Eros god of love. Myths and Legends * Cupid (Eros, Eros, Cupid)
Eros is the god of love Greek mythology. By the way, it comes from his name modern word"erotica". After some time, the god of love began to be called Cupid or Cupid, although this is, in principle, the same thing. Eros is the constant companion of the goddess Aphrodite.
Basic information about the god of love Eros
Eros was originally imagined handsome man with a magnificent torso and wings behind her back. A little later, the Greeks themselves turned him into a plump child. In some images, the god of love is represented riding on a dolphin or lion. The constant attributes of Eros are a quiver, a bow and arrows. It is important that there were two types of golden arrows: those with dove feathers at the end caused instant love, and arrows with owl feathers led to indifference. Eros sent like ordinary people, and the gods of Olympus. The Greek god of love had one so-called flaw - he always acted like a child, without thinking through his decisions. That is why his arrows often evoked feelings where they were not at all necessary.
In some images, Eros is presented blindfolded, which confirms the randomness of the choice and emphasizes the expression “love is blind.” God of love in Ancient Greece has its own holiday - the day of love and sexuality, which is celebrated on January 22.
There are several different versions explaining the appearance of Eros. The Greeks believed that his mother was Aphrodite and his father was the god of war Ares. By the way, according to one legend, Zeus knew that Eros would bring many problems and troubles, so he wanted to kill him at birth. To protect her son, Aphrodite hid him in the forest, where the boy was nursed by two lionesses. The Romans had their own opinion, according to which the god of love was born 
Mars and Venus. In ancient legends there is information that Eros was born long before the birth of Aphrodite. He hatched from an egg and is a child of Chaos. In ancient Greek mythology, the god of love was also considered the personification of life after death. In ancient times he was depicted on tombs.
The love story of Eros is very beautiful. His chosen one was an ordinary girl Psyche and in order to prove the strength of her feelings she had to go through many tests and eventually die. Eros resurrected his beloved, gave her immortality and made her a goddess. They had a daughter who was named Delight. According to myths, they had many more unnamed children. Until now, the god of love among the Greeks has special meaning. He is depicted on various souvenirs and on flasks with.
Myths and Legends * Cupid (Eros, Eros, Cupid)Cupid (Eros, Eros, Cupid)
Cupid (Chaudet Antoine Denis)
Material from Wikipedia
Eros(Eros, ancient Greek. Ἔρως , also Eros, Cupid, among the Romans Cupid) - the god of love in ancient Greek mythology, the constant companion and assistant of Aphrodite, the personification of love attraction, ensuring the continuation of life on Earth.
Origin
Lorenzo Lotto - Cupid
There were many options for the origin of Eros:
* Hesiod considers him a self-generated deity after Chaos, Gaia and Tartarus, one of the most ancient gods.
* According to Alcaeus, son of Zephyr and Iris.
* According to Sappho, son of Aphrodite and Uranus.
* According to Simonides, son of Ares and Aphrodite.
* According to Akusilaus, son of Erebus and Nyx.
* According to Orphic cosmogony, he was born from an egg laid by Night or created by Chronos. Called the great daimon.
* According to Pherecydes, Zeus became Eros as a demiurge.
* According to Parmenides, the creation of Aphrodite.
* According to Euripides, the son of Zeus, or Zeus and Aphrodite.
* According to Pausanias, son of Ilithyia.
* Plato has the son of Poros and Penia.
* Son of Chaos.
* According to some version, the son of Gaia.
* His father was also called Kronos, Orpheus, etc.Diana disarming Cupid
(Pompeo Batoni, Metropolitan Museum)According to Cotta's speech, there were three:
* Son of Hermes and the first Artemis.
* Son of Hermes and the second Aphrodite.
* Son of Ares and the third Aphrodite, aka Anteros.According to Nonnus, he was born near the city of Beroi.
Basic myths
Everything submits to love (Cupid)
Caravaggio,1602 (Amor Vincit Omnia)Eros- a world deity who unites gods into marriage pairs, was considered a product of Chaos ( dark night) and bright day or Heaven and Earth. He dominates both external nature, and over the moral world of people and gods, controlling their hearts and will. In relation to natural phenomena, he is the beneficent god of spring, fertilizing the earth and calling into being new life. He was introduced handsome boy, with wings, in more ancient times- with a flower and a lyre, later with arrows of love or a flaming torch.
In Thespiae, every four years a festival was held in honor of Eros - Erotidia, accompanied by gymnastic and musical competitions.A young girl defending herself from Eros
(Adolphe William Bouguereau, 1880)In addition, Eros, as the god of love and friendship that united boys and girls, was revered in gymnasiums, where statues of Eros were placed next to images of Hermes and Hercules. The Spartans and Cretans usually made a sacrifice to Eros before the battle. His altar stood at the entrance to the Academy.
