The myth of the psyche read in full. Online reading of the book Myths of Classical Antiquity Book Eight. Cupid (73) and Psyche

(Cupid), the god of love.

The legend of Psyche and Eros is of Greek origin, but we mainly know it from the Latin work “Metamorphoses, or the Golden Ass” by Apuleius from Madavra (2nd century AD), where it is an independent story in the form of a fairy tale: some then the old woman tells her to the girl, kidnapped by robbers, to entertain her. Obviously, in those days it was no less common than today (it is based on a fairy tale plot known in the folklore of many peoples - it is enough to name S. Aksakov's "Scarlet Flower").

So, there lived a king and a queen, and they had three beautiful daughters. The two elders got married quite successfully, but by the third, Psyche, no one dared to marry. She was distinguished by such unearthly beauty that everyone only admired her, as if she were a beautiful statue or goddess. People began to say that Psyche is not some ordinary princess, but a new one, and many have already begun to pay divine honors to her. The temples in Paphos, Knida and Cythera were empty, instead of Aphrodite, people revered Psyche.

In truth, Psyche was not at all delighted with this worship, and - more importantly - the goddess of love Aphrodite was not delighted either. Enraged by the unthinkable beauty of a mere mortal girl, Aphrodite ordered her son Eros to injure Psyche's heart with an arrow of love for the most disgusting man in the world.

Meanwhile, Psyche's father turned to the Delphic oracle for advice on how to find a groom for his daughter. The answer was terrible. The oracle told him to take Psyche in a wedding dress to a high rock, and there the groom would come for her - it would be a monstrous scaly dragon. The father did not resist the will of the gods, took his daughter to the top of the rock and left with a heavy heart. Here a miracle happened. A light breeze picked up Psyche and carefully carried her into the valley under the rock. He did this at the request of Eros, who flew to the rock to fulfill the will of his mother, and fell in love with Psyche at first sight.

Of course, Psyche had no idea about this, and everything that happened next was a continuous chain of pleasant surprises. In the depths of the valley, she saw a magnificent palace. She entered the palace, and invisible servants began to fulfill all her desires before she had time to express them. She had only to think, as the invisible servants prepared a bath for her, filled the table with dishes, prepared the bed. And when Psyche fell asleep, tired from the experiences of an amazing day, the groom came to her - but not the disgusting scaly dragon, but the beautiful and affectionate god of love Eros.

Apparently, Eros knew what he was doing when he made his bride promise that she would never try to see his face. Psyche, captivated by the joys of first love, willingly gave him this promise, although she did not know the reason for the ban - just as we do not know it either. She lived happily in a magnificent palace, the days passed in anticipation of the nights when her mysterious lover appeared to her. Only one thing darkened her life - the memory of her parents and sisters, who, of course, suffered from the uncertainty about her fate.

Upon learning of Psyche's disappearance, her sisters returned from their husbands to their parents to comfort them. They also visited the rock, on the top of which Psyche disappeared from human eyes, and there they began to mourn their sister bitterly. Then Psyche begged her lover for permission to see her sisters in order to console them. In vain, Eros dissuaded her, warned that this was connected with serious dangers - if a woman wants something, even the god of love is powerless before her. So, Eros ordered Zephyr to transfer the sisters to the valley, and he himself flew away earlier than usual.

The meeting with Psyche sincerely pleased the sisters. But as soon as they saw the splendor in the midst of which she lived, joy immediately turned into envy. They began to ask her about her husband and wanted to get to know him. Psyche evasively told them that her husband was a handsome young man who was rarely at home, as he was fond of hunting. Having hastily endowed the sisters with gold and precious jewelry, she called on Zephyr, and he delivered the sisters to the rock, behind which the valley was hidden.

On the way home, the sisters confessed to each other the envy that tormented them. They decided not to tell anyone about the happy fate of Psyche and began to think about plans for how they could take possession of her wealth. Psyche did not suspect anything of this, and when it turned out that she was expecting a child, she again begged Eros for permission to see her sisters. The sisters delivered by Zephyr hypocritically rejoiced at the good news and again began to inquire about her wife. No wonder they say that lying requires a good memory. Forgetting her first story, Psyche described her husband as a respectable middle-aged man who is engaged in trade and is often absent from home on business; the sisters guessed that she did not know what he looked like at all. On the next visit, they forced Psyche to confess this and inspired her that her husband was the same scaly dragon that the prophecy spoke of. Caring sisters taught her how to check this: you need to cover the lamp with some kind of vessel, and when the husband falls asleep, carefully shine it on him. As proof of their love and devotion, they also showed her the way to salvation: they handed her a sharp knife to kill the monster.

Influenced by her sisters and tormented by uncertainty, Psyche decided to break her promise. When her lover fell asleep at night, she opened the prepared lamp, took a knife and approached the bed. In the dim light of the lamp, Psyche saw that her lover was a beautiful and winged god of love. In joy, she wanted to kiss him right there. But when she leaned towards him, a drop of hot oil from the lamp fell on Eros' shoulder. From pain, he woke up in fright, saw that Psyche had broken her promise, and, without saying a word, took off. However, Psyche did not lose her head, grabbed him by the legs, and in a moment both were high in the sky.

The flight did not last long, as Psyche soon became exhausted, and Eros could not allow her to crash. He went down with her to the ground and showered her with reproaches of treason. When Eros left Psyche again, she threw herself into the river in desperation, but out of love for Eros, the river carried her ashore. Exhausted by the futile desire for her beloved and for death, Psyche went to the sisters, who plunged her into misfortune with their insidious advice.

Having come to her elder sister, Psyche told her that she had run away from her husband, because during the last visit of the sisters he secretly watched them, fell head over heels in love with her elder sister, and did not want to look at Psyche. The sister immediately rushed to the rock and, beside herself with impatience, rushed down. However, Zephyr did not even think of picking her up, since she did not receive any instructions about her, and she crashed against the stones. The same fate awaited the second sister.

Meanwhile, rumors reached Aphrodite about her son's adventures. Enraged, she sent her servants everywhere with orders to find and bring his mistress. It was not possible to find Psyche until she herself appeared to Aphrodite, desperate to find her lover.

In this situation, it was once again confirmed how close love and hatred are: at the sight of a woman who surpassed her in beauty, the goddess of love turned into the goddess of malice. Upon learning that Psyche was expecting a child from her son and, accordingly, she herself would become a grandmother, Aphrodite fell into an unheard-of rampage - unheard of in the entire thousand-year history of the world of Greek myths. She ordered the maids to whip Psyche with whips, and then set to work on her herself: she tore her dress, tore her hair, beat her with anything until she was exhausted. But that was not all.

As it should be in a fairy tale, Aphrodite asked Psyche three tasks, the fulfillment of which could save her life. The goddess poured out a pile of wheat, barley, millet, poppy, peas and lentils in front of her, mixed it thoroughly and ordered Psyche to sort everything before evening, grain to grain, if life is dear to her. The unfortunate woman was rescued by the ants, who took pity on the beloved Eros. Then Aphrodite told her to bring a tuft of wool from the golden fleece of wild sheep that were grazing across the river. Here, the reed, the patron of lovers, came to the aid of Psyche: he advised her to wait until noon, when the sheep, exhausted by the heat, calm down and fall asleep, and collect from the bushes the tufts of wool left by the sheep on the way to the pasture. To complete the third task, Psyche had to bring water from a spring on a steep rock, which was guarded by vigilant dragons. This water was delivered to Psyche by the eagle himself, who remembered the repeated services that Eros rendered to the king of the gods. But since Aphrodite suspected (and not without reason) that Psyche completed all three tasks with outside help, she gave her the fourth - incomparably more difficult. She told Psyche to go to the underworld and bring from Persephone a jar of magic ointment that bestows beauty. Psyche understood that this task was not up to her in any way, so she climbed the first tower she came across to throw herself from it - and that was the end of it. But the tower turned out to be difficult: she spoke to Psyche in a human voice and gave her a lot of useful advice: how to get into the underworld, how to behave with Persephone, how to avoid numerous dangers along the way. She especially emphasized that the jar that Psyche would receive from Persephone should never be opened. But Psyche was never able to cope with her feminine nature. On the way back, she nevertheless opened the jar to borrow some of the divine beauty. But in the jar there was not beauty, but an "underground dream", which immediately engulfed Psyche.

Covered by the sleep of death, Psyche lay somewhere halfway from the underworld for a long time - for a long time, but not forever, as Aphrodite had hoped. Having recovered from his wound, Eros went in search of his beloved and found her. Seeing Psyche, he removed her dream, returned it to the box, awakened Psyche with a slight prick of his arrow and ordered her to take the box to her mother, he supposedly takes care of the rest.

Eros kept his word: he visited Zeus himself and promised to find him the most beautiful lover in the world if he allowed Eros to enter into a legal marriage with Psyche. Zeus raised the mortal Psyche to the rank of a goddess and solemnly named her wife Eros. In the end, she reconciled with Psyche and Aphrodite, although soon after the wedding she nevertheless became the grandmother of a girl who received the name Hedon (Delight).

Many antique images of Eros (Cupid) and Psyche have been preserved (sculptural groups, mosaics, frescoes, reliefs - especially on Roman sarcophagi): from the 3rd century. BC e. up to 4 c. n. e.; where this plot is found even in Christian art (a fresco in the catacombs of Domitilla).

