Week 5 | Extra Credit Reading Notes: Cupid & Psyche (Part B)
I wanted to finish the remainder of Cupid + Psyche since I accidentally did the first half a couple weeks ago when I was supposed to do something else - LOL.
Bibliography: Cupid and Psyche (Part B), from The Golden Ass written by Apuleius and translated by Tony Kline.
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- Venus and the Goddesses -
Venus is super pissed at hearing the news that Cupid was with Psyche, the girl people worshipped over herself. Additionally, Venus is embarrassed and angry that rumors have spread about her and her son's inability to do their duties as gods.
- Psyche's Prayer -
Psyche, in her search for Cupid, comes across two different shrines to Goddesses Ceres and Juno. Both would love to help her, but they're afraid of Venus' wrath.
- Venus and Mercury -
Psyche, unsure of where else she can go, decides to "turn herself in" basically, so she goes to Venus' underwater residence. Meanwhile, Venus travels to the Heavens to ask Mercury to send a message to everybody on earth: find Psyche, and in return you'll get 7 kisses from Venus herself. He does this. Psyche, at Venus' doorstep is recognized by a servant named Familiarity.
- Venus and Psyche -
At the sight of Psyche in her house, Venus summoned Anxiety and Sorrow to beat and torture her. When they brought her back, it's discovered that Psyche is pregnant with Cupid's child. Venus mocks this and says the child will either be illegitimate or not born at all. Venus then tears Psyche's hair and rips her clothes. Then she gathers a huge pile of seeds of various plants and punishes Psyche to sorting them before the evening. Psyche, dumbfounded, doesn't know where to begin with the enormous pile. Ants pity her and help her sort the mountain into the individual piles.
- Psyche's Next Task -
Next, Venus commands Psyche to collect golden wool from the sheep in a nearby forest. Psyche after leaving the residence was planning to kill herself by jumping off a cliff, but a voice told her how to complete the task instead. So Psyche follows these instructions. In the day, the sheep are so hot and take their anger out on anyone nearby. But at night when they're resting, you can find pieces of their golden wool throughout the branches in the forest. So when they're resting, Psyche collects the wool from the branches and brings it back to Venus, who isn't impressed.
- The Third Task -
Psyche was instructed to collect water from the Styx, a sacred fountain/waterfall/river. But not only was this fountain in a deep valley, but it was surrounded by jagged rocks, rushing waters, and venomous snakes. She stood on the edge of the cliff looking at this enormous task when Jupiter's eagle, Providence, sees her and asks what on earth she's doing. He owes Cupid a favor, so he completes Psyche's task for her.
- The Jar of Beauty -
This last task was for Psyche to visit the underworld and ask Persephone for a jar of divine beauty to replenish Venus. Psyche, sure this was the end of her life, was going to kill herself by jumping from the tower. But a voice told her how to complete this huge task. She needed to visit a distant city, and in the underworld ignore many people that Venus had placed there as traps. She needed two coins, one for the ferry ride there and one for the ride back. She also needed two barley cakes for distracting the huge dog with multiple heads, two times. When in Persephone's presence, she needed to sit on the ground and only accept bread. So Psyche did all this, and made it out of the underworld alive. But the final instruction, not to look at the inside of the jar, was proving difficult for Psyche.
- The Sleep of The Dead -
Psyche peeked into the jar, but it wasn't divine beauty; instead, the jar contained endless sleep. So Psyche instantly fell into a deep sleep right where she stood, collapsing on the ground. Meanwhile, Cupid had rested enough and missed her dearly. He escaped from his room and flew to her side, whooshing the deep sleep back into the jar and telling her to finish her last task by delivering it to Venus. Cupid then flies to the Heavens and begs Jupiter to help his cause. Jupiter lists all the grievences Cupid's caused him, but decides to help him on one condition: Cupid brings him a girl of brilliant beauty.
- The Wedding Feast -
So Jupiter ordered all Gods and Goddesses to the Heavens immediately. Then, he declared that Cupid will marry Psyche and end his boyish tricks on everyone. So as to not embarrass Venus, he ordered Mercury to bring Psyche to the Heavens, had her drink a cup of Ambrosia, and turned her into Cupid's equal, an immortal. The pair then married and it was a beautiful celebration. And their child, a girl, was named Pleasure.
- Lucius and the Robbers -
Back to the original tale being told by the old woman to soothe the girl's nerves. The robbers had returned and forced the horse and the donkey, our narrator Lucius, to carry it for them. Lucius was exhausted and had an injured leg. The robbers, seeing little use for the donkey, planned his death.
- The Escape -
Lucius, not wanting to die, just starts running. But the old woman catches his rope and resists. He kicks her, but she holds on and is dragged by the rope as he tries to run. The captured girl hops on his back, kicks the old woman off, and they escape. The girl tells Lucius of how well he'll be treated at her palace.
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