Erostasia. Aphrodite and Hermes weigh Love (Eros and Anteros)
on the golden scales of fateThe mutual love of youth found a symbolic image in the group of Eros and Anterot (otherwise Anterot, Anteros), located in the Eleatic gymnasium: the relief with this group depicted Eros and Anterot challenging the palm of victory from each other. Ovid mentions “both Eros.” The nurses of Eros, the Charites, went to Delphi to Themis with a question about his short stature.
In art
Cupid in the form of a child
(slave of Etienne Maurice Falconet, after 1757, Hermitage)Eros served as one of the favorite subjects for philosophers, poets and artists, being for them an ever-living image of both a serious world-governing force and a personal heartfelt feeling that enslaves gods and people. The LVIII Orphic hymn is dedicated to him. To a later time belongs the emergence of the group of Eros and Psyche (that is, Love and the Soul captivated by it) and the famous folk tale.
The image of Cupid in the form of a naked child is used when painting ceilings, and furniture is rarely decorated with the image of Cupid.Eros (Cupid, Cupid)
Eros (Musei Capitolini)
This god of love (“Eros” - love) is usually depicted as a playful, playful boy, armed with a bow and arrow. The wounds it inflicts are not fatal, but can be painful and excruciating, although they often evoke a sweet feeling or the bliss of quenched passion.
Venus, Cupid and Satyr (Bronzino)
The ancient Greeks considered Eros to be an unborn god, but an eternal one, on a par with Chaos, Gaia and Tartarus. He personified a powerful force, attracting one Living being to another, giving pleasure, without which they cannot exist and copulate, giving birth to more and more new individuals, neither gods, nor people, nor animals. Eros is great power the attraction of the two sexes, the force of universal gravity of love.
But there was another version of its origin, a later one. According to this version, Eros is the son of Aphrodite and Hermes or Ares, or even Zeus himself. There were other assumptions about Eros's parents. The poets agreed on one thing: the god of love always remains a child and sends his golden destructive arrows willfully, regardless of the arguments of reason.
Hesiod wrote:
And, among all the gods, the most beautiful is Eros. Sweet-tongued - he conquers the soul of all gods and earth-born people in the chest and deprives everyone of reasoning.
Philosophers did not limit the area of Eros's dominion to gods, people and animals. The ancient Greek thinker Empedocles believed that in nature, either Love or Enmity alternately prevails, and the first brings everything into unity, defeating Enmity. Thus, Eros becomes the personification of the cosmic forces of unity, the desire for fusion. Thanks to him, the fabric of life is not interrupted and the unity of the universe is preserved.
However, in ancient texts, Eros often appears as a force that awakens primitive “animal” passion. According to Plato, Eros “is always poor and, contrary to popular belief, is not at all handsome or gentle, but is rude, unkempt, barefoot and homeless; he is lying on the bare ground under open air, at the door, on the street...” However, a disclaimer follows: it turns out that Eros is drawn to the beautiful and perfect, brave and strong; he is a wise man and a fool, a rich man and a poor man.
According to Diogenes Laertius, the Stoics argued: “Lust is an unreasonable desire... Love is a desire that is not suitable for worthy people, because it is the intention to get close to someone because of conspicuous beauty.” And Epicurus clearly divided: “When we say that pleasure is the ultimate goal, we do not mean the pleasures that consist in sensual pleasure... but we mean freedom from bodily suffering and mental anxieties. No, it is not continuous drinking and revelry, not the enjoyment of boys and women... that gives rise to a pleasant life, but sober reasoning, examining the reasons for every choice... and expelling [false] opinions, which produce the greatest confusion in the soul.”Cupid and Psyche
IN Ancient Rome Eros (Cupid) got a name Cupid ("Love") and became especially popular. Apuleius created a legend that tells of the desire human soul in the image of Psyche (“psyche” - soul) to find Love. “With the help of Zephyr,” writes A.F. Losev, retelling the legend, Cupid received the royal daughter Psyche as his wife. However, Psyche violated the ban on never seeing the face of her mysterious husband. At night, burning with curiosity, she lights a lamp and looks admiringly at the young god, not noticing a hot drop of oil falling on delicate skin Cupid. Cupid disappears, and Psyche must regain him after going through many tests. Having overcome them and even descended into Hades for living water, Psyche, after painful suffering, again finds Cupid, who asks Zeus for permission to marry his beloved and reconciles with Aphrodite, who was viciously pursuing Psyche.”
What is the hidden meaning of this story? It can be assumed that it talks about the “blindness” of the initial love attraction caused by unconscious emotions. The mind's attempt to understand the essence of love leads to its disappearance. Painful doubts, worries, conflicts arise: this is how feelings take revenge on reason for invading their kingdom. But true love overcomes these obstacles and triumphs - forever.
Just over two thousand years ago, the Roman poet Publius Ovid Naso described the triumph of Cupid this way:
Oh, why does the bed seem so hard to me,
And my blanket does not lie well on the sofa?
And why did I spend such a long night sleepless,
And, spinning restlessly, your body is tired and hurts?
I would feel, I think, if I were tormented by Cupid,
Or has a cunning person crept in, harming you with hidden art?