European artists did not lag behind their ancient counterparts either in the number or in the artistic level of works dedicated to the fate of two lovers. Perhaps the most famous are several sculptural groups of Cupid and Psyche, created by Canova in 1790-1800. (one of them is in St. Petersburg, in the Hermitage), as well as the works of the same name by Thorvaldsen (1807) and Rodin (1893-1906). We also note the "Abandoned Psyche" Page (1790) and two sculptures by De Vries: "Mercury and Psyche" (1593) and "Psyche".

The frescoes "Cupid and Psyche" in the Roman Villa Farnesina, made by Raphael in 1514-1515, Goethe called the most beautiful scenery known to him. Romano (1525-1527), Zucchi (c. 1580), Picot (1817), Prudhon (1808), Watts (1880), Denis (1908), Kokoschka (1955) and others also created paintings on this subject.

Among the poets and prose writers who developed this theme, such names as Lafontaine, Wieland, Tennyson, Kite, Bogdanovich stand out. Of the musical works, it is enough to name at least the symphonic poem "Psyche" by Frank (1888) and Hindemith's ballet "Cupid and Psyche" (1944).

Even in ancient times, many saw an allegorical meaning in the tale of Apuleius. To some extent, this aspect was also meant by Apuleius himself (“psyche” in Greek means “soul”), however, the idea of ​​“moral purification of the soul through suffering”, which some interpreters put into the fairy tale, is alien to Apuleius’ concept.

The goddess Psyche and myths about her have been very popular at all times. The story of her relationship with Cupid (Eros) is considered especially beautiful and romantic. 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 ancient Roman) culture, Psyche was a kind of personification of the soul. Most often, the goddess was described as a girl with wings, and sometimes depicted as a butterfly. By the way, in some sources there are stories about how Eros chased a butterfly with a torch, probably this is how the well-known saying and favorite analogy appeared.

Psyche the butterfly was depicted on tombstones next to the skull and other important symbols of death. Frescoes with this goddess were found during the excavations of Pompeii - here she was painted with a lead, a flute and some other musical attributes. And the frescoes of the Vettii house depict various scenes in which Eros and Psyche gather flowers, work in an oil mill, and so on. By the way, many different interpretations of the love story of two gods are described on gems created in the 3rd-1st centuries.

Where did the myth of Psyche and Cupid come from?

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

The myth is completely contained in the works of Apuleius, a famous ancient Roman writer and philosopher. The only thing known about the author is that he was born in one of the African provinces of Rome, namely in Madavra. Apuleius created many works during his life, and he wrote both in Latin and in Greek. The most famous work of the writer is the novel "The Golden Ass" (another name is "Metamorphoses"), created in the second century AD. This novel consists of eleven volumes, and all of them have come down to us, with the exception of a few damaged pages. It was in the Metamorphoses that Apuleius wrote about Eros and Psyche - in this form the myth has survived to this day.

Psyche Love Story: 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 to admire her beauty. Over time, they began to worship her as a deity, forgetting about Aphrodite, which could not help but anger her.

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

When the happy and pregnant Psyche went to visit her parents, the sisters scared her, saying that the terrible monster that is her husband would soon eat both her and the unborn child. The trusting Psyche that night, armed with a lamp and a dagger, went to her husband's bedroom, where for the first time she saw the beautiful face of her husband Eros. In surprise and surprise, she tilted the lamp strongly - a few drops of oil fell on her husband's skin. When Eros woke up and realized what exactly 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. Many obstacles awaited her along the way. But, in the end, she managed to find out that Eros was in the house of her mother Aphrodite - here the tormented girl was met by the great goddess herself. Psyche 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 her son only if she could complete four tasks. All tasks were practically impossible, but each time Psyche miraculously managed to solve them. Psychologists have their own opinion on this matter. After each completed task, the woman acquired new knowledge and skills. She didn't just do her best to meet her loved one - she evolved to become worthy of a god.

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

Then Psyche was to get some of the golden fleece from the solar rams. These huge aggressive monsters would trample the girl if she dared to pass between them. But the reed told her to wait for the night when the animals leave the field. From the point of view of psychologists, such a task is a metaphor - a woman should be able to gain strength without losing her personality traits, the ability to sympathize.

In the third task, Psyche had to draw water from a forbidden spring that rushed from the cracks of the highest rock. Naturally, the girl could have been crushed to death if the eagle had not come to her aid in this matter. Some experts believe that such a metaphor means the ability to see the big picture of what is happening, which is extremely important for solving some problems.

End of story

When Psyche returned from the underworld, she decided to use some healing ointment from the chest to wipe the traces of suffering from her face before meeting her husband. She didn't know that the chest actually contained the spirit of Hypnos, the god of sleep. And after all the wanderings, Psyche fell into a deep sleep. Here Eros found her, waking her up with his arrow of love.

After that, the god of love took his betrothed to Olympus, where he received Zeus's permission to marry. The Thunderer granted the girl immortality and introduced her to the pantheon of gods. The goddess Psyche and Eros gave birth to a child - Volupia, the goddess of pleasure. Only the union of 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 claim that each such story carries a very deep philosophy.

Psychologists often used the image of Psyche to draw analogies. And Jung explained the appearance of similar myths and the description by different people of the same events as proof of the existence of the so-called "collective unconscious".

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

Ancient Greek myth in literary works

In fact, the romantic story of the fusion of soul and love became the basis for the plots of many famous ones. In particular, he created “The Love of Psyche and Cupid”. Ippolit Bogdanovich used the myth to create Darling. There is also an "Ode to Psyche" written by John Keats. "Psyche" is in A. Kuprin, V. Bryusov, M. Tsvetaeva. And in the famous work of Suskind “Perfumer. The story of one killer "spirits are named after the goddess.

And the myth of Psyche, at least its echoes, can be seen in folk art and children's stories. One has only to think about "Cinderella", "Beauty and the Beast", as well as many fairy tales where older evil sisters pretty much spoil the life of the main character - there are really a lot of such works.

The history of the goddess in music

Of course, musicians could not ignore such a meaningful and philosophical myth. The story of Cupid and Psyche was used to create a mass of real masterpieces. In particular, in 1678, a lyrical tragedy (opera) by Jean-Baptiste Lully called "Psyche" appeared. By the way, the author of the libretto used is Tom Corneille. And he 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 the Psyche musical group was created, working in the style of alternative rock.

Visual Arts: The Myth of Cupid and Psyche

Naturally, dozens and even hundreds of artists used the myth as the main subject for their paintings. After all, Psyche is a goddess who personifies a passionate, strong and at the same time soft woman, capable of anything for the opportunity to be with her beloved. For example, the work of Batoni Pompeo entitled "The Marriage of Cupid and Psyche" is very popular. In 1808, Prudhon created the painting "Psyche kidnapped by marshmallows."

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

Symbolism of fairy tales and myths of the peoples of the world. Man is a myth, a fairy tale is you Benu Anna

The myth of Psyche

The myth of Psyche

Psyche (Psyche) in Greek means "soul" and "butterfly". Thus, it turns out that this myth tells about the connection between physical and spiritual love and that the loving soul, like a butterfly, undergoes metamorphosis.

John Francis Beerline. "Parallel Mythology"

Apuleius. "Metamorphoses, or the Golden Ass":

“The king and queen lived in a certain state. They had three beautiful daughters, but the older ones, although they were beautiful in appearance, one could still believe that people would find sufficient praise for them, while the youngest girl was such a wonderful beauty, so indescribable that words - then in human language, sufficient to describe and glorify it, not to be found.

At the beginning of the story, a prosperous family is presented - a mature consciousness and an emotional sphere - a king and a queen who brought wonderful fruits of the soul - three daughters, three emotional principles. What these beginnings are, and what qualities they possess, we will see further. As always, the youngest daughter is the most beautiful. People, blinded by her beauty, began to worship her as a goddess, and the temples of Venus were empty, they stopped making sacrifices in her honor. Venus was angry with Psyche, who appropriated her honors, and called on her son, the winged Cupid, to punish the girl. The name of the beautiful maiden - Psyche - a soul and a butterfly already indicates that the scene of action is the human soul and its metamorphoses.

“I conjure you with the bonds of maternal love, the tender wounds of your arrows, your torch with sweet burns, avenge your parent ... let this maiden ardently fall in love with the last of mortals, to whom fate denied both origin, and the state, and the very security, into such squalor, that in the whole world there would be no more miserable.

But Psyche, even without the punishment of Venus, suffered from her beauty. The older sisters were asked to marry the suitors of the royal family, and the younger one cried alone, because she was perceived only as a living statue. Psyche's father went to the most ancient soothsayer of the Milesian god to ask for her husband's youngest daughter and received an answer:

King, place the doomed maiden on a high precipice

And in the funeral attire for the wedding of her rites;

Do not hope to have a mortal son-in-law, unfortunate parent;

He will be wild and cruel, like a terrible dragon,

He flies around the ether on wings and tires everyone,

He inflicts wounds on everyone, burns with a burning flame,

Even Jupiter trembles before him, and the gods are afraid.

He inspires fear in Styx, a gloomy underground river.

The girl is dressed in mourning clothes and led to the rock, leaving her alone.

“And her unfortunate parents, dejected by such a misfortune, locked themselves in the house, immersed in darkness, betrayed themselves to eternal night.”

As in many Russian and European fairy tales, as well as Greek myths, a beauty is sacrificed to a monster. In Russian fairy tales, snakes, Koschey, Raven - an unclean spirit - carry away the beautiful feminine. Andromeda, chained to a rock, is given to be eaten by a sea monster. But there is a fundamental difference in this tale of Psyche, as we shall see later.

