 |
| Eros and Psyche by Lisa de St. Croix |
EROS and PSYCHE
Covered by darkness
We overcame many obstacles
Between soul and desire
Mingling human Psyche with divine
Eros
Possessed by passion
Lifted into the cosmos
Immortalized by the ultimate union
Of sacred marriage
METAMORPHOSES
Let love transform you
Trust the journey
Eros is the
son of the Goddess Aphrodite. Eros is also known as Cupid. Eros personifies love,
desire and sexuality. He throws arrows into the hearts of people which makes
them fall in love. Psyche is the beautiful daughter of a mortal King and Queen.
Psyche means soul in Greek. Her aspiration is to find divine love and her soul
mate.
The earliest depictions of Eros and Psyche were found in Greek art dating from 4th century BC. However the most known account of Eros and Psyche is from Metamorphoses, written by Apuleius in the 2nd century AD.
The story tells of Eros and Psyche overcoming many obstacles to their love and their ultimate union in sacred marriage. Aphrodite is jealous of Psyche’s beauty which rivals hers, so she sends her son Eros to shoot Psyche with an arrow to make her fall in love with something hideous. Eros accidently scratches himself with his arrow, which makes him fall in love with Psyche and he disobeys his mother's order. Psyche is tricked into a sexual relationship with Eros without ever seeing him, as he arrives and leaves under the cover of darkness. Psyche’s sisters encourage her to look at him while he sleeps; he is the most beautiful man she has ever seen. In her passion she wounds herself on one of his arrows and accidently spills some wax onto him. He wakes up and flies away. Psyche wanders the earth looking for Eros. Eventually she ends up in Aphrodite’s temple and is given several impossible tasks. Eros helps Psyche, lifting her into the air so she can fulfill her tasks. Eros then makes a bargain with Zeus who tells Aphrodite to back off. Psyche is given ambrosia, the drink of immortality and the couple is married as equals and live in bliss.