Yes it is. Thin-sharp arrows are already sitting in the heart;
Having conquered my soul, the fierce Cupid torments...
Yes, I admit, Cupid, I have become your new prey,
I am defeated and I surrender myself to your power.
There's no need for a battle at all. I ask for mercy and peace.
You have nothing to boast about; I, unarmed, defeated...
Your fresh catch is me, having received a recent wound,
In a captive soul I will bear the burden of unusual shackles
A sound mind behind you with hands in chains will lead you,
Shame, and everything that will harm mighty Love...
Your companions will be Madness, Caresses and Passions;
They will all stubbornly follow you in a crowd.
With this army you constantly humble people and gods,
If you lose this support, you will become powerless and naked...Cupid (Cupid, Eros) has been sung by poets at all times; Philosophers talked about it. It turned out that this deity has not one or two, but many guises, although high Eros, like any peak, is not accessible to everyone: one must be worthy of it.
Series of messages "Cupid and Psyche":
Part 1 - Myths and Legends * Cupid (Eros, Eros, Cupid)
Original post and comments at
Cupid is a small winged bully with a quiver of arrows behind him that strike to the very heart. His image appears in paintings different eras, and the legend of the god of love is rooted in ancient mythology.
Origin story
Cupid has several names. The divine being is also called Cupid, in the ancient Greek version - Eros. A character from ancient Roman myths, he is the patron saint of love. Born of a goddess, the baby appears in the guise of a mischievous angel, striving to pierce the heart of the first hero he meets or dislikes with an arrow of love for the sake of prank. He is accompanied by important attributes: a quiver, a bow and arrows, with which he strikes, making you fall in love. Both mere mortals and gods were subject to Cupid's arrows.
This character is famous for his touching love story, connecting him with a simple earthly girl named . Cupid's mother, the goddess Venus, ordered her son to punish the beauty she did not like. But the son was seduced by Psyche and, falling in love, became her husband. The girl did not know who became her chosen one, since mere mortals did not allow themselves to look up to the gods. Family idyll seemed delightful until the sisters provoked Psyche to spy on Cupid. Having obeyed her relatives, the girl angered Cupid. He left his beloved, destroying everything they had in marriage.
Psyche was heartbroken for her husband and, in despair, went to the temple of Venus. Praying to her mother-in-law for forgiveness, she dared to go through the obstacles set before her in the form of difficult tasks. Venus thought of killing the girl and getting rid of her, but Psyche overcame the difficulties with the help of love.
The final test was moving the box into the underworld. Inside him lay the beauty of the wife of the god Pluto. An important condition The assignment was a ban on opening the box. Psyche again could not resist temptation. Inside the box was dead dream, who struck down the beauty. Cupid found his beloved and helped her come to her senses. The hero forgave the girl. The gods, who saw the power of the love of young people, made Psyche a goddess.
Ancient Greek mythology reveals a similar plot. He became a source of inspiration for artists, so the image of Cupid, aka Cupid, aka Eros, was glorified in literature, fine arts, sculpture and architecture.
The mythological character appears in the form of a fair-haired angel, personifying sublime feelings. The little boy's face is decorated with blush and a playful smile, and there are often beautiful flowers in pastel shades around him. It is curious that women’s lips are often compared to Cupid’s weapon due to the similarity of shape.
On the Day, the image of Cupid is extremely popular, although the Roman deity, as well as greek god Eros was known as a creature of chaos because of his freedom-loving disposition. The Valentine's Day is accompanied by thematic paraphernalia, which usually depicts little angels shooting arrows towards hopeless skeptics.
Cupid in culture
Helper in Greek culture and son of Venus in Roman culture was not considered key figure mythology. But he was often sung in the Hellenistic era and during the Renaissance. They resorted to his image using the hero as a symbol. He doesn't need to be active actor to be present on canvas or in a sculptural ensemble. Cupid was depicted to hint at the presence of a love leitmotif in the described plot.
The youth is often depicted in paintings depicting seduction beautiful maidens. Cupid also appears before the public in scenes where Venus and Adonis interact. The messenger of love plays with tools and a club, causing an association with disarming feelings.
Those who were disappointed in the boy punished him severely. So did Minerva, whose images personify chastity.
The image of Cupid was glorified during the Renaissance. Statues dedicated to him often became decorations for tombstones and family crypts. Cupid (or Cupid in an alternative interpretation) is the hero of the painting by the artist Lezuer. It depicts Venus surrounded by three Graces, one of whom hands the goddess the baby Cupid.
According to legend, Eros did not grow until he had a friend capable of loving him. He became Anterot, who, in contrast to Eros, is responsible for mutual love.
The poet Anacreon dedicated several poems to the popular legend that Jupiter ordered Cupid to kill his mother. Venus hid the child in the forest where he was raised wild animals. This legend is described in the paintings of Prudhon. He captured it on canvas love adventures Cupid.
