Lucius Apuleius - Cupid and Psyche

BBC Radio

'Cupid and Psyche' first appeared in Lucius Apuleius's "The Golden Ass" (Books 4 to 6) and

also as a story in his book "Debt to Plato in the Metamorphoses" (2 A.D.)

Broadcast: 18th August 1991

The story of Cupid and Psyche is part of 'The Golden Ass' or 'Metamorphoses', a Latin novel

by Lucius Apuleius (second century A.D.). It is both a charming fairytale and an allegory

of the search of the Soul for happiness and fulfillment.

Dramatised by Peter McKee

With David Learner [Cupid], Claire Falconbridge [Psyche] and Kate O'Mara [Venus].

Directed by Philip Martin

Size: 21,367 kb kbps: 32 kHz: 22 Time: 1 hr. 31 min. 9 sec. (Mono)

___________________________________________________________________________________________

The Story:

There was once a king who had three daughters. Though all of the girls were lovely, it was

the youngest, Psyche who was most noted for her beauty. So ravishing was she that men

traveled from afar just to gaze upon her beautiful face. It was a common practice for them

to fall to their knees and offer her homage just as if she were a goddess. It was even said

that Venus herself could not compare to the loveliness of this young maid. It was not long

before these words reached Mount Olympus and the ears of the goddess.

She quickly came to earth to investigate the situation, only to find her temples empty and

their alters cold and bare. Jealous and angry Venus called upon her son Cupid to come to

her aid. She poured her heart out to the youth telling him of the humiliation she had

suffered at the hands of this mere mortal.

Like always, Cupid was eager to help his mother. He promised Venus that upon the right

moment he would shoot Psyche through the heart with one of his magic arrows, causing the

maiden to fall in love with a vile and wretched man of low reputation. Never did it occur

to Venus that her son would also be captivated by the nearly divine beauty of Psyche. With

one look, the young god was rendered speechless as he too found himself under the spell of

the enchanting princess. But time passed, and while countless numbers of men came to look

upon Psyche and worship her, not one sought to make her his wife.

Her two sisters were both happily married to kings, but lovely Psyche was left to sit home

sad and alone. She was admired by many but loved by none. Seeing his daughter's sorrow, the

king traveled to the oracle of Apollo at Miletus to seek advice on how to find a good

husband for her. To the king's dismay, the words spoken to him by the Priestess were not

promising.

It seems that Cupid had also paid a visit to Apollo, telling him of his love for Psyche and

petitioning the god to help him. It was for this reason that the oracle instructed the king

to dress Psyche in mourning clothes and lead her to the top of a lonely mountain. There she

was to be left to await the arrival of her future husband, who was said to be a winged

serpent so hideous that even the gods themselves were fearful of him. In a somber

procession, Psyche was clothed in black and led to the mountain top where she was left to

the horrible fate that was promised to her. There the brave girl waited alone in the

darkness, willing to accept whatever evil that was destined to come to her. Her trembling

was soon interrupted by the soft touch of Zephyr, the west wind, who gently lifted her up

and and with his delicate breezes floated her to a grassy meadow.

Psyche, who was now releaved of all fright, laid down amid the fragrant flowers and fell

asleep. When she awoke, she found herself near the banks of a flowing river where just

beyond stood a beautiful palace. It's walls were fashioned out of silver and decorated with

precious stones that sparkled in the sunlight.

Surrounded by golden pillars, it was as if this place could only be the home of a god. As

she ventured towards the glorious mansion, Psyche could not help but notice the feeling of

stillness that encased her new domain. Not a sound was to be heard and to the maiden's

awe-struck eyes the palace looked to be deserted.

When she reached the threshold, Psyche was started by the sound of soft voices whispering

in her ear. Though she could see no one, the words clearly told her to come inside and

refresh herself with a bath.

Psyche's invisable hosts identified themselves as her new servants, who, according to their

master's instructions were bound to fulfill her every desire. When she emerged from her

bath Psyche found a delectible banquet had been laid out for her in the dining hall. As she

ate the air filled with the sounds of sweet harp music but as before she could see no one

else in the room. Except for the companionship of the ghostly voices, Psyche remained alone

for the rest of the day for it was not until the shadows of night touched down that she

found herself in the company of her new husband. Though she could not see him in the

darkness, Psyche knew by his kind voice that he was no monster. Instead she finally had

found the lover she had always wished for. Time passed quickly and though Psyche longed to

see her mate she remained happy with his secret nocturnal visits.