Psyche's parents mourn her fate. Home is consciousness. To plunge into darkness and betray oneself to eternal night means to surrender consciousness to the power of entropy, decomposition. They buried their daughter alive, thinking that they had given her in marriage to a monster. The monster is a symbol of chaos, the decay of a beautiful beginning, which was their youngest daughter. Psyche is not only alive, but also dwells in another world with divine beings.

Psyche, fearful, trembling, weeping at the very top of the rock, is gently lifted by the gentle wind of the soft Zephyr, stirring up her floors and puffing up her clothes, with a calm breath little by little from the slope of a high rock, and in a deep valley on the bosom of a flowering meadow, slowly lowering, puts ".

Psyche enters a magnificent palace. “As soon as you set foot there, you will immediately know that in front of you is some kind of god, a bright and sweet haven.”

From the usual palace of her father and mother, Psyche finds herself in an unusual divine magical palace. There is no need to make any effort to ensure that everything necessary and even beyond that arises.

This is reminiscent of the Scandinavian myth about Riga, which gave people knowledge. He went down to earth and, having stayed with his great-grandmother and great-grandfather, who lived in a dugout, gave them elementary knowledge. From them came a kind of servants. Having come to the more prosperous grandmother and grandfather, who lived in a good house, the god Rig gave them more knowledge - how to trade, etc. Artisans and merchants descended from them. Coming to the house of mother and father, who did nothing themselves, living in a beautiful house, only looking into each other's eyes, all the work of which was done by servants, Rig gave them more knowledge. From mother and father came a noble family of kings with knowledge of the runes. Here we see three houses - a dugout, a solid house and a rich house where servants work. Home is consciousness. The first consciousness is limited, the last is spiritual and wise, closest to the gods, capable of healing and stopping the storm with the knowledge of the runes, as the myth says. In this house-consciousness, all the work is done by the servants, i.e. it is a consciousness that has passed the way from a dugout to a palace, having completed the work on transforming itself, free from labor and struggle with itself, separating the true from the false.

Psyche enters the palace, where the work of transforming the soul has already been completed, the true is separated from the false. Invisible servants serve what is needed and delight with the arts - this is the sphere of purity and inspiration.

Invisible servants talk to Psyche and serve her. They prepare a bath, set the table, delight with music and singing. At night her husband appears, whom she does not see, but touches and hears. One day, her husband warns Psyche:

“Your sisters, who consider you dead and anxiously looking for your traces, will soon come to that cliff; if you accidentally hear their complaints, do not answer them and do not even try to look at them, otherwise you will cause me severe grief, and certain death to yourself.

Psyche, on the other hand, cries in separation from her relatives and seeks permission from her husband to meet with her sisters in order to console their sadness. "...do as you know, give in to the demands of the soul, longing for death." The husband asks not to heed the advice of the sisters to try to see him, if this happens, then she will forever overthrow herself from the pinnacle of happiness and lose his embrace. Psyche swears:

“Yes, it’s better for me to die a hundred times than to lose your sweetest marriage! After all, whoever you are, I love you passionately, like my soul, and I can’t compare with Cupid himself.

At the moment, Psyche - the soul loves her husband for his excellent qualities and his appearance is not important to her.

When the sisters come to mourn Psyche at the rock, the younger sister orders Zephyr to deliver them to her. Seeing the palace, untold riches and invisible servants, the sisters envied Psyche, although she generously endowed them. Returning home, one sister said to the other:

“Yes, she aims at the sky; this woman holds on to the goddess, since she has invisible servants and commands the winds themselves. And me, the unfortunate one, what did I get to share? First of all, my husband suits me as a father, balder than a pumpkin, with a physique more frail than any boy, and he keeps everything in the house on locks and constipation. Another sister also complained about her husband.

When asked about her husband, Psyche answered her sisters for the first time that he was young and handsome. The sisters appreciated the kindness and generosity of Psyche in their own way, it seemed to them pride, arrogance, and her gifts - crumbs from an excellent table "If I were not a woman, I would stop breathing if I did not overthrow her from the pinnacle of such wealth." They decide not to tell anyone, neither parents nor the people, about her prosperity. “Those whose wealth is unknown to no one cannot be happy.”

Psyche is happy in this beautiful palace with a loving husband and untold riches are not important to her. But she yearns for her relatives, and precisely for envious cruel sisters, which will lead her to misfortune and expel her from a pure inspired kingdom. Longing for sisters is an analogy for inharmonious qualities in Psyche.

The husband again warns Psyche about the insidious plans of the sisters, whose main goal is to persuade them to see the features of their spouse. He also reveals to her that she is expecting a child: "... your child's womb carries a new child for us, divine, if you hide our secret with silence, if you break the secret - mortal."

Having visited Psyche for the second time, the sisters again find out who her husband is, and she, forgetting what she said the first time, invents that he is a middle-aged man with gray hair.

Realizing that Psyche did not see her husband and that he is most likely a god, the sisters do not want to allow Psyche to be blessed in happiness with a deity and have a divine child born to them. They invent lies to frighten Psyche: “We certainly learned and cannot hide from you, sharing your sorrow and grief, that a huge serpent secretly sleeps with you at night, wriggling with many loops, whose neck is full of destructive poison instead of blood and its mouth is open like an abyss. Remember the predictions of the Pythian oracle that proclaimed to you a marriage with a wild monster. In addition, many peasants, hunters who hunted nearby, many local residents saw him returning from the pasture in the evening and fording across the nearest river ... Now you have a choice: either you want to obey your sisters, who care about your dear salvation, and, avoiding death, to live with us in safety, or to be buried in the entrails of the cruelest reptile. Psyche, in fear, reveals to her sisters that she has not seen her husband. They also encourage her to kill her husband at night, having prepared a sharp razor and a lamp. Psyche made a decision “to reach out to a crime”, “... despairs, gets angry, and, finally, in the same body, hates the monster and loves her husband.”

Psyche ceases to trust her feelings and allows herself to be deceived by her sisters, to be drawn into an illusion. She already fears and hates her husband, who loves her dearly and bestows a wonderful life, only because the image of a monster is drawn in her imagination. The true in her mind is replaced by the false. She loved her husband not for his appearance, because she did not see him, and it did not matter, she felt the beauty in him. Now, just because in her imagination he has the appearance of a dragon, she is ready to kill him, forgetting the care and affection, all the good that she received from him. At night, after her husband fell asleep, Psyche took the razor and brought the lamp to the bed. But as soon as "the secrets of the bed were illuminated", she saw the most beautiful god Cupid. A bow and a quiver of arrows lay near the husband's feet. Psyche, examining the arrows, accidentally wounds herself with the tip and, "without knowing it, Psyche was inflamed with love for the god of love." She showered her body with passionate kisses, but the lamp suddenly splashed with oil and burned the shoulder of the god. When Cupid woke up, he saw Psyche breaking the oath and immediately rose into the air.

“And Psyche, as soon as he got up, grabbed his right leg with both hands - a miserable pendant in a high take-off - but, finally, tired of being a hanging companion in transcendental heights for a long time, she fell to the ground. The enamored god does not leave her lying on the ground, and, having flown up to the nearest cypress, from its high top, deeply agitated, he says to her like this: the last of mortals and doom you to a miserable marriage, he himself chose to fly to you as a lover. I know that I acted frivolously, but, famous shooter, I wounded myself with my own weapon and made you my wife so that you would consider me a monster and want to cut off my head with a razor, because these lovers are in it. your eyes ... Your venerable advisers will immediately answer me for their so disastrous invention, but I will punish you only with my disappearance. “And, having finished this speech, he rushed up on wings.”

The external for Psyche becomes more important than the internal, essential, therefore she loses God, loses the bliss of unity with the winged mind. She tries to hold on to the flying god, but she can't hold on. Having not yet acquired her own wings, Psyche does not have the strength to rise with the deity into the sphere of heaven - wisdom and truth. The foolish maiden is expelled from the paradise of the magical palace, where she did not have to work, and she falls to the mortal earth, where she is forced to wander in search of the lost paradise, in search of her beloved - the spiritualized mind - her god.

Unlike fairy tales, where a beautiful maiden is given to a monster or it takes the beauty away, here the monster is an illusion. In this tale, on the contrary, the beautiful Psyche is given to the winged god, but no one knows about this, not even Psyche herself. What do people usually fear the most? That which is hidden in the darkness, in the gloom, where nothing is visible and therefore incomprehensible, unknowable, scary. But it is worth turning on the light and seeing what is around, as fear disappears, because everything becomes clear and understandable. People are afraid of unknown phenomena, concepts, and only after studying them, develop their position in relation to them, evaluating whether it is good or bad, true or false, sublime or base. Psyche is given over to the power of an unknown invisible force, which she intuitively trusts, being in the bliss of unity with spiritual consciousness, which is not yet fully understood by Psyche - the inexperienced sphere of the soul. She does not have knowledge about the higher beginning - her husband, only a feeling of him, therefore she is easily misled, and she is afraid of what she has not seen, does not understand. And what is incomprehensible and therefore frightening is easier to kill than to know. Ignorance always seeks to destroy that and those who bring enlightenment and enlightenment to minds and hearts.

The monster here is not Cupid, but ignorance, ignorance, drawing a monstrous image of the unknown, sublime and spiritualized.

In grief, Psyche threw herself off the cliff into the river, but the wave carried her to the shore unharmed. The soul, separated from the radiance of a bright mind, is in darkness and does not want to exist, but water cannot rest it in itself, as well as wash it - until Psyche herself wishes it. Water is a symbol of the subconscious forces of the soul. Psyche seeks to descend into the unconscious sphere of the subconscious, but the active forces of the soul do not allow her to do this, spilling out again into the sphere where she remembers and understands her mistake and therefore longs to correct it.

