Cupid and Psyche

My first story is not one of the Grimms', but rather what is considered by many to be the first fairy tale ever written, the myth of Cupid and Psyche. A rather long but enjoyable version, which I chose to weather this morning, can be found here courtesy of Sur La Lune, though I am sure you can find more succinct tellings. Although I do not intend this to be a primarily analytic project, as I'm sure such work has been done far more competently before, I felt it would be appropriate to properly open my writing with a discussion of what I think makes fairy tales what they are, why they are so important, and how this first fairy tale exemplifies these ideas.

There are plenty of theories out there about what exactly defines a fairy tale (since it certainly has nothing to do with fairies), but to me all the stories that resonate the most deeply and feel most like true fairy tales are the ones that say something about becoming an adult. As children are usually considered their main audience, it should come as no surprise that fairy tales often contain numerous messages, often deeply encoded in symbolism and magic, about how one should act in the adult world. After all, this seems to be all anyone ever wants to communicate with children, for some reason or another. I have no doubt in my mind that this definition will fall apart after a while, but for now it holds up, and I think I can quite easily apply it to Cupid and Psyche. To begin with, we have a beautiful young girl, indeed the most beautiful in all the world, whose power over men's hearts begins to grow so potent as to outstrip that of the reigning symbol of femininity, Venus. Psyche's beauty (which is, unfortunately, her only apparent quality), soon draws attention even from Venus's son Cupid, so it is no wonder the goddess should feel threatened. After a time of living together in a somewhat dubious marriage, Cupid and Psyche's love is revealed, and Venus sees fit to challenge the girl to a host of domestic feats in order to prove her worth, or something along those lines.

It would seem that we have some messages for both girls and boys in this story. As is common for a story with a female protagonist, these messages are about falling in love. Boys: do be careful in chosing a mate, you're bound to stir up some envy in your mother. Girls: you had better be quite seriously devoted to your man, or you won't be able to take your place as the primary woman in his life. Here's the only problem: Psyche doesn't successfully perform any of Venus's challenges, but she still ends up marrying Cupid in heaven, becoming immortal, and dancing among the gods for eternity. What gives? I have seen some versions in which it is suggested that Cupid, and not just a random assortment of animals and inanimate objects, helps Psyche with her tasks, and this implies a sort of two-way devotion that cements their relationship. But I have never read a version in which Psyche actually proves herself capable or diligent enough to earn Venus's respect. I am conflicted. On one hand, the notion that a girl must perform a bunch of domestic chores in order to prove her utility is silly and outdated, but this story is thousands of years old so I'm willing to forgive it. What I can't forgive is the implication that she's allowed to just give up and wait for someone else to solve her problems. All she does in the version I read today was try to kill herself each time she found a new challenge, and eventually look inside Proserpine's box when told not to. Obviously she had to do the latter, because she is a Fairy Tale Heroine (perhaps more on the rules of this profession later), but she's definitely one of the most pathetic I've yet encountered. In any case, Cupid eventually rescues her from the underworld and begs his father Jupiter to accept their marriage, with Venus's jealousy all but evaporating. Perhaps the real lesson for girls in this story is just to find a man who is willing to go through hell and back (literally) to keep you around.