Key Takeaways
- The myth explores themes of jealousy and revenge as Aphrodite, jealous of Psyche’s beauty, orders her son Eros to poison men against her.
- Despite challenges and external pressures, the love between Eros and Psyche deepens in the shadows, highlighting the power of love to overcome adversity.
- Psyche’s betrayal of Eros’ trust, influenced by her sisters’ envy, leads to consequences, but the story also emphasizes the possibility of redemption through challenges and proving the sincerity of one’s love.
- The ultimate resolution involves divine intervention, with the gods recognizing the depth of Eros and Psyche’s love, resulting in an immortal union that symbolizes the enduring nature of true love.
Eros was the son of Aphrodite and Mars, who, with his arrows, caused intense love to people.
Psyche was an impressive girl, surpassing even Aphrodite in beauty, something that made Aphrodite jealous and revengeful. She ordered her son to poison all men to not lust after her.
However, Eros accidentally gets hurt by his arrows and falls in love with the beautiful girl. The years passed, and despite her beauty, Psyche could not get married, while her sisters had families and children.
Psyche was depressed because she felt alone. As everyone thought she was a goddess, they treated her like a statue. She was honored and respected, but no one dared to propose.
Finally, in despair, her parents turned to the oracle of Delphi. The oracle informed them that Psyche would marry an immortal and that she had to dress as a bride, go to the top of a mountain, and wait for a dragon.
“Decorate this girl, O king, for a scary wedding, and take her to the high mountain to meet the groom.
But do not hope to get a groom from the human species because she will marry a wild, barbaric beast, similar to a reptile.
He, flying high with his wings, manages everything, hitting everything that moves with his torch and arrow.
Even Zeus must be afraid of him, and the other gods do not hide their fear of him. And the rivers tremble and the dark kingdoms of the Underworld. ” was the oracle’s exact words.
The prison of love

The whole city accompanied the royal family on this formidable procession to the top of the mountain. Mourning and grief could be heard everywhere while Psyche, adorned bride, waited, trembling with fear at the strange groom.
Suddenly, however, the strong wind, Zephyrus took pity on her, blew gently, and carefully carried her to a beautiful garden. He projected a magnificent, divine palace with colorful flowers, lush trees, and running water.
Psyche wandered the corridors dazzled by the treasures it saw around it when one heard a voice without being able to trace its origin. “All this is yours,” he told her and urged her to enjoy her bath and whatever else she wanted.
When night fell, Psyche lay down in the beautiful bedroom that the girls who had been at her service had prepared for her.
And then, in the darkness, Eros, the groom, came to her and made her his own. But before dawn, he left before she could see his face.
After that, the same thing happened every night for a long time, and Psyche felt great every time she felt him close and heard his voice.
After a while, her sisters thought that their sister might have died and started to look for her. Psyche’s husband warned her that she should completely ignore whatever they told her if her sisters visited her.
Although she promised to follow his advice, Psyche was distraught by the thought that her family was mourning her death, and she could not do anything to comfort them.
Finally, she persuaded her husband to let her see her sisters, assure them that she was well, and give them lovely jewelry.
Psyche Succumbs to Fear
Eros sent Zephyrus again to the top of the mountain, where the sisters of Psyche shouted in search of their sister. The wind carried them close to her. Crazy with joy, Psyche comforted them, showed them her magnificent palace, and cared for them.
And when asked about her husband, she made up a story to avoid telling the truth, as she had promised. “He is a rich, handsome young man who enjoys hunting, and that is why he misses most of the day,” he told them and filled them with gifts of gold and precious stones.
When Psyche’s sisters learned that she was living in a palace, they envied her fate. When Psyche confessed to them that she had not seen her husband’s face, they tricked her and told her that the mysterious man was the dragon of the oracle. These words affected Psyche, who decided to kill the man in his sleep with a knife.
When the “invisible” husband fell asleep, Psyche took a candle and prepared to kill him. However, the candlelight revealed the lover’s face while the candle dripped on Eros and woke him up.
Here, the myth of Eros and Psyche takes a turn. Eros panicked and flew away from her. Psyche realized the deception of her sisters.
Punishment And Fall

She started looking for Eros everywhere, while in the kingdom of Aphrodite, Eros was struggling to stay alive.
The burning on his shoulder was malformed and caused him unbearable pain. His mother was informed of what had happened to him by one of her servants, became furious, and imprisoned Eros.
Desperate, Psyche went to his mother and asked her for help.
Aphrodite told her that to find her lover again, she would have to prove her love with three feats, with the third and most difficult one being to bring her from the Underworld the box of beauty cream that Persephone used.
The elements of nature took pity on the unfortunate girl and helped her complete all the feats. But when Psyche opened Persephone’s box, she fell into a deep sleep.
Eros and Psyche Bring Pleasure to the World
The winged god could not bear to be away from his beloved. As soon as he regained his strength, he escaped from his prison and went to Olympus to seek Zeus’s help.
According to the myth of Eros and Psyche, Zeus called all the gods and told them that they should now help the young god. He urged them to forgive him for the mischief with which he had afflicted them all so much.
He sent Hermes to bring Psyche, and for the union of Eros and Psyche to be a marriage between equals, he offered the girl ambrosia, turning her immortal.
A few months later, a baby girl named Idoni –which translates to ‘pleasure-’ was born in Greek.
Immortal now, Eros and the Psyche lived together forever, loving each other passionately.
The myth of Eros and Psyche is a classic story about love and romance.
It deals with the patterns of development in human and divine relationships – both the inner relationship of the individual with their soul and themselves and the external relations with their loved ones.
Why not tell the story on Valentine’s Day or before your Greece wedding proposal to impress your loved one?
Now, when you choose the best Greek island for couples, you will have in mind this magical story and its birthplace. Let our luxury travel agency plan your next romantic trip to Greece so you can follow in this famous couple’s footsteps!