Goddess Psyche - the personification of the soul. Myth about Cupid and Psyche

The goddess Psyche and the myths about her at all times enjoyed great popularity. Particularly beautiful and romantic is the history of her relationship with Cupid (Eros). This story became the basis for many works of art. And some psychologists are convinced that this myth is not just a beautiful fairy tale, but also a deep, philosophical work.

Goddess Psyche: who is she?

In ancient Greek (as well as Roman) culture Psyche was a kind of personification of the soul. Most often the goddess was described as a girl with wings, and sometimes portrayed as a butterfly. By the way, in some sources there are stories about how Eros with a torch chased a butterfly, probably, so there was a well-known proverb and a favorite analogy.

The psyche-butterfly was depicted on tombstones near the skull and other important symbols of death. Frescos with this goddess were found during the excavation of Pompeii - here she was painted with a slate, flute and some other musical attributes. And the frescoes of the Vettiev house depict different scenes in which Eros and Psyche collect flowers, work on a dairy, etc. By the way, on the gems created in the III-I centuries BC, described a lot of very different interpretations of the story of the love of the two gods.

Where did the myth of Psyche and Cupid come from?

It is impossible to find out when exactly the first mention of the goddess-soul and the tragic history of her love appeared in folklore . The first small references were found in the works of Homer and some other historians of the time.

The whole myth is contained in the works of Apuleius - a famous ancient Roman writer and philosopher. The author knows only that he was born in one of the African provinces of Rome, namely in Madavra. Apuleius created many works for his life, and he wrote both in Latin and in Greek. The most famous work of the writer is the novel "The Golden Donkey" (another name is "Metamorphosis"), created in the second century of our era. This novel consists of eleven volumes, and all of them have reached us, except for a few spoiled pages. It was in "Metamorphoses" that Apuleius wrote about Eros and Psyche - in this form the myth has come down to our days.

Love Story Psyche: Part One

According to legend, one king had three daughters, the youngest of whom was Psyche. The goddess (still a simple girl) was so beautiful that men from all over the world came together to admire her charm. Over time, she began to worship as a deity, forgetting about Aphrodite, which could not but anger her.

That's why, using various methods, Aphrodite convinced her father Psyche to put on her daughter in wedding clothes and marry the most terrible monster. The girl suddenly found herself in an unknown castle next to her husband who had set her condition - she should never see his face.

When the happy and pregnant Psyche went to visit the parents, the sisters scared her, saying that the eerie monster, being her husband, would soon eat both her and the unborn child. Entrusting Psyche the same night, armed with a lamp and dagger, went into the bedroom to her husband, where she first saw the beautiful face of her husband Eros. From surprise and surprise she tilted the lamp, a few drops of oil fell on her husband's skin. When Eros woke up and realized exactly what Psyche was going to do, he abandoned her.

A pregnant and abandoned woman is doomed to wander the earth until she finds her beloved husband. On this way, many obstacles awaited her. But, in the end, she managed to find out that Eros is in the house of her mother Aphrodite - here the exhausted girl and the great goddess herself met. Psyche also agreed to fulfill all the whims of her mother-in-law in the hope of seeing Eros.

Four tests for the Soul from the point of view of psychologists

Aphrodite told the girl that she would allow her to meet with her son only if she could complete four tasks. All the tasks were practically impracticable, but each time Psyche miraculously managed to solve them. Psychologists have their own opinion on this matter. After each task, the woman acquired new knowledge and skills. She did not just do everything possible to meet her beloved - she developed to become a worthy god.

For example, first Aphrodite led the girl into the room with a huge pile of different seeds and ordered to sort them out. Psychologists consider this an important symbolism. Before making the final serious decision, a woman must be able to understand her feelings, discard fears, separate something important from completely insignificant.

Then Psyche was to obtain a little golden fleece from the solar rams. These huge aggressive monsters would trample on the girl, dare she walk between them. But the reed prompted her to wait for the night when the animals leave the field. From the point of view of psychologists, this task is a metaphor - a woman must be able to gain strength, without losing the characteristics of her personality, the ability to sympathize.

