Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Reading Notes, Cupid and Psyche, Part B

Venus and the Goddesses:

  • Venus became very angry when she found out what Cupid had done.  Her goddesses tried to talk sense in to her but she turned her back and ran towards the sea. 
Psyche's Prayer: 
  •  Psyche found goddess Ceres and asked for her protection to hide from Venus and the goddess pitied her but said she could not betray Venus and sent her on her way.  
  • The same thing happened at Juno's temple and again Psyche was sent on her way. 
Venus and Mercury: 
  • Venus still searching for Psyche, confided in Mercury the messenger god to get the word out and help find her.  
Venus and Psyche: 
  • Psyche was found and Venus dragged her into her chamber by the hair and laughed.  Psyche pregnant, was tortured by Anxiety and Sorrow.  Venus ordered her sort a huge pile of different beans and wheat, which she would come back and check for approval.  
  • A single ant took pity on Psyche and called all his ants to help sort the pile and then vanished. 
Psyche's Next Task: 
  • Venus thought that the work had been done by Cupid and threw her a piece of bread and went to sleep.  The next day, Venus instructed Psyche to go get a sheep's wool and Psyche went planning to throw herself off the cliff instead. 
  • A simple reed told Psyche not to kill herself but to wait until the sun set and wool would be clinging to the trees that she could collect. 
  • Venus was not impressed and gave her another task to collect freezing water from am dark spring under the cliff. 
The Third Task: Task Accomplished
  • The mountain was jagged with snakes and there was now way down, but Jupiter's eagle took pity on her and came to her. 
  • Telling her that she would never be able to get the water herself and live, he took the phial adn filled it with water.  
The Jar of Beauty: 
  • Even with the phial filled, Venus was still unhappy. She told her to go to the underworld and ask for some of Prosperine's beauty.  Psyche knew this was the end. 
  • With instructions from the turret she was able to go to the underworld and back and get the jar of divine beauty.  However, she said she might as well take some for herself.  
The Sleep of the Dead
  • Inside the jar was not beauty, but slumber that attacked her and put her to sleep.  
  • Cupid, feeling better from his burn came to Pysche's rescue and woke her.  He went to Jupiter and asked for pity and she granted it, in return for a beautiful girl.  
The Wedding Feast: 
  • With the help of Jupiter, Cupid and Psyche were married, making Psyche immortal so the wedding was equal.  
  • Their daughter was born and named Pleasure. 

Cupid and Psyche's Wedding Feast. Web Source. 
Lucius and the Robbers: 
  • back to the original story, Lucius the donkey became maimed during travel and the bandits said they were going to toss him over the cliff. 
The Escape: 
  • Lucius escaped with the girl on his back. 

Bibliography: Cupid and Psyche from Apuleius's Golden Ass. Translated to English by Tony Kline. 

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