Her sisters are similar to the sisters of Russian fairy tales - about Finist the Bright Falcon, where the sisters separated the red maiden from Finist - a clear mind. Both Finist and Cupid are winged and live in the celestial sphere, flying to their beloved. And Psyche, just like a beautiful girl, is forced to wander the wide world in search of her beloved, enduring many hardships, cultivating the field of her soul. In the tale of Tsar Saltan, the sisters are like a weaver and a cook who want to destroy the queen and her son and overthrow them from the throne. Psyche also carries a baby inside herself - the fruit of a winged god, which the sisters also do not want to let flourish and take their rightful place. In the fairy tale about Tsar Saltan, the weaver and the cook mislead the tsar-reason and throw the tsarina and her son into the sea, while here the sisters, a distorted emotional principle that sows illusions, blind the inexperienced, gullible, illegible yet, unable to separate the true from the false, Psyche, the emotional sphere.

Psyche followed the road that led her to the city where her elder sister's husband ruled. She told her sister that, on their advice, she looked at her husband by the light of a lamp and saw the divine Cupid, but the wick splashed with oil and burned the god. Psyche told how, waking up, he said: “For such a cruel crime, leave my bed immediately and take your belongings, but I and your sister,” here he called your name, “combine with a solemn marriage.”

Psyche's sister, having deceived her husband, immediately boarded the ship and went to the cliff from which Zephyr brought the sisters to Cupid's palace with a light breath. Standing on a cliff, she shouted, “Overwhelmed by blind hope: - Accept me, Cupid, a wife worthy of you, and you, Zephyr, support your mistress! - and with all the fluff rushed into the abyss. But even in the form of a corpse, she did not reach her destination. Striking against the stones of the rocks, its members broke and scattered in different directions, and it died, delivering with its torn entrails, as it deserved, easy prey for birds and wild animals ... The next vengeful punishment was not long in coming. Psyche, again wandering, reached another city, where, like the first, her second sister was queen. And this one also succumbed to the bait of her own sister and - the rival of Psyche - hurried to the cliff for a criminal marriage, but also fell, finding herself doom and death.

The first thing that Psyche, expelled from paradise, does is to repay her sisters as they deserve. Now Psyche is no longer that inexperienced, trusting, ignorant and happy soul. She now knows that she was married to a deity, that she lost him because of the illusions instilled by her sisters. And Psyche destroys the source of illusions, is cleansed of the beginnings that distort life - the evil sisters.

“Meanwhile, while Psyche, busy searching for Cupid, goes around the countries, he himself, suffering from a burn, lay and groaned in the very bedroom of his mother.” The talkative seagull told Venus that her son was sick, and also that his chosen one was Psyche, whom she wanted to punish. Venus pours out her anger on her son and looks for traces of Psyche in order to take revenge on her. Psyche is looking everywhere for her husband. Seeing a temple on top of a mountain, she heads towards it, hoping to find Cupid there. Seeing ears of barley and wheat, sickles, all kinds of harvesting tools in disarray, Psyche begins to diligently sort them out, putting them in order. Behind this occupation she finds "nurse Ceres", the goddess of this temple, from whom Psyche asks for protection from Venus for several days. But, fearing the wrath of Venus, Ceres banishes Psyche, saying that the only thing he can do to help her is not to detain and betray her immediately into the vengeful hands of Venus.

In search of her winged mind, Psyche finds herself in the temple of fruits, labor and abundance, where she puts things in order, i.e. order in the temple of labor and fruitfulness of one's soul. Here she strives to hide from obstacles, but fruitfulness itself pushes her towards obstacles, so that, having overcome them, she emerges from this struggle as a winner.

Psyche goes further and sees the temple of Juno in the twilight valley. Entering it, she offers a prayer to the goddess who patronizes pregnant women, which Psyche was in danger. She prays: “... be my patroness Juno in my extreme need and, exhausted in so many torments I endure, free me from the fear of threatening dangers!”

Psyche no longer prays to hide her from the revenge of Venus, but asks to be released from fear. She finds the courage to face the dangers face to face, but fear still prevents her. Juno also denies Psyche refuge and help.

Realizing that even if the goddesses refuse her shelter, that she cannot hide anywhere from the revenge of Venus, she decides to go to her herself and, armed with the presence of mind, submit to her. At the same time, Psyche hopes to find a husband in her house, while being ready for death.

When approaching the gates of the mistress of love, Psyche grabs Habit - from among the Venusian servants: “Finally, the most worthless maid, you realized that there is a mistress over you! .. - and, boldly grabbing her hair, dragged her, while she did not show any resistance.”

Habit - "Consuetudo. This word has a narrower meaning in Latin, namely, “love affair” (note by S. Markish).

Venus is the goddess of beauty and love. Psyche accepted the gifts and honors that people showered on her, as a goddess, she did not reject this veneration, taking for herself what belongs to the universal principle of beauty and love. For this, she was persecuted by this beginning.

“As soon as Venus saw that Psyche was brought and placed in front of her, she burst into loud laughter, like a man driven to rage by anger ... and says: “Finally, you honored your mother-in-law with a visit! Or. Maybe you came to visit your husband, who is suffering from the wound you inflicted? But be calm, I will be able to treat you as a good daughter-in-law deserves! - And he shouts: - Where is Care and Despondency, my maids? (Personification of accompanying feelings of love). - To them, who appeared at the call, she handed her over to torture. And they, according to the order of the hostess, having beaten poor Psyche with whips and betrayed other torments, again brought her before the master's eyes.

After a long search for the lost unity with the winged mind, Psyche is tortured by Care and Despondency - two qualities of the soul that seek to destroy the hope of reunion with the lost paradise. Every soul goes through the ordeal of care and despondency in search of harmony and peace of mind.

“Again Venus rolled with laughter and said:

“Perhaps you are counting on the spectacle of your swollen belly, whose glorious offspring is going to make me happy with the title of grandmother, arouse compassion in me?” ... the marriage was unequal, and besides, concluded in a country house, without witnesses, without the consent of the father, he cannot be considered valid, so that an illegitimate child is born from him, if I even allow you to denounce him.

Having said this, she flies on the one, tears her dress in every way, drags her by the hair, shakes her head and beats her mercilessly, then takes rye, barley, millet, poppy seeds, peas, lentils, beans - mixes all this and, pouring into one a large pile, says: - Take apart this pile of mixed grain and, having laid everything out properly, grain by grain separately, before evening, present your work to me for approval.

Pointing to the many such diverse grains, she herself goes to the wedding feast.

The ants took pity on Psyche and decided to help her. Before the arrival of Venus, all the grain was carefully dismantled and separated.

Venus' first mission- disassemble the grains, separating one from the other. If earlier Psyche was illegible as to which principles are true and creative, and which are illusory, now she understands a lot. To disassemble many varieties of grain without mixing them is to separate one quality from another by diligent work. Ants are a symbol of the productive forces of the soul.

The second task of Venus- bring a piece of precious wool of golden-fleeced sheep grazing near the river bank. Psyche again wants to end her life by throwing herself into the river, but suddenly a reed turns to her: “Psyche, who has experienced so many troubles, do not stain these sacred waters with your unfortunate death and, look, do not approach terrible sheep at this hour; when the heat of the sun scorches them, they are usually attacked by wild rabies and they cause death to mortals, sometimes with sharp horns, sometimes with foreheads of stone, and sometimes with poisonous bites. When the heat of the sun subsides in the afternoon and the pleasant coolness of the river calms the herd ... you will find golden wool stuck everywhere among the intertwined branches - you just have to shake the foliage of neighboring trees. Psyche heeded the advice of the reed, and in the afternoon gathered "a bosom full of soft golden-yellow wool."

golden wool- precious solar yarn that emits light. Sheep wear it like clothes on themselves, and people or gods can create clothes for the body from this yarn, put on the radiance of golden light - the light of truth. But the bearers of this luminous vestment are rabid sheep with sharp horns, stone foreheads and poisonous bites. Truth can blind if it is not understood. Applying the knowledge given by the reed - what the sheep are, how and when the golden fleece can be collected, Psyche not only does not die, but also brings precious yarn. Ignorance pushes and breaks the unknown on the stone foreheads. Ignorance is not able to look into the essence of things in order to extract gold from any seemingly negative situation or phenomenon. Let us remember how the parents of Psyche, immersed in the darkness of ignorance, betray themselves to the eternal night - entropy. Those. it can be said that they encountered the rabid sheep of ignorance and were poisoned by their poisonous bites, without making an attempt to lift the veil of ignorance in order to extract from under it the golden fleece of wisdom, which would tell them about the divine marriage of their daughter with Cupid. Ignorance would push Psyche towards poisonous bites; knowledge puts into her hands the gold to clothe the soul.

The third task of Venus- to bring ice water from the Stygian waters of the kingdom of the dead. These waters rushed down from the top of a steep mountain. Psyche climbed to the top and saw "terrifying springs", which were guarded on all sides by ferocious dragons “Besides, the waters, possessing the gift of speech, and guarding themselves, constantly exclaimed: “Back! What are you doing! Look! What did you think? Watch out! Run! You will perish!

The eagle helps to complete this task - "the royal bird of the Supreme Jupiter".

