When the god of Love fell in love
Psyche was one of the 3 daughters of a royal family. All of them were attractive but Psyche’s beauty was stunning. So stunning, that villagers from all around would visit the kingdom just to admire her. As a consequence, Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, got very jealous and decided to punish the beautiful, girl. She ordered her son, Eros, to visit Psyche and throw his arrow to make her fall in love with the ugliest thing on earth. Eros sneaked into Psyche’s room while she was sleeping but he got distracted by her beauty and accidentally wounded himself with his own arrow. As a result Eros fell madly in love with Psyche and ran away without completing his mother’s mission.
As the years went by, men continued to admire Psyche, but no one was falling in love with her. So unlike her sisters who were already married and had started their families, she remained unmarried. Her parents were very concerned and decided to consult the oracle of Apollo in Delphi regarding her future.
Apollo, guided by Eros, gave the oracle that Psyche would marry an ugly beast whose face she would never be able to see. Her parents, although very sad, decided to follow the oracle’s advice to leave her alone on a mountain until her monstrous husband would come.
Zephyr, the gentle wind, felt sorry for the girl crying alone on the mountain and carried her down to a beautiful field of flowers, where the beautiful palace that Eros, her husband, had built for her. At her first night in the palace, Eros came to her, in the darkness of her bedroom, so that she couldn’t see his face. He told her that she would have anything she wished for but she must never try to see what he looks like.
Eros would only visit her at night, not wanting to reveal his face to her. Psyche started to love the sweet but mysterious man, but she was feeling lonely during the day she asked for her sisters to visit her. They arrived guided by the wind Zephyr but the beauty and the wealth of Psyche’s palace made them jealous and started to ask questions about her husband. They reminded her of the prophecy that she would marry a monster and convinced her to break her promise and try to see what her husband looked like. All she would have to do was light a candle during the night while he is asleep.
Following her sister’s advice, Psyche tried to see Eros’ face when he fell asleep by her side. As she illuminated his face with the candle, she saw to her great surprise the beautiful god Eros. But then the lamp tilted to the side and poured hot wax on him. He woke up deceived and flew away immediately. They could no longer be together since she – a mortal – saw the face of an immortal.
Psyche immediately started to look for Eros everywhere. She ended up in the palace of Aphrodite, where Eros was imprisoned by his mother. Aphrodite was still jealous of the beautiful, young girl and she asked her to prove herself worthy to be Eros’ wife by completing 3 difficult tasks. Psyche completed the first two tasks successfully with the help of Gods and natural creatures. The third test was for her to go to Ades, the underworld, and bring Persephone’s box. This box contained a magic elixir of beauty and Psyche was advised not to open it. However, she could not resist the temptation. Inside the box was Morpheus, the God of sleep who plunged Psyche into a deep sleep.
When Eros learned about his mother’s tricks and how much his beloved one had suffered, he was convinced of her true love for him. He flew directly to Olympus and begged Zeus to save Psyche. Zeus was touched by their love and not only brought Psyche back to life but also made her immortal, allowing them to be united forever.
The myth of Eros and Psyche is probably one of the most beautiful love stories in classical mythology. It has been told and retold in several different versions and it has inspired artists all over the world. The tale concerns the overcoming of obstacles to the love between Psyche (Greek: Ψυχή, meaning ‘Soul’ or ‘Breath of Life’) and Eros (Greek: Eros, Ἔρως, meaning ‘Desire’, or ’Love’), and their ultimate union in a sacred marriage.
ΕΡΩΣ (Eros) and ΨΥΧΗ (Psyche) rings are part of Logia collection. Logia pieces are unique, beautiful and inspiring like the words carved on them.
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