Eros and Psyche with even more illustrations

Eros and Psyche, a love story from Greek Mythology...I am doing a series of drawings to go with this story.   Today only one will be posted today.   More illustrations of this beautiful myth will be added soon. I am also adding more details.  I am changing some names.  Greek Gods and Goddesses and their Roman counterparts can get confusing.  I will only use Greek names but look at the chart at the end of this post to see a few of these names.  Basically the Romans adopted the Greek gods but renamed them.

Psyche was a beautiful mortal maiden.  She was so beautiful that she out shined her two older sisters.  Her father was the king.  The people of the kingdom were so taken with Psyche's beauty that they began to honor and worship her instead of the Goddess of Beauty, Aphrodite.

Aphrodite was NOT pleased.  She was jealous of Psyche so she sent her winged son Eros to shoot Psyche with one of his magic love arrows and make her fall in love with a hideous beast.  But her plan backfired.  When Eros saw Psyche lying there asleep in her chambers he was so entranced with her beauty that he shot himself with one of his magic love arrows.

Eros was in love.  But his mother Aphrodite the Goddess of Beauty was still angry...probably even more angry.  The King and his councilors become aware that one of the gods had been offended and they learned that Psyche is the one who has offended Aphrodite.  Poor Psyche never wanted all the attetion and at times wished she could be less beautiful.  But he fate is set.  She is both married to an unknown being (thought to be an evil hideous snake-like winged dragon) and placed on a mountain top to await her fate.  Her parents mourn her loss but fear to offend the Aphrodite.

Well, it turns out that the unknown being is NOT a dragon.  The god of the west wind, Zephyrus, transports Psyche to a beautiful meadow with a nearby palace and plenty of food and comfort.  Her husband only comes in the dark of night and she learns to love him, even though she has been forbidden to see him.  They become friends as well as they talk at night, even though she can not see him.  She truly loves him but still does not know what he looks like.  She eventually becomes pregnant and still has never seen her husband.

She found that she was missing her two sisters and she pled with her husband to let them come visit.  He says that nothing good will come of this but he allows her to have her wish. She was happy when her sisters came to visit but they were jealous of her opulent surroundings.  They hatched a plan to trick her into finding out who her husband was by telling her that she may have been sharing a bed with a frightful monster.

The next night Psyche lit an oil lamp to see what her beloved  husband looked like.  He was NOT a frightful beast but a beautiful young man with glorious wings.  In fact, he was a beautiful winged god.  Psyche was so startled at Eros' striking good looks that she took a step back, got poked by one of his arrows from his quiver, and dripped hot oil from the lamp onto Eros and he woke up and immediately flew away.

Poor Psyche did not see him the next night or the next or the next.  It soon became clear that he was not coming back.  She eventually sought out Eros' mother, the Goddess of Love Aphrodite.  This made Aphrodite feel kind of smug.  She sent poor Psyche on a series of terrible quests with impossible tasks.

In one task Psyche was supposed to sort a mound of different size seeds.  A passing ant took pitty on hie and his colony came and sorted all the seeds for Psyche.  This just made Aphrodite more angry.  She had Psyche go to a dangerous place where very deadly golden sheep lived.  Psyche is supposed to gather wool form these deadly sheep.

Psyche Gathers Golden Wool from Briers

The giant golden  sheep belonged to the sun.  Psyche is not sure how to proceed until a divinely inspired reed tells her to gather the wool from where it got caught on briers. or thorns.  (Apparently some of the other gods were watching and wanted to help poor Psyche out of her predicament.)

Psyche Gets Help from Zeus' Eagle

NOTE:  My computer broke so I can not scan right now so this page will not be in printables yet.  You could print it by getting a screen shot or wait until my computer is fixed.  This drawing was photographed so it will be better when I can scan. 

Next Venus sent Psyche to gather water from the source of the River Styx in the underworld.  The waterfall and cliff she was trying to climb was infested with winged serpent-like dragons and it turns out that the King of the Gods, Zeus, took pity on her and sent his eagle to fight off the dragons and get the water for Psyche. 

Finally Aphrodite said her own beauty was failing as she took care of her injured son. So she sent Psyche to the underworld with the task to get some of Persephone's  beauty. Persephone was the queen of the underworld.  Persephone also took pity on Psyche and complied and another task was completed...except Psyche's curiosity got the better of her and she opened the box.  She was immediately struck with an eternal sleep.

By now Eros was recovered from his burn...he now had a scar, but he still loved his wife.  He found her and gave her a kiss to break the spell.  He removes the sleep from her face and places it back in the box.

Eros Rescues Psyche

Drawing is based on a sculpture seen at the Louvre in Paris

Eros Rescues Psyche

.  Eros  takes Psyche to Zeus the King of the Gods and pleads her case.  Zeus allows Psyche to drink ambrosia and thus become immortal and she joins the gods on Mount Olympus.  They even have a formal wedding for her and Eros.  Zeus warns Aphrodite to let it be or back off.

You might think that  Aphrodite would be angry but no, she is happy.  She endorses the wedding and welcomes Psyche into the family...because it will keep Psyche and her dazzling beauty in heaven (Mount Olympus) instead of distracting people on Earth.
...so she figures that the people will return to her temples.  So Aphrodite, the Goddess of Beauty:", is happy with how things worked out.  However, for a while there, she would qualify as the "Worst Mother in Law EVER!"

So, in any case, it is a happily ever after ending to this myth.  It also teaches a lesson.  Psyche loves her husband even though she does not know what he looks like.  Eros loves her even though at the start of their marriage her beauty is hidden in the dark.   Maybe he CAN see her but he wanted to be loved for more than just his physical beauty.


Here is a short list of some of the Gods and Goddesses from Greek and Roman Mythology

 GREEK GOD OR GODDESS                                 ROMAN GOD OR GODDESS COUNTERPART
  also known as OLYMPIANS                                             to Olympians

   Zues                                                                                         Jupiter
   Aphrodite                                                                                 Venus
   Eros                                                                                          Cupid
   Hades                                                                                       Pluto
   Poseidon                                                                                   Neptune
   Hermes                                                                                      Mercury
   Hara                                                                                          Juno