The icy waters that feed the Styx are the waters of death. The coldness of the waters is the opposite of warmth and life. And the waters themselves, possessing the gift of speech, drive away all living things from themselves. Dragons - a symbol of the fear of death guard its sources. To see these waters, you need to climb to the top of a steep mountain - a symbol of the greatness of death, as well as life. Mountains are a symbol of striving for perfection, a symbol of wisdom. Death is also perfect and wise. The waters of death not only separate the body from the soul, sending it to the kingdom of Hades, but also transform the soul if it has the wings of an eagle, capable of maneuvering between the terrible dragons of fear and filling the vessel of consciousness and soul with waters of purification. The eagle is an inner winged and sharp-sighted force that can reach the waters of transformation. In a Russian fairy tale, a winged raven brings dead and living water, also a winged creature, an inhabitant of the heavenly sphere - the sphere of wisdom, spirit. Psyche took communion with the water of purification.

The fourth task of Venus- go down to the kingdom of Hades and ask Proserpina for a jar of beauty. Psyche decided that the shortest way to Tartarus was to die by throwing herself from a high tower.

To complete this task, Psyche is helped by a tower that addresses Psyche: “Why do new dangers and labors so easily depress you?”

Psyche tries to commit suicide for the third time. The soul is afraid of obstacles and difficulties, but its previous victories, the path it has traveled, do not allow it to give up, and it regains knowledge.

The tower told Psyche where to find the crevice - the entrance to the realm of the dead, what to take with you and who she would meet on the way. Especially warns that you can not look into the jar and "to show curiosity to the treasures of divine beauty hidden in it." Taking two coins and two cakes, Psyche descends the afterlife. She gives a coin to the carrier of the souls of the dead - Charon, a cake - to the three-headed dog Kerberus, thereby calming his rage, then appears before Proserpina, setting forth the instructions of Venus. Taking a jar of beauty, Psyche returns safely, giving the second cake to the dog and the second coin to Charon. Climbing out into the wide world, Psyche thought: “What a fool I am that I carry divine beauty with me and do not take even a little bit of it for myself in order to please my beautiful beloved!

And, having said so, he opens the jar. There is absolutely nothing there, no beauty, only an underground dream, truly Stygian, immediately escaping from under the lid, finds it, a thick cloud of stupor spreads over the whole body and takes possession of it, which fell at the same moment on the same path. And she lay motionless, like a sleeping dead.

Having descended into the realm of shadows, the realm of death and transformation, the soul can either die or be cleansed, transformed, transformed and receive new knowledge, just as Ivan, getting into the realm of Baba Yaga, leaves it transformed, renewed, enriched with knowledge. Psyche breaks the ban - opens a jar of underground beauty and falls into a dead sleep. This is again the result of ignorance - the soul does not know what underground beauty is for the living. She violates the ban because she wants to look more beautiful in order to please the divine husband. Here she makes the same mistake as at the beginning of her fall, believing that the appearance of her husband is terrible. The external for it becomes more important than the internal, the shell - the content. Therefore, her inner, beautiful falls asleep.

“And Cupid, having recovered from his grievous wound and not enduring such a long absence of his Psyche, slipped away through the high window of the room where he was imprisoned, and, flying with redoubled speed on wings rested during a long inactivity, rushes to his Psyche, carefully removes from her sleep and hides it in its original place in a jar, wakes Psyche with a safe prick of his arrow and says: - Here you are, poor thing, again almost died because of your same curiosity. But for the time being, diligently carry out the task that my mother gave you by her order, and I will take care of the rest.

Open a jar with the beauty of the realm of the dead – it means to prefer the external to the internal, the shell to the content, therefore the internal, the beautiful falls asleep.

The winged mind saves Psyche from the sleep of death - Cupid. The wounds inflicted by Psyche, an unreasonable soul, have healed, she has already atoned for many mistakes, so the sublime mind regains strength and can soar. A clear consciousness, able to distinguish the true from the false, the illusory from the essential, awakens the essential beautiful content of Psyche. The sleep of the mind and soul - the dream of illusions hides in a jar - limits the scope of these manifestations and closes.

Cupid turns to the great lord Jupiter for help. Having gathered all the gods, Jupiter proclaims his will - to make the marriage of Cupid with Psyche legal and equal.

“Here he gives the order to Mercury to immediately take Psyche and deliver it to heaven, and, holding out a bowl of ambrosia to her, he says: “Take it, Psyche, become immortal. May Cupid never leave your embrace, and may this union be forever and ever. And then the wedding feast followed. “Thus Psyche was duly handed over to the power of Cupid, and when the time came, a daughter was born to them, whom we call Pleasure.”

To avoid further contradictions with Venus, Cupid resorts to the help of a higher principle - the father of the gods Jupiter, i.e. the winged consciousness turns to the highest creative principle – truth. Truth raises Psyche to heaven and makes her immortal. The soul, having passed the path from ignorance to knowledge and virtue, gains immortality and reunites with its winged clear mind in heaven - in the spiritual realm. The fruit born of an exalted mind and a pure transformed soul is Pleasure, happiness of the unity of the harmony of spirit and soul.

But if Psyche had not incurred the wrath of Venus, accepting the honors addressed to the goddess, had not violated the promise given to her husband, then she would not have become immortal at the end of all the vicissitudes. Through overcoming mistakes, Psyche-soul is transformed.

Current page: 1 (total book has 3 pages)

Apuleius
Tale of Cupid and Psyche

Book Four

28. A king and a queen lived in a certain state. They had three beautiful daughters, but the older ones, although they were beautiful in appearance, it was still possible to believe that people would find sufficient praise for them, the youngest girl was such a wonderful beauty, so indescribable that even words in human language, sufficient to describe and glorify it, not to be found. So many of the local citizens and many foreigners, who were gathered in greedy crowds by rumors of an extraordinary spectacle, admiring and shocked by the unattainable beauty, covered their mouths with their right hands, putting their forefinger on the outstretched thumb, 1
… they covered their mouth with their right hand… – As a sign of pious admiration and worship, the ancients raised their right hand to their lips and kissed it.

As if they were worshiping the goddess Venus herself. And already in the nearest cities and adjacent regions there was a rumor that the goddess, whom the azure depth of the sea gave birth to and the moisture of the foamy waves erected, by her own accord shows mercy everywhere, revolves in a crowd of people, or anew from the new seed of heavenly bodies, not the sea, but the earth gave birth to another Venus, gifted with the color of virginity.

29. Such an opinion from day to day was immeasurably strengthened, and the growing fame spread over the nearest islands, over the continents, over many provinces. Crowds of people, not stopping before the distance of the journey, before the depths of the sea, flocked to the famous miracle. No one went to Paphos, no one went to Knidos, no one even went to Cythera itself to see the goddess Venus; 2
Paphos is a city on the island of Cyprus; Cnidus - a seaside city in Asia Minor; Cythera is an island off the southern coast of the Peloponnese. In these places were the most famous temples of Aphrodite

Sacrifices have become rarer, temples are abandoned, sacred pillows are scattered, 3
Sacred pillows - pillows on which images of the gods were placed during a special sacrifice, when the statues of the gods were placed in front of the laid table.

The rites are neglected, the images of the gods are not adorned with garlands, and the altars are widowed, covered with cold ashes. Prayers are addressed to the girl and, under mortal features, the greatness of such a powerful goddess is honored; when the maiden appears in the morning, gifts and sacrifices are brought to her in the name of the absent Venus, and when she passes through the squares, the crowd often strews her path with flowers and wreaths.

The excessive transfer of divine honors to a mortal girl greatly inflamed the spirit of the real Venus, and in impatient indignation, shaking her head, she says to herself in excitement:

30. “How, ancient mother of nature! How, the ancestor of the elements! Like the parent of the whole world, 4
These words of Venus are reminiscent of the words of Isis (Isis) about herself (XI, 5), with which she was identified by religious syncretism of the 2nd century.

Venus, I endure such treatment that a mortal virgin shares royal honors with me and my name, affirmed in heaven, is defiled by earthly impurity? Will I really agree to share dubious honors with my deputy, who accepts expiatory sacrifices under my name, and a mortal girl will wear my image? In vain, perhaps, the notorious shepherd, 5
... the notorious shepherd ... - Paris, the son of the Trojan king Priam. His birth was accompanied by bad omens, and his father ordered to throw the newborn on Mount Ida, but he was picked up and raised by a shepherd. Paris was the judge in the famous dispute between Hera, Athena and Aphrodite about which of them was more beautiful.

Judgment and justice of which the great Jupiter confirmed, preferred me for incomparable beauty to such beautiful goddesses? But it was not to her pleasure that impostor, whoever she was, appropriated my honors! I will arrange it in such a way that she will repent even of her most forbidden beauty! Now she calls to her son her winged, extremely impudent boy, 6
The winged boy - the son of Venus Amur (Greek Eros) was depicted as a young man or a boy with golden wings, with a bow and arrows, a quiver and sometimes with a torch.

Who, in spite of his wickedness, neglecting the social order, armed with arrows and a torch, runs around other people's houses at night, breaking marriages everywhere, and, committing such crimes with impunity, does absolutely nothing good. He, from the natural depravity of the unbridled, excites him with words, leads to that city and Psyche 7
Psyche - from the Greek word psyche - soul.

- that was the name of the girl, - she shows him with her own eyes, tells the whole story about the competition in beauty; sighing, trembling with indignation, she says to him:

31. “I conjure you with the bonds of maternal love, the tender wounds of your arrows, your torch with sweet burns, avenge your parent. Repay to the fullest extent and cruelly take revenge on impudent beauty, do the only thing that I most want: let this maiden fall passionately in love with the last of mortals, to whom fate denied both origin, and in the state, and in security itself, in such squalor that in the whole world there could not be found more pitiful.

