1. MYTHOLOGY: TIMELESS TALES OF GODS & HEROES
Chapters 5-8

2. CUPID AND PSYCHE
A story told by an old woman in Apuleius' epic The Golden Ass

3. Cupid (Eros) Son of Venus (and Mars?)
God of desire, erotic love (eros)
Personification of love and courtship
Often pictured as a naked winged child with bow and arrow
Sometimes depicted wearing armor
Appears in many of Ovid’s stories
Most famous story is that of Cupid and Psyche from Apuleius’ Golden Ass (Metamorphoses)

4. Cupid and Psyche Similar to a fairy tale
Psyche was so beautiful that people were neglecting the worship of Venus
Venus got jealous of Psyche
Revenge: Venus gets Cupid make Psyche fall in love with a horrible beast
When Cupid saw how beautiful she was he pricked himself with his own arrow and fell in love with her

5. Cupid and Psyche (2)
Although everyone thought Psyche was so beautiful, no one ever fell in love with her
The Oracle told Psyche’s parents that she was destined to marry a monster
Parents were told to take Psyche to the top of a mountain and leave her there.
West Wind (Zephyrus) transported her to a palace

6. Cupid and Psyche (3)
Psyche’s destined husband was supposedly a winged serpent who came to take her as his wife
He only appears to her at night when she can’t really see him
Psyche’s sisters come to visit her at the palace and become jealous of her.
They get her to take a look at her husband, who turns out to be Cupid!
Cupid wanted to hide this from Venus.

7. Cupid and Psyche (4)
As soon as Psyche saw Cupid, the palace and Cupid disappeared into a puff of smoke.
Psyche roamed in search of Cupid lovesick
Psyche went to Venus (who was still angry with her)
Venus charges Psyche with completing several outrageous tasks
Once accomplished (with the help of some “friends.” )

8. Cupid and Psyche (5) Psyche’s impossible tasks:
1 . Sort, grain by grain, an entire room full of seeds in the span of a single day (ants)
2. Must fetch a jar that contained beauty from Persephone in the underworld (given instructions)

9. Cupid and Psyche (6)
Cupid tells Zeus the whole story and begs for his mercy
Zeus grants Cupid’s wish that he might be married to Psyche in the sight of all.
Venus gives up her anger
Zeus grants Psyche immortality.
They live happily ever-after!
PSYCHE means “soul” in Greek

10. PYGMALION & GALATEA

11. Pygmalion & Galatea (1)
Pygmalion: handsome and talented sculptor but hates women
Falls in love with a beautiful statue
Clothes the figure, gives it jewels
Names the sculpted woman Galatea (sleeping love)
Becomes obsessed with statue; treats her as a girlfriend
Had always vowed not to marry, for the sake of his art

12. Pygmalion & Galatea (2)
Pygmalion prays to Venus for a woman who looks just like Galatea
Venus thinks the statue looks just like her, so grants his wish.
Venus brings the statue to life
Pygmalion and Galatea get married
They honored Venus, and Venus aided them for the rest of their lives