The modern word “erotica” comes from the name of Eros, the Greek god of love, in whose person the ancient Greeks worshiped the cult of fertility. The deity, which today is associated with a very unambiguous feeling - in ancient times the concepts of spiritual love, aimed at healing, freedom, beauty, as well as love for people and each other, were also attributed.
It was the ancient Romans who are responsible for the image of Eros that is popular today. They turned sexy man Eros into the chubby cherub Cupid. As a rule, Cupid was depicted blindfolded, because love is blind - the arrows with which he pierces hearts do not always hit their intended target. In anticipation of Valentine's Day, Cupid is often depicted as Cupid, the god of pure love.
Appearance: In early depictions, Eros appears as a winged man with a magnificent torso and beautiful appearance. In later descriptions he is already mentioned as a cute, plump boy with wings.
Symbols and attributes: Eros (Cupid, Cupid) is sometimes depicted riding a dolphin or lion, but always with a quiver, bow and arrows. He is always on the hunt and is always ready to pierce the heart of his victim with a feeling of mad love.
Force: The power of Eros lies in love attraction, which ensures the continuation of life on earth.
Weakness: The God of love always remains a child, sending his golden destructive arrows willfully, regardless of the arguments of reason.
Parents: There are many myths and legends about the origin of Eros. In Roman mythology he is most often mentioned as the son of Mars and Venus. Some legends claim that his parents were Iris, the keeper of the rainbow, and Zephyr, the god of the north wind. In Phoenician legends, he is the son of Chronos and Ashtarta. According to the most common version in Greek mythology, the mother of Eros is the beautiful goddess of love, and the father of Ares is the god of war.
But there is also an older version. According to the most ancient legends, this god was born long before the birth of Ares and Aphrodite. He is the child of Chaos, hatched from the egg of the night. He himself is the creator of the ancient gods and winged creatures.
Wife: The beautiful Psyche underwent numerous trials before she gained immortality and took her place among the gods as the wife of Eros. Aphrodite, envious of her appearance, did her best to prevent the marriage. As a result, having run into his own arrows, Eros falls in love with Psyche and everything ends in a happy ending.
Children: According to one version, Eros and Psyche had a daughter - the goddess of pleasure and bliss - the beautiful Volupta. If we recall more ancient legends, then Eros is the creator of more winged creatures and ancient gods.
Main myths: In the myths of the 6th century BC. Eros is a brave, winged archer who holds the keys to heaven, sea, earth and the kingdom of the dead.
For Plato, Eros is not a deity, but rather a demon - the eternal companion of Aphrodite, he is the son of Poverty and Wealth, conceived on Aphrodite’s birthday and inherited from his parents the thirst for possession, perseverance, courage and... homelessness.
Interesting Facts: Among the Greeks to this day, Eros is one of the most beloved divine characters. His images decorate vases, vessels and flasks with precious olive oil.
Eros was revered not only as the god of love, but also as a deity personifying life after death. Previously, tombs were decorated with his images. However, even now in modern Greek cemeteries you can find crypts with the traditional image of the flying away Eros and Psyche clinging to him, dying of grief.
A. Butro. Eros and Psyche. 1844.
Eros is the Greek god of love. From the 6th century BC. e. myths arise that define the place of Eros in the Olympian family of gods.
Eros corresponds to the Roman Cupid and Cupid (Latin "cupido" - desire).Eros was also revered as the god of fertility, procreation, the god who knew the primordial Chaos, one of the most ancient gods. In the Dionysian Mysteries, Eros is called "protagonus", that is, the first of those born, the firstborn. At the same time, there are many versions of who exactly Eros was born. According to Aristophanes ("Birds"), Eros was born of Erebus (Darkness) and Nyukta (Night), in later myths he is the son of Aphrodite and Ares. However, in Hesiod’s “Theogony” (8th century BC), Eros is Aphrodite’s companion, but by no means her son. According to another legend, he is the son of Iris and Zephyr (Rainbow and Western Ve).
One of the early legends says that it was Eros who forced Uranus (Sky) and Gaia (Earth) to intertwine in an embrace, which gave birth to numerous descendants. In the same “Birds” of Aristophanes it is said that Eros “hatched” humanity and it was he who gave people the light of existence. At the same time, being one of the most ancient gods, Eros took his place quite late in the religious mysteries and the pantheon itself. In Fespa he was revered as ancient god fertility, and in Athens there was a cult of Aphrodite and Eros. In Athens, too, the fourth day of each month was dedicated to Eros. Sometimes Eros appears in sources as Eros ( plural from "eros"). Anteros (also known as the deity of platonic love) was the brother of Eros, the second son of Aphrodite and Ares.
Eros is usually depicted as winged boy or a youth with a bow and arrow, taking aim and ready to strike the heart of god or mortal with love and desire. Eros has two types of arrows: gold, feathered with dove feathers, and lead with owl feathers. Some evoke love, others indifference. Sappho called Eros beautiful, but cruel to his victims in his charm, and likened love to sweet bitterness. Being completely unscrupulous, Eros poses a clear danger to everyone who, to their misfortune, happens to be close to him: in his habits, he sows as much confusion and pain around himself with his arrows as possible. But the legend also says that one day he himself fell in love.