So saying, she kisses her son long and hard with her half-open mouth, and goes to the nearby edge of the sea-washed shore; as soon as she stepped with pink feet on the damp surface of the noisy waves, she was already resting on the quiet surface of the deep sea, and as soon as she wished, immediately, as if prepared in advance, the retinue of the sea appeared: here are the Nereus daughters, singing in chorus, and Portun with disheveled blue beard, and Salacia, whose folds are full of fish, 8
Nereus daughters - Nereids, sea nymphs, daughters of Nereus. Portun is the Roman god of ports and marinas. Salacia is the goddess of the stormy sea.

And the little dolphin driver Palemon; here and there tritons jump across the sea: 9
… the driver of dolphins Palemon… – The myth tells that King Atamant, who was deprived of his mind by the goddess Hera, wanted to kill his wife Ino, but she, together with her son Melikert, threw herself into the sea. Both were revered as sea deities-saviors (Melikert - under the name of Palemon). He is called the driver of the dolphins because the corpse of a boy, according to legend, was carried ashore by a dolphin. Tritons are minor sea deities, depicted as half-humans, half-fish.

One gently blows into a resonant shell, another extends a silk veil from the hostile heat of the sun, the third brings a mirror to the eyes of the mistress, the others float on double-harnessed chariots. Such a crowd accompanied Venus, who was on her way to the Ocean. 10
... kept the way to the Ocean. - According to the ideas of the ancients, the Ocean is a huge river that surrounds the whole world.

32. Meanwhile, Psyche, with all her obvious beauty, did not have any profit from her beautiful appearance. Everyone admires, everyone glorifies, but no one appears - neither the king, nor the prince, nor even anyone from the common people who would wish to ask for her hand. They marvel at her, as at a divine phenomenon, but everyone marvels at her, as at a skillfully made statue. The elder two sisters, about whose moderate beauty no rumor was spread among the people, had long been betrothed to suitors from the royal family and already entered into happy marriages, and Psyche, a widow in virgins, sitting at home, mourns her desert loneliness, ill in body, with pain in the soul, hating her beauty, although she attracted all people. Then the unfortunate father of the most unfortunate girl, thinking that this is a sign of heavenly displeasure, and fearing the wrath of the gods, asks the most ancient prophecy - the Milesian god 11
... the Milesian god ... - that is, Apollo, one of whose oracles was in the village of Didim near Miletus.

- and asks the great shrine with prayers and sacrifices for the destitute virgin of a husband and marriage. Apollo, though a Greek and even an Ionian, 12
An Ionian is a resident of Ionia, that part of the coast of Asia Minor where the Greek colonies were located.

Out of respect for the compiler of the Milesian story, he gives a divination in Latin:

33. King, place the doomed maiden on a high cliff
And in the funeral attire for the wedding of her rites;
Do not hope to have a mortal son-in-law, unfortunate parent:
He will be wild and cruel, like a terrible dragon.
He flies around the ether on wings and tires everyone,
He inflicts wounds on everyone, burns with a burning flame.
Even Jupiter trembles before him and the gods are afraid.
He inspires fear in Styx, a gloomy underground river.

Hearing the answer of the most holy soothsayer, the king, once happy, embarks on the return journey dissatisfied, sad and informs his wife of the predictions of an ominous lot. Sad, crying, many days are killed. But nothing can be done, you have to fulfill the gloomy decree of a terrible fate. Preparations are already underway for the funeral wedding of the most unfortunate maiden, already the flame of the torches is blackened with soot and extinguished with ashes, the sound of a gloomy flute is turning into a plaintive Lydian mode, 13
Lydian mode ... - The ancient Greeks and Romans distinguished several tones, or modes, in music; Apuleius himself writes about them in Floridas as follows: “The simplicity of the Aeolian mode, the richness of the Ionian, the melancholy of the Lydian, the piety of the Phrygian, the militancy of the Dorian” (excerpt 4th).

And the merry hymens end in gloomy cries, and the bride wipes away her tears with her wedding veil. The whole city sympathizes with the sad fate of the dejected family, and by common consent, an order for public mourning is immediately issued.

34. But the need to obey the heavenly instructions calls poor Psyche to the prepared torment. So, when everything was prepared for the celebration of the funeral marriage, they set off on their way, accompanied by all the people, with general grief, the funeral procession without the deceased, and the weeping Psyche are not led as to a wedding, but as to their own burial. And when the dejected parents, excited by such a misfortune, hesitated to commit an unholy crime, their daughter herself encourages them with these words:

“Why do you torment your unfortunate old age with long weeping? Why do you trouble your breath, which belongs to me rather than to you, with frequent cries? Why do you stain the faces I honor with useless tears? Why darken my light in your eyes? Why are you tearing your gray hair? Why breasts, why do you hit these sacred nipples with blows? Here is my worthy reward for your unprecedented beauty! You came to your senses late, struck by the mortal blows of impious envy. When peoples and countries showed us divine honors, when they proclaimed me the new Venus with one voice, then mourn, then shed tears, then I, as if already dead, should have been mourned. I feel, I see, the mere name of Venus killed me. Lead me and set me on the rock to which fate has sentenced me. I hasten to enter into this happy marriage, I hasten to see my noble husband. Why should I delay, delay the coming of the one who was born to destroy the whole world?

35. Having said this, the maiden fell silent and, with a firm step, joined the procession of the crowd accompanying her. They go to the indicated cliff of a high mountain, put a girl on its very top, leave, leaving the marriage torches that illuminated her path and immediately died out from a stream of tears, and, bowing their heads, everyone disperses to their homes. And her unfortunate parents, dejected by such a misfortune, locked themselves in the house, immersed in darkness, betrayed themselves to eternal night. But Psyche, fearful, trembling, weeping at the very top of the cliff, is gently lifted by the gentle wind of soft Zephyr, stirring her floors and puffing up her clothes, with a calm breath little by little from the slope of a high rock, and in a deep valley on the bosom of a flowering meadow, slowly lowering, lays.

Book Five

1. Psyche, quietly resting on a tender, flowering meadow, on a bed of dewy grass, having rested from such a quick change in feelings, sweetly fell asleep. Having refreshed herself with sleep, she got up with a light soul. He sees a grove adorned with large, tall trees, he sees the crystal waters of a transparent source. Just in the middle of the grove, next to the flowing spring, the palace stands, not created by human hands, but by divine art. As soon as you enter there, you will find out that in front of you is some kind of god, a bright and sweet haven. A piece ceiling, skillfully made of arborvitae and ivory, is supported by golden columns; all the walls are lined with chased silver depicting wild beasts and other animals, as if rushing towards the incoming ones. Oh, truly, he was an amazing person, a demigod, of course, or, rather, a real god, who, with the art of a great artist, turned so much silver into animals! Even the floor, made up of small pieces of expensive stones, forms all sorts of pictures. Blessed indeed, twice and many times blessed are those who walk on gems and jewels. And the other parts of the house, spread out in length and width, are priceless in value: all the walls, weighed down with a mass of gold, shine with such a brilliance that, if the sun refused to shine, they themselves would flood the house with daylight; every room, every gallery, even every door leaf is blazing. The rest of the furnishings no less correspond to the grandeur of the house, so that one might truly think that the great Jupiter created these heavenly halls for communication with mortals.

2. Attracted by the charm of these places, Psyche comes closer; having a little courage, he crosses the threshold and soon, with admiring attention, looks over all the details of the most beautiful spectacle, examining the warehouses located on the other side of the house, built with great art, where great treasures are stored. There is nothing on earth that is not there. But, besides the extraordinaryness of so many riches, the most amazing thing was that the treasures of the whole world were not guarded by any chain, by any bolt, by any guardian. While she was looking at all this with the greatest pleasure, a voice without a body suddenly reaches her. “What, says, mistress, marvel at such wealth? It all belongs to you. Go to the bedroom, rest from fatigue on the bed; When you want, I will order the bath to be prepared. We, whose voices you hear, your slaves, will diligently serve you, and as soon as you put yourself in order, a luxurious table will not be slow to appear.

3. Psyche felt bliss from divine patronage and, heeding the advice of an unknown voice, first with sleep, and then with a bath, washes away the remnants of fatigue and, seeing a semicircular table that immediately appeared next to her, laid, as the dining set testified, for her meal, willingly lies down for him. And immediately wines like nectar, and many dishes with a variety of foods are served, as if driven by some kind of wind, and there are no servants. She did not manage to see anyone, only heard how the words were heard, and only had voices at her service. After a plentiful meal, someone invisible entered and sang, and another played a cithara, which she also did not see. Here the sounds of many voices singing reached her ears, and although no one appeared, it was clear that this was a choir.

4. At the end of the entertainment, yielding to the exhortations of twilight, Psyche goes to sleep. In the dead of night, a slight noise reaches her ears. Here, fearing for her virginity in such solitude, she becomes shy, and is horrified, and is afraid of some kind of misfortune, especially since she is unknown to her. But the mysterious husband entered and ascended to the bed, made Psyche his wife, and hurriedly left before sunrise. Immediately, the voices that were waiting in the bedroom surround the newlywed who has lost her innocence with worries. This went on for a long time. And according to the laws of nature, novelty from frequent habit becomes pleasant for her, and the sound of an unknown voice serves as her consolation in solitude.

Meanwhile, her parents grew old in unrelenting grief and despondency, and the widespread rumor reached the older sisters, who quickly recognized everything and quickly left their homes, hurried, gloomy and sad, one after another, to see and talk with their parents.

