66 THE QUEENS COURIER • VALENTINE’S DAY • FEBRUARY 1, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
valentine’s day
Telling the ancient tale of Cupid
BY TRESA ERICKSON
Th e approach of Valentine’s Day brings
many images to mind—red and pink balloons,
lacy cards, candy hearts, boxed
chocolates, fuzzy teddy bears, longstemmed
roses, diamond pendants and
candlelit dinners. No Valentine’s Day
would be complete, however, without
mention of the god Cupid. Legend has
it that anyone struck by one of the god’s
arrows would fall madly in love with
another.
Cupid, of course, is a mythological
fi gure. In Greek mythology, he goes by
the name of Cupid and is the son of
Aphrodite, the goddess of love. In Roman
mythology, he goes by the name of Eros
and is the son of Venus, the goddess of
love. Aphrodite, or Venus if you prefer,
is a stunningly beautiful, wildly passionate,
possessive goddess who guards her
relationship with her children carefully.
As the story goes, all is well with Cupid
and his mother until he falls in love
with a beautiful maiden named Psyche.
Psyche rivals Aphrodite in beauty.
People are naturally drawn to her and
begin worshipping her more than they
do Aphrodite. Th is infuriates the goddess,
and she orders her son Cupid to
make Psyche fall in love with a monster
of her choosing. Cupid agrees, but
as he is about to pierce the maiden
with his arrow, she awakens and startles
him, causing him to prick himself
instead. Cupid fl ies off , madly in love
with Psyche.
Upon learning what has happened,
Aphrodite curses Psyche to live the rest
of her days alone. Now in love with the
maiden, Cupid is angered by his mother’s
actions and retaliates by vowing not
to shoot any more arrows. Love stops,
the renewal of life ends, and Aphrodite’s
temple is deserted. Aphrodite becomes
concerned and strikes a deal with Cupid.
She will permit him to marry Psyche if he
resumes his work. Cupid agrees.
Meanwhile back on earth, Psyche’s
parents become worried when no suitors
come calling. Th ey consult an oracle,
fi nd out what Aphrodite has done and
attempt to appease the goddess with the
sacrifi ce of their young daughter. Cupid
rescues Psyche and asks her to marry
him—on one condition—that she not see
him until the time is right. Psyche agrees
to Cupid’s stipulation and only has contact
with him at night in total darkness.
Psyche enjoys living in the lap of luxury
in Cupid’s castle but soon grows
homesick. Cupid arranges for her sisters
to visit. Upon seeing how well Psyche
is living, the sisters become jealous and
convince Psyche that her husband must
be some sort of monster, just waiting to
fatten her up before he kills her and her
unborn child. Th ey encourage Psyche to
kill her husband before he kills her.
Psyche doesn’t want to believe her sisters,
but one night, curiosity gets the best
of her and she lights a candle. Psyche
is stunned at what she sees. Instead of
a horrifi c monster, she fi nds an exquisite
god. Psyche falls madly in love with
Cupid and begins to kiss him when a bit
of the candle wax drips onto the god’s
shoulder. Cupid awakes with a start, sees
what has happened and leaves in anger.
Psyche searches for Cupid for days
to no avail. She pleads for the goddesses
to help her, but they all send her to
Aphrodite. Reluctantly, she goes to the
goddess’ temple and asks for her help.
Aphrodite agrees to help, but fi rst Psyche
must complete a series of tasks, each one
harder than the last. Psyche succeeds
with assistance from others and is given
one fi nal task, to take a box to Hades and
capture some of Persephone’s beauty.
Before she leaves on her quest, Aphrodite
warns Psyche not to open the box.
Psyche completes the task, but once
again, curiosity gets the best of her and
she opens the box. What she fi nds inside
is not beauty but eternal slumber, which
overcomes her. No longer angry, Cupid
comes to the aid of Psyche again. Th is
time, however, he consults the gods for
help. Th ey revive Psyche and make her a
goddess. She reconciles with Aphrodite
and gives birth to a daughter named
Pleasure.
Th ere are many variations to this story,
of course. All, however, tell a story of
love. How befi tting for a god who brings
people together to fall in love himself.