Blog #6

"Cupid and Psyche" is an old Greek tale about the God Cupid and his wife Psyche. This ancient tale from Greek mythology tells the tragic struggles that the young lovers face as they strive to become a loving couple. Venus, jealous of Psyche's beauty, orders her son Cupid to make Psyche fall in love with a hideous beast. Cupid, however, falls in love with Psyche himself and becomes her mysterious husband who visits her only in the night and refuses to be seen. When Psyche betrays his trust and, fearing that he is a hideous monster, looks at him, Cupid leaves her. Desperate to get him back, Psyche endures the tasks put upon her by Venus to prove her worth as a good wife. However, Psyche once again falls victim to her own curiosity and falls into a deathly sleep when she looks into a box she was not supposed to. She is saved only by Cupid who rescues her and brings her up to become his immortal wife.

At first read this story appears very unique, with no similarities to other famous tales, but the story does actually bare a lot of resemblance to the famous Grimm Fairy Tale "The Frog King." In "The Frog King" a princess, distraught at losing her favorite golden ball, makes a promise with a frog to become his lifelong companion if he returns her ball to her. When he arrives at the castle however, she refuses to let him in until the King forces her to keep her promise and let the frog eat and sleep with her. When it is time for him to sleep in her bed, however, she throws him against the wall in anger which causes him to transform into a young prince. The two return to his kingdom to be married, and the prince's faithful servant is so overjoyed that the metal bands build around his heart begin to break.

At first these stories appear to have little in common, but despite a few differences they are both tales about young wives learning to be good companions and build trusting relationships with their husbands. Both stories can also be seen lessons for young girls to accept and love the men that they are forced to marry. In both stories the forced together in a way that resembles arranged marriage. The marriage is philosophized in "Cupid and Psyche" and the king forces his daughter to keep her promise of companionship in "The Frog King." Also in both stories the young woman becomes anxious and angry when she fears she is stuck with a hideous, gross monster. When she acts out in anger, either by sneakily shining a lamp on him or throwing him against a wall, and his real beauty is revealed her feelings toward him change fully into love. In both stories the wife is forced to prove her worth and her ability to serve her husband in domestic ways. In "Cupid and Psyche" Psyche must complete the tasks given to her by Venus in order to test her "housewifery." In "The Frog King" the princess has to eat and sleep with the frog in order to prove herself as a good wife. Both stories end with the beautiful couple being happily married once the wife learns to be a good and trusting wife.

Sources: https://assets.americanliterature.com/al/images/story/the-frog-king.jpg

https://www.ancient-origins.net/sites/default/files/Amor-and-Psyche.jpg