One night upon his arrival, Psyche's faceless husband gravely warned her that danger was

approaching in the form of her two sisters. It seems they were traveling to the mountain

from where Psyche vanished, as they desired to properly mourn her loss. He cautioned his

wife that she must not let her sisters see her as they would bring nothing but sorrow and

ruin to the both of them. Psyche gave him her solemn promise but when the next day arrived

she could not control her weeping. She could only think of her sisters and about how much

she missed them. That night she begged her mysterious husband to allow her to have just one

visit with her siblings.

He reluctantly consented but not before reminding her that there would be no positive

outcome to her wishes. Before departing he made his wife promise that regardless of what

happened she would never try to see him. She agreed, and in the morning Zephyr escorted the

two women down the mountain to where Psyche was waiting. After a tearful reunion, the three

retired into the palace to continue their visit.

When the two sisters saw that Psyche's riches well surpassed their own, they became filled

with envy. Overwhelmed with curiousity, they demanded to know the idenity of the man who

had been bestowing this life of grandeur upon their sister. Remembering her promise, Psyche

told the meddling pair that her husband was away on a hunting trip and was not expected to

return until after nightfall. As the visit came to an end, Psyche filled the arms of her

sisters with gifts of gold and jewels and then once again Zephyr flew them back to their

homes.

Unaware that her jealous siblings were plotting together to bring about her ruin, Psyche

once again ignored her husband's warnings and begged him to allow her to have another visit

with the wicked pair. When the two arrived they immediately began to bombard Psyche with

questions as to what her husband looked like. As they listened to Psyche stumble through

her answers, they became convinced that she herself had never laid eyes upon him.

Bursting with envy the duo used this new discovery to their advantage and they at once

began to fill Psyche's head with poisoned words. They swore they had heard tales of her

husband, all stating that he was not a man but in reality truly was the horrible serpent

described by Apollo's oracle. They cautioned her to be beware, as they suspected he would

soon try and devour her in the night. As she listened, Psyche felt her heart fill with

feelings of terror and doubt. There must be truth in her sisters words, for why else would

the man she loved be content to hide himself from her? He must certainly be the beast they

declared him to be.

Her sisters instructed her to hide a sharp knife and a lantern by her bedside and when she

knew her husband to be asleep she was to light the lamp and steal a glimpse of him. After

seeing the beast for what he was, she was told to plunging the knife deep into his heart.

When this deed was complete, the two would then return and take Psyche home. Psyche's mind

was filled with confusion, for she loved her mate dearly one minute, but then the next

minute loathed the thought of him as a vile serpent. She battled with her thoughts

throughout the day and finally made up her mind that when night fell she would finally take

a forbidden peek.

When he at last fell asleep, Psyche quietly retrieved the lamp and with all the courage she

had, lit the wick and raised the lantern high above her head. For the first time Psyche was

able to gaze upon the face of her sleeping husband. To her great surprise she found no

monster, but only a beautiful winged creature sleeping peacefully under the soft

illumination of the lamp. Overwhelmed with guilt, Psyche dropped the knife and fell to her

knees in shame.

At that moment a drop of hot oil spilled from the lamp and landed on the shoulder of her

sleeping mate. At once he awoke, and seeing that his wife did not remain faithful to her

promise fled from her without saying a word. Psyche ran after him but she could not see him

in the darkness. She was only able to hear his voice as he called out "Love cannot live

where there is no trust" and then he was gone.

It then became apparent to Psyche that her husband had been none other than Cupid the god

of love. Helpless and alone, Psyche gathered her thoughts and with great determination

decided she would seek out her angry lover and beg his forgiveness.

To the far ends of the earth she would travel if it meant being able to prove her love to

him once more. And so she began her search, walking as a blind woman would, for she knew

not where to look. Cupid had returned to his mother's chamber to have his wound cleaned.

When Venus learned her son had chosen her most hated rival as his wife, the angry goddess

left him alone to tend to his injury and went to punish the girl who had caused her so much

trouble.

