Daily Greek mythology story!

The Myth of Eros and Psyche

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The tale begins with a mortal princess named Psyche, whose beauty was so extraordinary that people began worshipping her instead of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. Temples dedicated to Aphrodite were neglected as mortals flocked to gaze upon Psyche.

Infuriated by this slight to her divine status, Aphrodite summoned her son, Eros, the god of desire. She ordered him to use his golden arrows to make Psyche fall in love with the most hideous and unworthy man in the world, thereby humiliating her.

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Eros, ready to execute his mother's vengeful plan, flew to Psyche's bedside. However, upon seeing her, he was so startled by her perfect beauty that he accidentally grazed himself with one of his own arrows. Eros instantly fell deeply and passionately in love with Psyche. He could not carry out the curse.

Meanwhile, despite her beauty, Psyche remained unmarried. Her two older sisters were married to kings, but men merely worshipped Psyche,no one dared to ask for her hand. Distressed, her father consulted an oracle, who, prompted by Eros , gave a terrifying prophecy.. Psyche was destined to marry a monstrous, serpent like being, and she was to be led to the peak of a mountain to await her terrifying groom.

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Brave and resigned to her fate, Psyche was led to the mountain. Instead of a monster, the gentle West Wind, Zephyrus, lifted her and carried her down to a beautiful, enchanted valley where she found a magnificent palace. Inside, unseen servants waited on her, and she was treated like a queen.

That night, her new husband arrived in the darkness. He spoke kindly and tenderly, but he forbade her from lighting a lamp or trying to look at his face, warning her that if she ever broke his command, their relationship would be ruined forever. Psyche, though initially frightened, fell in love with her mysterious, loving, and entirely unseen spouse.

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Psyche lived happily for a time, but she began to miss her family. Her husband, who was, of course, the god Eros, reluctantly agreed to let Zephyrus bring her two jealous sisters to visit.

Upon seeing the splendor of Psyche’s life, the sisters were consumed by envy. They poisoned Psyche’s mind, suggesting that her husband’s secrecy was proof that he was, indeed, the monstrous serpent foretold by the oracle. They urged her to break her promise: to hide a sharp knife and a lamp by her bed, and, once he was asleep, light the lamp, uncover his face, and kill the monster before it killed her.

That night, trembling, Psyche lit the lamp. The light fell not upon a monster, but upon the most beautiful being she had ever seen,the sleeping god Eros, whose divine wings shimmered. Stunned by his beauty, her hand shook, and a drop of hot oil from the lamp fell onto Eros's shoulder.

Waking in pain, Eros saw the lamp, the knife, and the betrayal in Psyche’s eyes. He cried out, "Love cannot live where there is no trust!" and immediately flew away, wounded and heartbroken. The magnificent palace and the valley vanished, leaving Psyche alone on the desolate mountain.

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Consumed by remorse, Psyche searched the world for her lost love. Her grief eventually brought her to the temple of Aphrodite, the source of all her trouble.

Aphrodite, overjoyed that her son was finally safe and separated from the mortal who had scorned her, decided to make Psyche’s life a living hell. She forced Psyche to complete a series of impossible, humiliating tasks, all designed to break her spirit..

1. Sorting Seeds: Sorting an enormous heap of mixed grains (wheat, barley, poppy seeds, etc.) into separate piles by dawn. (Ants helped her).

2. Gathering Wool: Collecting golden fleece from ferocious, man-eating sheep. (A talking green reed advised her on how to safely gather the shed wool).

3. Filling a Flask: Filling a flask with water from the River Styx, which poured down a treacherous, inaccessible cliff. (An eagle of Zeus helped her).

4. The Box of Beauty: The final, most dangerous task was to go down into the Underworld and ask Persephone, Queen of the Dead, to place a portion of her divine beauty into a box.

Psyche successfully retrieved the box, but on her way back, her mortal curiosity got the better of her. She thought, "If I take just a little of this divine beauty, perhaps Eros will love me again!"

Ignoring the warnings, she opened the box. Instead of beauty, she found a Stygian (Underworld) slumber,a dense, death like sleep,that immediately enveloped her.

Meanwhile, Eros, having healed from his burn and unable to bear his separation from Psyche any longer, flew down to her side. He gently brushed the sleep from her body, placed it back in the box, and then flew to Mount Olympus to beg Zeus, the king of the gods, for help.

Zeus, moved by the enduring love between the god and the mortal, agreed to intervene. He summoned all the gods, declared his blessing on the union, and gave Psyche the ultimate gift: he gave her ambrosia (the food of the gods), making her immortal.

Eros and Psyche were finally and eternally married in a magnificent ceremony on Mount Olympus, where their love was recognized by all the gods. They later had a daughter, who was aptly named Voluptas (Pleasure or Bliss). Psyche is often depicted with butterfly wings, symbolizing the soul's transformative journey through trials to achieve eternal happiness.