5. On the same night, her husband spoke to his Psyche in this way - after all, he was inaccessible only to sight, but not to touch and hearing: “Psyche, my sweetest and dearest wife, a cruel fate threatens you with a disastrous danger, to which, I believe, should be treated with special attention. Your sisters, who consider you dead and anxiously seek your traces, will soon come to that cliff; if you accidentally hear their complaints, do not answer them and do not even try to look at them, otherwise you will cause me severe grief, and certain death to yourself.

She nodded in agreement and promised to follow her husband's advice, but as soon as he disappeared with the end of the night, the poor thing spent the whole day in tears and groans, repeating that now she would certainly die, tightly locked in a blissful dungeon, deprived of communication and conversation. with people, so that even her sisters, who are grieving for her, cannot provide any help, and even at least a short meeting with them will not wait. Without resorting to a bath, or food, or any other reinforcement, weeping bitterly, she goes to sleep.

6. Less than a minute later, her husband, who appeared a little earlier than usual, lay down on the bed, and, embracing her, still crying, asks her like this: “Did you promise me this, my Psyche? What can I, your husband, expect from you, what can I hope for? And day and night, even in marital embrace, your torment continues. Well, do as you know, give in to the demands of a soul longing for death. Just remember, when belated repentance comes, about my serious admonitions.

Then, with requests, threats that otherwise she would die, she obtained from her husband consent to her desire to see her sisters, moderate their sadness and talk to them. So the husband yielded to the requests of his young wife; moreover, he even allowed her to give them as a gift whatever she wanted, from gold jewelry or precious stones, while repeatedly warning and reinforcing her words with threats that if she, heeding the disastrous advice of her sisters, would seek to see her husband, then with sacrilegious curiosity this she will cast herself down from the pinnacle of happiness, and forever henceforth be deprived of his embrace. She thanked her husband and, with a clearer face, said: “Yes, it would be better for me to die a hundred times than to lose your sweetest marriage! After all, whoever you are, I love you passionately, like my soul, and I can’t compare with Cupid himself. But, I beg you, fulfill my request: order your servant Zephyr to bring my sisters here in the same way as he delivered me. - And, having captured a kiss for persuasion, speaking tenderly, clinging with his whole body for temptation, he adds to these caresses: - “My honey, my hubby, your Psyche is a tender darling!” The husband succumbed to the strength and power of loving whispering against his will and made a promise that he would fulfill everything, and as soon as the light began to approach, he disappeared from the hands of his wife.

7. And the sisters, having asked where the cliff is and the place where Psyche was abandoned, rush there and are ready to cry out their eyes, beat their breasts, so that the rocks and stones respond to their frequent cries with a response sound. Her unfortunate sister is called by name, until, to the piercing cry of their lamentations coming from the mountain, Psyche, beside herself, trembling, ran out of the house and said: “Why are you killing yourself with plaintive cries in vain? Here I am, for whom you mourn. Stop the gloomy cries, finally wipe your cheeks, wet from prolonged tears, once in your will to embrace the one you mourn.

Here, having called Zephyr, he gives him the order of her husband. Now, having come to the call, he delivers them with the calmest breath in a safe way. Now they are already exchanging mutual hugs and hurried kisses, and the tears that had stopped before flow again from joyful happiness. “But enter, he says, with joy under our roof, to our hearth and comfort your sorrowful souls with your Psyche.”

8. Having said this, she begins to show the innumerable riches of the golden house, and draws the attention of their ears to the great multitude of servant voices; generously strengthens their strength with the most beautiful bathing and the luxury of a table worthy of the immortals, so that envy awakens in the depths of their souls, who have enjoyed the fullness of the magnificent abundance of truly heavenly riches. Finally, one of them, with great perseverance and curiosity, began to ask who is the owner of all these divine things, who is her husband and what does she do? But Psyche, afraid of violating marital instructions, does not betray a secret secret, but hastily invents that he is a young, handsome man, whose cheeks have just been covered with the first fluff, mainly engaged in hunting in the fields and mountains; and in order not to accidentally violate her decision while continuing the conversation, loading them with gold things and necklaces made of precious stones, she immediately calls Zephyr and hands them over to him for delivery back.

9. When this order was carried out without delay, the good sisters on the way home, filled with the gall of growing envy, talked a lot and animatedly among themselves. Finally, one of them began like this: “What a blind, cruel and unjust fate! Do you like that, born of the same father, the same mother, such a different lot should fall to our lot! You betray us, after all, older in age, to foreign husbands as servants, tear us away from our native hearth, from our homeland itself, so that far from our parents we drag out the life of exiles; she, the youngest, the last fruit of already weary childbearing, owns such riches and a divine husband, but she herself does not know how to properly use such an abundance of blessings. You saw, sister, how many jewels are in the house, what sparkling clothes, what brilliant pearls, and, moreover, how much gold is scattered under your feet everywhere. And if, moreover, her husband is as handsome as she claims, then there is no happier woman in the world. Perhaps, as the habit of her divine husband intensifies, affection strengthens, he will make her a goddess herself. I swear by Hercules, it's getting there! That's how she acted, that's how she acted. Yes, she aims at the sky; this woman holds on to the goddess, since she has invisible servants, and commands the winds themselves. And me, the unfortunate one, what did I get to share? First of all, my husband suits me as a father, balder than a pumpkin, with a physique more frail than any boy, and he keeps everything in the house on locks and constipation.

10. Another picks up: “And what kind of husband do I have to endure? Crooked, hunched over from gout, and for this reason extremely rarely in love with me; most of the time I rub his twisted, stone-hardened fingers and burn these thin hands of mine with odorous poultices, dirty rags, fetid plasters, as if I were not a legal wife, but a nurse hired for work. It can be seen that you, sister - I will say openly what I feel - endure this with complete or even slavish patience. Well, as far as I am concerned, I can no longer endure that such a blessed fate fell on the lot of an unworthy one. Just remember how proudly, how defiantly she behaved with us, this very boastfulness, displayed immoderately, proves the arrogance of her spirit; then, reluctantly, she threw us a crumb from such innumerable riches and immediately, weighed down by our presence, ordered us to be removed, blown out, whistled. If I were not a woman, I would stop breathing if I did not overthrow her from the pinnacle of such wealth. If you too, which is quite natural, were outraged by this insult, let's both seriously consult together and decide what to do. But we will not show the gifts that we brought with us to our parents or anyone else, nor will we mention at all that we know anything about her salvation. It is enough that we ourselves have seen, what it would be better for us not to see, and not only to divulge to our parents and all the people about her such well-being. Those whose wealth is not known to anyone cannot be happy. She learns that we are not her servants, but older sisters. Now let's go to the spouses and to our poor, but quite honest homes; slowly and carefully considering everything, we will return stronger for the punishment of pride.

11. The two villains liked the villainous plan; so, having hidden all the rich gifts, tearing out their hair and scratching their faces, which they deserved, they pretend to resume crying. Then, having frightened the parents, whose wound has reopened, full of madness, they quickly go to their homes, building a criminal, truly patricidal plan against their innocent sister.

Meanwhile, the husband, unknown to Psyche, again convinces her in his nightly conversations: “Do you see what danger you are exposed to? Fate has started a fight from afar, and if you don’t take very strong precautions, it will soon fight you face to face. These insidious girls are preparing disastrous machinations against you with all their might, and their main goal is to persuade you to recognize my features, which, as I have warned you more than once, when you see, you will not see again. So, if after a while the lamias 14
Lamia - see note. 26.

These unfit, full of malicious plans, will come here - and they will come, I know this - then do not say a word to them. If, due to your innate simplicity and tenderness of soul, you cannot do this, then at least do not listen to any speeches about your husband and do not answer them. After all, soon our family will increase, and your childish womb still carries a new child for us - divine, if you hide our secret with silence, if you break the secret - mortal.

12. At the news of this, Psyche blossomed with joy and, comforted by the divine offspring, clapped her hands, and rejoiced at the glory of her future fetus, and rejoiced at the honored name of her mother. She counts impatiently as the days pass and the months pass, she marvels at the unusual, unknown burden and the gradual growth of the fruitful womb from such a short injection. And those two contagions, two vile furies, breathing snake venom, were in a hurry to set sail again with criminal haste. And again, for a short time, the spouse who appears convinces his Psyche: “Here is the last day, an extreme case; the hostile sex and the blood enemy took up arms, withdrew from the camp, lined up the ranks, the signal blew; already with a drawn sword, your criminal sisters approach your throat. Alas, what disasters threaten us. The most delicate psyche! Have pity on yourself, have pity on us, and with holy abstinence save the house, husband, yourself and our baby from the misfortune of impending doom. Oh, that you would not have to hear or see these worthless women, whom, after a murderous hatred for you, after a violated blood connection, it is not permissible to call sisters, you would not have to hear or see when they are like sirens 15
Sirens are fairy-tale maidens who lured sailors sailing past to the island with their singing in order to destroy them. In the time of Apuleius, they were represented sitting on a cliff, on which the ships of enchanted sailors crashed.

From a high cliff, the rocks will resound with their destructive voices!

13. Muffled by plaintive sobs, Psyche answered: “As far as I know, you have already had time to convince yourself of my fidelity and taciturnity, now I will give you no less proof of spiritual strength. Give only the order to our Zephyr to fulfill his duty and, in exchange for the contemplation of your sacred face denied me, let me at least see my sisters. I conjure you with these fragrant, falling curls on both sides of yours, with your tender, rounded cheeks, similar to mine, with your chest, filled with some kind of mysterious fire - may I even recognize your features in our little one! - in response to humble requests and impatient prayers, give me the joy of embracing your sisters and console the soul of your faithful and devoted Psyche with this happiness. I will not ask a word more about your face, the very darkness of the night no longer annoys me, since your light is with me. Enchanted by these speeches and sweet embraces, her husband, wiping her tears with his hair, promised her to fulfill everything and disappeared, warning the light of the coming day.

