bedtime story. This story had a sad ending, but what a great love story! It was so sweet because Cupid didn’t truly intend to fall in love, but just trick Psyche. I always love stories that the characters feel ways that they try to fight. Venus being his own Mother, created a lot of drama and tension. Building a story off that would be so fun and you can make a spin on that in many different ways! I wonder if Venus would have found out at the end and maybe Cupid and Psyche could be on the run for the rest of eternity? Maybe they had to go undercover and change their identity? I really enjoyed reading your story!
ReplyDeleteAnn Marie,
ReplyDeleteI like how you retell the story. It is easy to follow and creates vivid images for the reader. Especially when you describe the man getting into the princess’s bed, “only a few minutes had passed when she felt the stranger enter her bed. Alarmed, she sat up…” I personally felt her fear after reading this. Did you ever consider describing more of Cupid’s emotions about the situation? My questions was where was he during the day time? I think you should add more detail about Cupid. For example, why was Cupid so obedient to his mother? I think if you provided more background information about Cupid than it would better help the reader in understanding why he complies to his mom’s orders. Why didn’t he stick up to his mother once he had fallen in love with Psyche? Overall, I think this is a great story but if you added more information about Cupid than it would allow the reader to connect more with him.