As Psyche searched in vain for her lost love she petitioned the gods to help her, but not

one would come to her aid. All feared the wrath of Venus, so her pleas went unheard. Not

being left with any other choice, Psyche concluded the only thing left to do was to appeal

directly to the goddess herself. She would offer Venus her life as a humble servant. The

goddess greeted her with scornful laughter, mocking Psyche's grief over the loss of her

husband. She told the sobbing young woman that she would first have to complete some tasks

before she would even think of helping her regain her love.

Venus took a multitude of tiny seeds; millet, wheat and poppy and scattered them in a heap

in front of the cowering maiden. Psyche's first task was to have each seed sorted in it's

proper pile by the time night fell. Knowing there was no way that she could accomplish this

incredible feat, Psyche hung her head in sorrow. As she wept, she was approached by a

gathering of ants who had taken pity upon the vulnerable girl.

Her new friends worked diligently sorting seed by seed, until finally all were in their

perspective piles. When Venus returned she was furious to see that Psyche had completed her

task and as she tossed her a crust of bread, the goddess announced to Psyche that her work

was not yet finished.

Her next endeavor would be a dangerous one. It would require Psyche to travel to the river

banks where she would find among the thick bushes a herd of sheep covered with fleeces of

gold. Her mission was to retrieve some of this precious wool and bring it to the goddess.

Psyche did as she was told, but when the exhausted girl reached the water she was consumed

with the urge to throw herself in to drown. As she leaned across the flowing stream, she

heard a tiny voice coming up from the ground where she knelt. It was a green reed that

begged her to reconsider and not take her own life. "It is true that the sheep are

extremely fierce" the reed whispered to Psyche, "but if you wait until the they come in

from the field to rest, you will be able to collect the pieces of wool left hanging on the

sharp briars."

Psyche trusted the kind voice, and because of this she was able to successfully return to

her mistress with her arms full of the shining fleece. Once again the cruel goddess

resentfully accepted her payment only to bestow another duty upon her pitiful servant. This

time Psyche was to fill a flask with the black water flowing from the source of the River

Styx.

This was truly the worst task of all as no one without wings could reach the place where

the river began. The source was surrounded by steep and slimey rocks, and the ascending

water ran with raging speed. As with her previous trials it was a creature that came to her

aid. This time an eagle appeared to her. He took the flask into his own mouth and flew past

the treacherous rocks, returning with it full of the black water.

Knowing that Psyche must be receiveng help from somewhere, Venus assigned her yet another

task. She gave the maiden an empty box and told her to travel to Hades and ask Queen

Proserpine to fill it with some of her beauty. Psyche was to tell the Queen that Venus

needed it because she was very worn out from taking care of her sick son. Psyche agreed and

set out to find the entrance to Hades.

A tower showed her the way, making sure that she had both a penny to pay the ferryman

Charon for her ride across the River Styx and a cake of which to give to Cerberus, the

three headed dog that guarded the palace of the dead. Proserpine was more than happy to do

Venus this favor, and sooner than she anticipated Psyche was on her way back to her

mistress.

As she traveled back to Venus, Psyche became filled with curiousity as to what this charm

from the Queen of the Underworld actually could be. Thinking that she too could use a

little of the beauty for herself, she cracked open the lid of the mysterious box and peeked

inside. To her surprise she found it to be empty, but a moment later Psyche, as if

bewitched fell into a deep sleep. It was just then that Cupid appeared, healed of his would

and free from the watchful eye of his Mother.

By making his escape from the barred doors that held him, he declared to the world that it

is impossible to keep love imprisoned for long. Finding his wife lying just outside the

palace, he wiped the sleep from her eyes and returned it to the box from where it came. He

woke her by lightly pricking her with one of his magic arrows and bade her take the box

back to his mother, all the while assuring her that all would be well.

With that Cupid flew to Mount Olympus where he asked Jupiter to step in and prevent Venus

from making anymore trouble. Jupiter could not refuse the youth and called an assembly of

the gods where he announced to all that Cupid and Psyche were formally married. Mercury

escourted Psyche into the palace where Jupiter fed her nectar and ambrosia. Once the divine

food of the gods passed over her lips, Psyche herself became immortal. Venus accepted the

union, after all with Psyche married and out of the way she would no longer be a threat to

the goddess's worship. From that moment on Love and Soul (for this is what Psyche means)

were forever united.