In the third task, Psyche was to draw water from a forbidden source, which fell from the cracks of the highest rock. Naturally, the girl could be killed to death, if in this case the eagle did not come to her aid. Some experts believe that such a metaphor means the ability to see the general picture of what is happening, which is extremely important for solving some problems.

The last task - to bring from the underground kingdom box with medicinal ointments. Yes, to descend to the underworld was equal to death. But the essence of the task is to focus on your goal and, if necessary, say "no." After all, along the road Psyche met a lot of people, praying for her to share the medicine. Thus, a woman does not allow herself to be used, even in spite of pity and sincere sympathy.

End of the story

When Psyche returned from the underworld, she decided to use a little healing ointment from the casket to erase the traces of suffering from her face before meeting her husband. She did not know that in fact, the chest was the spirit of Hypnos - the god of sleep. And after all the wanderings Psyche fell asleep deeply. Here Eros found her and woke her with an arrow of love.

After that, the god of love took his tapered to Olympus, where he received permission from Zeus to marry. Thunderbolt gave the girl immortality and attached her to the pantheon of the gods. The goddess Psyche and Eros gave birth to a child - Volupia, the goddess of pleasure. Only the union of the soul and love can give rise to real pleasure, real happiness.

Myth or reality?

Many readers perceive myths as some fantastic tales. In fact, this is not entirely true - experts involved in the study of ancient myths, argue that each such story carries a very deep philosophy.

Psychologists often used the image of Psyche to conduct analogies. And Jung explained the emergence of similar myths and the description by different people of identical events of the existence of the so-called "collective unconscious."

Educators, teachers and psychologists believe that the reading of myths is a useful activity, since it allows in an accessible form to explain this or that situation, feelings, ethical rules and patterns.

Ancient Greek Myth in Literary Works

In fact, the romantic story of the fusion of the soul and love has become the basis for the plots of many well-known literary works. In particular, Jean de Lafontaine created the "Love of Psyche and Cupid." Ippolit Bogdanovich used the myth to create a "darling". There is also the "Ode Psyche" written by John Keats. "Psyche" is in A. Kuprin, V. Bryusov, M. Tsvetaeva. And in Zuskind's famous work Perfume. The story of one killer "spirits are named after the goddess.

And the myth of Psyche, at least his echoes, can be seen in folk art and children's stories. One need only recall the "Cinderella", "Beauty and the Beast", as well as a lot of fairy tales, where the elder evil sisters quite spoil the life of the main character - there are many such works.

The History of the Goddess in Music

Of course, musicians could not ignore such a contentious and philosophical myth. The history of Cupid and Psyche was used to create a mass of true masterpieces. In particular, in 1678 appeared the lyrical tragedy (opera) of Jean-Baptiste Lully called "Psyche". By the way, the author of the libretto used is Tom Cornel. And César Franck created an oratorio called Psyche for a symphony orchestra and choir.

If we talk about more modern art, then in 1996 in the city of Kurgan was created a musical group "Psyche", working in the style of alternative rock.

Fine Arts: The Myth of Cupid and Psyche

Naturally, dozens and even hundreds of artists used myth as the main plot for their paintings. After all, Psyche is a goddess who embodies a passionate, strong and at the same time soft woman, capable of everything for the sake of being together with her beloved. For example, the work of Batoni Pompeo under the name "Marriage of Cupid and Psyche" is very popular. In 1808, Prudhon created the picture "Psyche, abducted by marshmallows."

In 1844, Bouguereau's work entitled "The Ecstasy of Psyche" appeared. A masterfully created picture is considered one of the most popular illustrations of the myth. Cupid and Psyche were repeatedly portrayed by Raphael, Giulio Romano, and also by P. Rubens. Francois Gérard created a beautiful painting called "Psyche, receiving the first kiss." A touching love story was also portrayed by A. Canova, Auguste Rodin.