14. And the couple of sisters, bound by a conspiracy, without even seeing their parents, directly from the ships quickly goes to the cliff and, without waiting for the appearance of the wind that carries them, rushes into the depths with impudent recklessness. But Zephyr, mindful of the royal orders, accepted them, albeit against his will, into his bosom and lowered them to the ground with a light breath. Without hesitation, they immediately enter the house with a hasty step, embrace their victim, hypocritically hiding behind the name of the sisters, and, under a joyful expression, keeping a secret of deep hidden deceit, turn to her with a flattering speech: “Here, Psyche, now you are not the old girl, you yourself will soon be a mother. Do you know how much good you carry for us in this bag? What joy will you bring to our entire family? What happiness is for us that we will nurse this golden child! If, as one should expect, the child will be the beauty of the parents, probably. You will bring forth Cupid."

15. Thus, with the help of counterfeit tenderness, they gradually take possession of the soul of their sister. As soon as they rested on their chairs after the journey and refreshed themselves with the hot vapors of the bath, she began to treat them in the most beautiful dining room with amazing, perfect dishes and snacks. He orders the kithara to play - it rings, to perform the flute - it sounds, the choir to perform - it sings. With all these sweet melodies, invisible musicians softened the souls of the listeners. But the criminality of worthless women has not calmed down even from the soft tenderness of the sweetest singing: directing the conversation to a premeditated insidious trap, they begin to cunningly ask who her husband is, where he comes from, what he does. She, in her extreme simplicity, forgetting what she said the last time, re-invents and tells that her husband is from the nearest province, is engaged in large-scale trading business, a man of middle age, with rare gray hair. And, without dwelling on this conversation, he again loads them with rich gifts and hands them over to be sent to the wind.

16. While they are returning home, raised by the calm breath of Zephyr, they are talking among themselves: “What do you say, sister, about such a monstrous lie of this fool? Now a young man, whose cheeks are covered with the first fluff, then a middle-aged man, whose gray hair is already breaking through. Who is he that in such a short period of time he suddenly managed to grow old? Not otherwise, sister, or a scoundrel, she lied all this, or she didn’t see her husband in the eye; whatever may be true, first of all it is necessary to overthrow it from the height of well-being. If she does not know the face of her husband, then she has married some god 16
If she does not know the face of her husband, it means she has married some god... - Myths say that when uniting with mortal women, the gods usually hid their true appearance.

And prepares to give birth to a god. And if she (may it not happen!) Be known as the mother of a divine child, I will immediately hang myself on a strong noose. However, let us return to our parents and, as the beginning of those speeches with which we turn to Psyche, we will weave a suitable lie.

17. So, inflamed, having spoken arrogantly with their parents, tired of a sleepless night, they fly to the cliff early in the morning and, from there, with the help of the usual wind, they are quickly carried down, squeeze tears from their eyes and with such cunning begin their speech to their sister: “ Happy, you sit, not worrying about the danger that threatens you, blessed in ignorance of such a disaster, and we all night long, without closing our eyes, thought about your deeds and bitterly mourn about your disasters. We have certainly learned and cannot hide from you, sharing your grief and grief, that a huge serpent, wriggling with many loops, secretly sleeps with you at night, whose neck is full of destructive poison instead of blood and its mouth is open like an abyss. Remember the predictions of the Pythian oracle, 17
... the predictions of the Pythian oracle. - The oracle that predicted the fate of Psyche is called Pythian here because the most famous oracle was in the temple of the Pythian Apollo at Delphi, and Apollo himself is often called the Pythian.

What proclaimed to you marriage with a wild monster. In addition, many peasants, hunters who hunted nearby, many neighboring residents saw him returning from the pasture in the evening and fording across the nearest river.

18. Everyone assures that he will not fatten you for long, flatteringly pleasing you with food, but he will devour you weighed down with the best of fruits. Now you have a choice: either you want to obey your sisters, who care about your dear salvation, and, avoiding death, live with us in safety, or you will be buried in the entrails of the cruelest reptile. If you like the solitude of this village filled with voices, or the secret combinations of foul-smelling and dangerous love and the embrace of a poisonous serpent, it’s up to you, at least we have fulfilled our duty of honest sisters.

Poor Psyche, a simple soul and gentle, was horrified by such ominous words: all the instructions of her husband flew out of her head, her own promises were forgotten, and, ready to throw herself into the abyss of misfortune, all trembling, covered with deathly pallor, stuttering, in an interrupted whisper, she begins to speak sisters these words:

19. “You, dearest sisters, as expected, are fulfilling your sacred duty, and those, apparently, did not lie who told you such information. After all, I have never seen the face of my husband, I don’t know at all what he is like; only at night do I hear the voice of the mysterious husband, and I have to put up with the fact that when the light comes on, he takes flight, so I can quite believe your assertions that he is some kind of monster. He himself often and sternly forbade me to seek his vision and threatened with great disaster if I were curious to see his appearance. If you can do anything to save your sister in danger, do it now, otherwise further carelessness will destroy the benefit of the original foresight.

Then, approaching through the already open gates to the unprotected soul of their sister, the criminal women threw off all cover of secret tricks and, having drawn their swords of deceit, attacked the fearful imagination of the ingenuous girl.

PSYCHE I, Ps And heh (ψυχη "soul, breath"), in Greek mythology, the personification of the soul, breath. Psyche was identified with one or another living being, with the individual functions of a living organism and its parts. The breath of a person approached the breath, wind, whirlwind, wingedness. The souls of the dead appear as a whirlwind of ghosts around Hecate, the ghost of Achilles under Troy appears accompanied by a whirlwind (Philostr. Heroic. III 26). Psyche was represented on the monuments of fine art in the form of a butterfly, either flying out of a funeral pyre, or going to Hades. Sometimes the butterfly was directly identified with the deceased (Ovid. Met. XV 374). The Greek word "Psyche" means "soul" and "butterfly" (Aristotle, History of Animals, IV 7). Psyche was also represented as a flying bird. The souls of the dead are depicted as flying (Hom. Od. XI 37, 605), they flock to the blood (XI 36-43), flutter in the form of shadows and dreams (XI 217-222). The soul of Patroclus is removed with a “squeak” (Hom. Il. XXIII 100), and the verb tridzein is used, “chirp”, “squeak”. The souls of the suitors killed by Odysseus also go into view with the squeak of bats (Hom. Od. XXIV 5-9). Psyche was represented in the form of an eagle, rushing up its flight. In a number of Homer's texts, the diaphragm is perceived as Psyche - the soul (Hom. Il. XVI 530; Od. I 322). Blood is also the bearer of the soul; in a wounded soul, it comes out through the wound along with blood (Hom. Il. XIV 518 next) or it is torn out along with the tip of the spear (XVI 505). According to Pythagoras, Psyche feeds on blood; blood is "the seat of the soul" (Serv. Verg. Aen. V 79).

Combining various myths about Psyche, Apuleius created a poetic tale about the wanderings of the human soul, longing to merge with love (Apul. Met. IV 28 - VI 24). With the help of Zephyr, Cupid got the royal daughter Psyche as his wife. However, Psyche violated the ban never to see the face of her mysterious husband. At night, burning with curiosity, she lights a lamp and gazes admiringly at the young god, not noticing the hot drop of oil that has fallen on Cupid's tender skin. Cupid disappears, and Psyche must get him back after going through many trials. Having overcome them and even descended into Hades for living water, Psyche, after excruciating suffering, regains Cupid, who asks Zeus for permission to marry his beloved and reconciles with Aphrodite, who viciously pursued Psyche. The story of Apuleius has clearly folklore and mythological origins, which, however, were not recorded in literature before him. Russian folk tale in the processing of S.T. Aksakov's "Scarlet Flower" develops the same ancient plot.

Lit.: Anderson V., Roman Apuleius and folk tale, v. 1, Kazan, 1914; Losev A.F., Ancient mythology in its historical development, M., 1957, p. 41-45; Reitzenstein R., Das Märchen von Amor und Psyche bei Apuleius, Lpz., 1912; Mosca B., La favola e il problema di Psiche, Adria, 1935; Dyroff A., Das Märchen von Amor und Psyche, Koln, 1941; Swahn, J. O., The Tale of Cupid and Psyche, Lund, 1955.

A.F. Losev

In ancient art, Psyche is depicted as a butterfly or a winged girl (Etruscan scarabs, reliefs, terracotta). On the gems of the 3rd-1st centuries. BC. there are countless interpretations of the theme of Psyche and Cupid; especially popular is the plot of catching Psyche the butterfly by Cupid with a burning torch in his hand. Butterfly Psyche was depicted on many tombstones above the skull and other symbols of death. On the Pompeian frescoes, Psyche was depicted with the attributes of the muses - a stylus and a flute. Numerous Eros and Psyche, busy picking flowers, working at the oil mill, are found on the frescoes of the Vettii house in Pompeii. The theme of Cupid and Psyche was addressed by Giulio Romano, Raphael, P.P. Rubens, A. Canova, B. Thorvaldsen and others. Calderon's allegorical interpretation of the myth of Cupid and Psyche in two autos. J. Lafontaine ("The Love of Psyche and Cupid"), Molière (the drama "Psyche"), and others addressed the theme of Psyche.

Myths of the peoples of the world. Encyclopedia. (In 2 volumes). Ch. ed. S.A. Tokarev. - M .: "Soviet Encyclopedia", 1982. T. II, p. 344-345.