Francois Gerard. Psyche.
According to this legend, Eros was his mother’s inseparable companion, as well as the executor of her will and assistant in all her divine affairs. It so happened that Aphrodite became envious of the beauty of the mortal girl Psyche. The goddess, overcome by jealousy, ordered Eros to pierce Psyche's heart with a golden arrow so that she would fall in love with the most disgusting man in the world. Eros agreed to fulfill his mother’s wish, but when he saw Psyche, he fell in love with her.
J.-L. David. Cupid and Psyche.
The beautiful Psyche became the wife of the invisible and mysterious Eros, who came to her every day, but only at night and in the dark, warning his beloved that she should not bring fire into the bedroom and see him without the cover of night.
Psyche falls in love with Eros without even seeing him, but her jealous sisters convince her that she has married a terrible monster who is going to harm her. They incite her to kill her husband. One fateful night, curiosity and fear took over and Psyche hid an oil lamp and a knife in the bedroom. When Eros fell asleep, she pulled out a lamp and lit a fire to see the monster, but instead saw a beautiful sleeping young man
Edouard Picot. Eros and Psyche.
At the sight of his beauty, she trembles, and a few drops of hot oil from the lamp fall on Eros’s skin. He wakes up in pain and sees the knife she is holding in her hand. Enraged by the betrayal of his beloved, Eros flies away, and Psyche, in despair, sets off to look for her lover all over the world.
Eros returns to his mother Venus/Aphrodite, who heals his wounds and tyranns Psyche in every possible way. After several difficult tasks, she orders Psyche to go down to the Lower World and take a box with a piece of her beauty from Persephone. Psyche does not know about the intentions of Venus, who hopes that the girl will not survive the dangers of the journey. But she manages to achieve her goal thanks to the instructions of the talking tower, from which she wanted to throw herself down to commit suicide. Having received the box from Persephone, Psyche opens it in the hope of regaining the love of Eros, but instead falls into a deep sleep, indistinguishable from death.
Eros, healed from his wounds, yearns for his beloved and looks for her everywhere. He awakens Psyche by pricking her with an arrow from his quiver, and then flies off to convince Jupiter (Zeus) to take his side in a dispute with the angry Venus (Aphrodite). In the end they manage to pacify Venus. Jupiter blesses Psyche and Eros. He turns the girl into a goddess, making her immortal. This is how lovers are united forever. Soon Psyche and Eros give birth to a daughter, who is called Pleasure.
A. Pompeo. Marriage of Cupid and Psyche.
For the Greeks, this myth was a classic example true love, the highest realization of the human soul. Therefore, Psyche - a mortal who has gained immortality - became a symbol of the soul searching for its ideal.
According to Homer, the souls of the dead in the Underworld look like living people. On Greek tombs the soul was often depicted as a bird, and later as a butterfly. Psyche was sometimes depicted with wings, which spoke of the soul’s ability to fly and rebirth, and sometimes with a butterfly in her hands.
Maurice Denis. Ascension of Psyche to Heaven.
Eros was also revered as the god of life after death and tombs were decorated with his images. This tradition is alive to this day: many crypts with images of Eros flying away and Psyche dying of grief, clinging to him in anguish, can be found in modern cemeteries. The Greeks considered him the most beautiful, the most beloved and the most loving. His statue was placed in gymnasiums (athletes were supposed to be similar in beauty to Eros). Images of Eros can be seen on almost any utensil, from drinking vessels to flasks with oil. And it is almost always clear that Eros is again ready to strike the heart of a new unsuspecting victim.
There are several other versions of the myth. Let's say, Ovid in his Metamorphoses described the origin of Eros this way:
Although they say that Eros is one of the elder gods who arose from Chaos, or that, as the Orphics believe, he emerged from an egg, we will not talk about Eros as one of the first deities. So, the parents of Eros were either Aphrodite and Ares, or Aphrodite and Hermes, or maybe Iris and Zephyr, or Artemis and Hermes; There are also completely fantastic versions: for example, the poet Olen calls Eros the son of Ilithyia, the goddess who helps during childbirth, and Euripides (“Hippollitus”) even considers Eros the son of Zeus...
In Hesiod we read:
First of all, Chaos arose in the universe, and then
Broad-breasted Gaia, universal safe haven,
Gloomy Tartarus, lying in the deep depths of the earth,
And, among all the eternal gods, the most beautiful is Eros.
Sweet-smelling - for all gods and earthly people it is
It conquers the soul in the chest and deprives everyone of reason.
Orphics (supporters of the philosophical and mystical movement) believed that
Protogon, or Fanet (aka Eros), hatched from the World Egg created by Chaososm and Ether. Protogonus means "First Born". Protogonus also has other names: Fanet ("Revealed"), the golden-winged god of light and love, Ericapaeus, meaning "Powerful", and Metis, "Wise". He is the master of the keys of the ether, sky, sea, earth, the kingdom of the dead and Tartarus.
There are other options. Later, in the Hellenistic and Roman periods
he is portrayed as just a boy, blond and winged, capricious and cunning. He often serves his mother in exchange for some absolutely useless gift (but in Apollonius of Rhodes, Eros completely pushes Aphrodite around). And in general, each person will probably be able to imagine Eros more clearly if he remembers his child (or a child in general.
The most popular version remains the one that has already been given - from Apuleius’s novel “Metamorphoses”:
In a certain kingdom-state there lived a king and a queen, and they had three daughters. The elders are beautiful, and the youngest, Psyche, is so beautiful that people began to say that Venus herself walked among them, or that a new Venus was born on earth. The people began to bring her gifts and call on her in prayer. Venus, rightly indignant, “now called to her the son of her winged, extremely impudent boy, who, in his malice, neglecting the social order, armed with arrows and a torch, runs at night through other people’s houses, dissolving marriages everywhere, and, committing such crimes with impunity, decidedly good does nothing. Out of the natural depravity of the unbridled, she also excites him with words, takes him to that city and ... shows "the girl, urging him to make Psyche fall in love with the most wretched and unworthy person, which can only be found on earth.
Caravaggio. Cupid and Psyche.
Although the older sisters had long been married and lived a quiet and happy life, Niko did not woo Psyche. The saddened father turned to the oracle, and Apollo replied:
King, place the doomed maiden on a high cliff
And in her funeral attire for her wedding rites;
Don’t hope to have a mortal son-in-law, unfortunate parent:
He will be wild and cruel, like a terrible dragon.
He flies around the air on wings and tires everyone,
He inflicts wounds on everyone and scorches them with a burning flame.
Even Jupiter trembles before him and the gods are afraid.
He inspires fear in the Styx, a gloomy underground river.
The parents cried, but there was nothing to do - you need to follow the decrees of the gods. And so, when the girl was left alone on the rock, Zephyr lifted her into the sky and took her to a strange garden. In the palace, invisible slaves began to serve her, and at night Cupid appeared, and so on for many days: during the day invisible servants served her, and at night an unknown husband appeared, who, as soon as dawn began to break, flew away.
Jean-Baptiste Regnault. Cupid and Psyche.
Meanwhile, Psyche's parents were getting old, and the older sisters decided to visit them. That same night, Cupid ordered Psyche not to listen to the voices of the sisters if they came to the cliff, that whatever they said would bring him a lot of suffering and her inevitable death. The next day, Psyche was inconsolable, and Cupid, wanting to console his beloved, not only resigned himself to her hearing the sisters, but finally agreed to order Zephyr to take them to the palace.
Seeing in what luxury Psyche lived, the sisters decided to take revenge on her for their less favorable fate. Reminding Psyche that the prediction spoke of a monster, the sisters advised her to hide the razor and candle, and when her secret husband fell asleep, behead him.
Naive Psyche followed the advice of her sisters, but as soon as she saw the beautiful god, her determination disappeared. Having accidentally been pricked by Cupid's arrow, Psyche flared up even more. more love to God, however, trembling, she dropped a drop of oil, and Cupid, waking up, flew into the sky.
“After all, I, the most simple-minded Psyche, contrary to the command of my mother Venus, who ordered to instill in you a passion for the most pitiful, the last of mortals and doom you to a wretched marriage, I myself chose to fly to you as a lover. I know that I acted frivolously, but, the famous shooter , I wounded myself with my own weapon and made you my wife so that you would consider me a monster and want to cut off my head with a razor because it contains these eyes that are in love with you. I have always urged you to beware ", always persuaded in a friendly manner. Your venerable advisers will immediately answer me for their such disastrous invention, but I will punish you only with my disappearance," he said, stopping in the garden, and flew away.
The saddened Psyche tried to drown herself, but the river, not wanting to quarrel with the god of love, rejected her body. Seeing her, tearful and exhausted, Pan advised her not to kill herself, but to pray to Cupid, and although such advice was almost absurd, Psyche decided to find a husband at all costs. Having reached the nearest city, in which her sister was the queen, Psyche went to her and told her that the light of the lamp had revealed to her that Cupid himself was her husband, but that he woke up and drove her out, declaring that he preferred her sister (and Psyche called Name). The enthusiastic sister immediately boarded the ship, sailed to the cliff from where Zephyr had previously carried her to Cupid’s palace and, without waiting for the wind, jumped off the cliff.
Meanwhile, Psyche reached the city where her second sister lived and told her the same story as the first; and this envious woman crashed in the same way. So, she moved from one city to another in search of her lover.
Meanwhile, the burned Cupid flew to his mother's palace and lay there sick. The efficient seagull, who learned about this, hurried to Venus and told her about her son’s illness and that people no longer fall in love or get married, and that they scold the idlers Venus and Cupid for this. The seagull also did not forget to mention Psyche, whom Cupid made his beloved contrary to his mother’s orders. The goddess became furious: she attacked her son and threatened to take away his weapon and take bitter revenge on his chosen one. Having ordered her son to be locked up and strictly guarded (partly, fearing for a burn, partly so that the young man would not run away to his beloved), Venus went off in search of the girl.
Meanwhile, Psyche herself decided to go to Venus. When she already saw the palace of the goddess, Habit ran up to her and dragged her by the hair to her mistress Venus. The Goddess was delighted: having promised not to allow Psyche to give birth, she ordered Care and Dejection to beat the girl, and then mixed rye, barley, millet, poppy seeds, peas, lentils, beans and ordered Psyche to sort it all out in a day. However, the ants took pity on Psyche, and when Venus returned from the feast, the work was already done.
The next morning, Venus ordered Psyche to bring a tuft of wool from the golden fleece rams that were grazing in the meadow. The girl obediently went, but only to drown herself in the nearest river, along the banks of which reeds grew. One reed took pity on the girl and said: “Psyche... be careful not to get close to the terrible sheep at this hour: when the heat of the sun burns them, they are usually attacked by wild rabies... When in the afternoon the sun’s heat subsides and the pleasant coolness of the river calms the herd , then... you will find golden wool stuck everywhere among the intertwined branches - you just have to shake the foliage of the neighboring trees."
The enraged goddess was not slow in giving the next task. This time Psyche needed to draw water into a vessel from the rezi Cocytus, which was guarded by the dragon. But even in this test she found an assistant: the eagle, the bird of Jupiter, took water and gave the vessel to Psyche.
As last test Venus ordered Psyche to descend to the kingdom of Orcus (Hades) and take some of her beauty from Proserpina. “After all, I’ve already spent mine taking care of my son,” said Venus. This task, Psyche decided, was definitely not up to her. Climbing to the top high tower, Psyche was about to throw herself down, when she suddenly heard the voice of the tower itself: “Why, poor thing, should you look for
death in the abyss? Why do new dangers and labors so easily depress you? After all, once your spirit one day separates from your body, of course, you will descend into deep Tartarus, but from there... you will not return. Listen to me... Not far from here is Lacedaemon, the famous city of Achaea; next to it, find Tenar, hidden among deserted places. There is a chasm called Dita, and through the gaping gate one can see an impassable road; As soon as you trust her and cross the threshold, you will reach the Orc kingdom directly. But you must not enter into this darkness empty-handed: in each one, hold a barley cake mixed with honey and wine, and carry two coins in your mouth. Having already walked a significant part of the deadly road, you will meet a lame donkey loaded with firewood, and with it a lame driver; he will turn to you with a request to pick up a few pieces of wood that have fallen from the bundle, but you do not say a single word and silently move on. Soon you will reach the river of the dead, over which Charon has been appointed chief... You will give this dirty old man one of the coppers that you will have with you as payment for the transportation, but in such a way that he himself, with his own hand, will take it from you from mouth. That's not all: when you cross the slow stream, a dead old man will float to the surface and, stretching out his rotten hand to you, will ask you to drag him into the boat, but do not succumb to illicit pity. When, having crossed the river, you go a little further, you will see old weavers busy with weaving; they will ask you to have a hand in their work, but this should not concern you. After all, all this and much more will arise through the cunning of Venus, so that you let go of at least one cake. Do not think that losing these barley cakes is an empty, insignificant matter: if you lose even one, you will not see the white light again. Enormous dog with three big heads, huge and terrible, spewing a thunderous growl from his mouth and vainly frightening the dead, to whom he cannot harm, lies at the very threshold of the black palaces of Proserpina and constantly guards the vast dwelling of Dita. Having given him one of the two cakes as a prey to tame, you will easily pass by him and will soon reach Proserpina herself, who will receive you kindly and graciously, offer you a soft seat and ask you to taste a sumptuous meal. But you sit on the ground and just take plain bread, then report why you came, and, having accepted what they will give you, go back; soften the dog’s rage with the remaining cake, pay the stingy boatman with the coin you saved, and, having crossed the river, you will again take the same road and again see the round dance of the heavenly bodies. But this is what I consider especially necessary to warn you about first of all: do not even think about opening the jar that is in your hands or looking into it, do not show curiosity about the treasures of divine beauty hidden in it.”
Having done everything as the tower advised, Psyche received a jar from Proserpina, but, unable to resist, opened it and immediately fell asleep, for the dream of the underworld was contained there.
Meanwhile, Cupid's wound healed, and, worried about his beloved, he rushed to the entrance to the kingdom of Orca, where he discovered the sleeping Psyche. After removing the dream from her, he hid it back in the jar. “Now you almost died again, all because of your same curiosity. But for now, diligently carry out the assignment that my mother gave you with her order, and I will take care of the rest,” he said 
Prudhon. Eros and Psyche.
Cupid flew into the sky to the kingdom of Jupiter.
Apuleius ends with Jupiter agreeing to the marriage of Cupid and Psyche, and so that Venus does not consider the union of her son with a mortal offensive, he grants Psyche immortality.
The full text of the myth with detailed comments is described in Erich Neumann’s book “Cupid and Psyche: Mental Development feminine" Ed. Princeton University, New Jersey, 1971.
Also based on this myth, Robert Jones’s work “She” was written, Deep Aspects of Female Psychology, in which it is discussed in more detail.
Some poets and writers turned to the myth of Eros and Psyche.
M. Denis. Eros and Psyche.
John Keats
Ode to Psyche
Translation by Grigory Kruzhkov
Descending to these silent verses,
Forgive me, goddess, if I don't hide
And I’ll betray it to the unreliable wind
A memory dear to my heart.
Was I really dreaming? or in reality
Did I recognize the gaze of the awakened Psyche?
Without a goal I wandered in the green wilderness,
When suddenly, frozen, I saw through the foliage
Two beautiful creatures: behind the intertwined
A curtain of stems, grasses and petals
They lay together and sleepless
Spring of a hundred frets
Lulled them with melodious streams.
With fragrant, quiet eyes
The flowers looked on, hugging them tenderly;
They rested in the arms of the grass,
Intertwined with arms and wings.
Their breath is a living warmth
Merged into one warmth, even the lips
A soft hand swept away the drowsiness,
To kiss again without counting
They, parting with a ruddy sleep,
They were ready to give gifts to each other.
This winged boy is familiar to me,
But who is his lucky girlfriend?
She is the youngest in the family of immortals,
But more miraculous than Nature itself,
More beautiful than the Sun and Moon
And Vesper, the radiant beetle of the sky;
The most beautiful of all - even though she doesn’t have a temple,
No altar with flowers;
No hymns, under the curtains of branches
Sounding in the evenings;
No flute, no cithara, no smoke
From fragrant resins;
No grove, no shrine, no priests,
From the spells of drunks.
O Light One! the odes have long ceased
Antique - and the sounds of ardent lyres,
That the world was sung like a shrine:
And air, and fire, and firmament, and water.
But now, even though it's all gone,
Far away from delights, now reserved,
I see how between the pale Olympians
This light wing sparkles.
So let me be your priest
Drunk from spells;
Kifhara, flute, curly smoke -
Smoky fragrant;
Sanctuary, and grove, and singer,
And a prophetic idol.
Yes, I will become your prophet
And I will build a secluded temple
In the forest of your soul, so that thoughts are pine trees,
Growing there with sweet pain,
They stretched upward, thick and peaceful.
From ledge to ledge, behind the trunk the trunk,
They will cover rocky ridges,
And there, to the sound of birds, streams and bees,
Fearful dryads fall asleep in the grass.
And in this concentration, in silence
Unseen, wondrous flowers,
Garlands and bright stars,
To everything that was hardly seen in a dream
Fantasies for a crazy gardener,
I will decorate the temple; and for your sake
I'll leave the keys there for all the joys,
So that you never look gloomy, -
And a bright torch, and a window in the night,
Revealed for the boy Cupid!
Fragonard. Psyche and Cupid.
What did you feel, Psyche, on that day,
When Eros you, under the name of his wife,
Brought the gods to a feast under an unearthly canopy?
How did you feel in their Olympic circle?
And all the love of the one who is God above love,
Could it ease slightly visible grievances:
Ares's daring gaze, the queen's evil sigh,
The whispering of goddesses and the evil greetings of Cyprus!
And at the feast of the gods, under their shameless laughter,
Where everything is above power, everyone is gods and goddesses,
Have you not remembered the days of earthly pleasures,
Where there is sadness and shame, where there is faith in sacred things!
Valery Bryusov. 
J. Waterhouse. Psyche enters Cupid's garden.
Psyche
Punch and midnight. Punch - and Pushkin, Punch - and the meerschaum pipe Pushushchaya. Punch - and the babble of Ballroom shoes on the hoarse Floorboards. And - like a ghost - In the semicircle of the arch - a bird - A night butterfly - Psyche! Whisper: “Are you still awake? I want to say goodbye...” The gaze is downcast. (Perhaps he asks for forgiveness for the future pranks of this night?) Every finger of the hands that fell on your shoulders, Every pearl on your smooth neck has been kissed a hundred times. And on tiptoe - like a peri! - In a pirouette - like a ghost - she fluttered out. - Punch - and midnight. She fluttered again: “What a memory! I forgot my fan! I’m late... In the first pair of Polonaise...” - Throwing a cloak Over one shoulder - obediently - The poet is on the arm - Psyche Sees off along the trembling steps. He wrapped her paws in a blanket, he wraps the wolf’s cavity himself... - “With God!” And Psyche, falling to her companion - a blind Scarecrow in a cap - trembles: Did the ardent kiss of an arap burn through her glove... Punch and midnight. Punch and ashes Falling onto the Persian Fawn robe - and ball gowns empty foam In the dusty mirror...Marina Tsvetaeva.
Cupid and Psyche. Statue in the Summer Garden.
