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The Story of Cupid and Psyche in Images

For the long version of the story of Cupid and Psyche, click here.

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Psyche, the beautiful daughter of a king, was told she was going to marry a monster. Her parents left her on top of a mountain. The Zephyr came and carried her to a valley.

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The Carrying Away of Psyche
Pierre-Paul PRUD'Hon


There she saw an enchanted palace.

Psyche Entering Cupid's Garden
Psyche Entering Cupid's Garden
Waterhouse, John William
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There she saw nobody, but she could hear the voices of invisible servants, who took very good care of her and prepared her bath.

The Bath of Psyche

The Bath of Psyche

by Frederic Leighton


Psyche at her Toilette

Psyche at her Toilette

by Charles-Joseph Natoire
1745


Every night her husband snuck near her.

Cupid And Psyche
Cupid And Psyche
Stanhope, John Roddam Spencer
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In the morning he would go away before she woke up.

Cupid and Psyche by Jacques-Louis David
Cupid and Psyche by Jacques-Louis David
David, Jacques-Louis
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After a while, Psyche began to miss her sisters. When they came, they asked her about her husband and discovered that Psyche didn't know what he looked like. They were jealous of her, as she lived in such a beautiful palace, among riches, wile they were married to older men.

Psyche shows her sisters the
presents she has received from Cupid

Psyche shows her sisters the presents she has received from Cupid

by Jean-Honoré Fragonard
1753-4


So they advised her to keep a lamp and a knife near the bed and look at her husband one night, when he fell asleep, then kill him, if he is the monster in the prophecy. Otherwise, this monster will surely kill her and her child, when he is born (by now Psyche was pregnant).

The poor girl followed their advice and one night she managed to look at him. When she discovered that the man who slept near her was the god of love himself, she began to tremble and she spilled the oil from the lamp on him. Cupid woke up in pain, because he had been burned, and left her. She tried to stop him, but it was in vain.

Amor & Psyche
Amor & Psyche
Medard, Eugene
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Poor Psyche, abandoned, wanted to kill herself, but god Pan told her not to do it.

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An Important Italian Whit...


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Psyche
Augustin Pajou


While the poor girl was looking for Venus, the goddess was looking for her. A servant found Psyche and brought her before Venus, who told her to complete different tasks:
- to separate the seeds of wheat, barley, poppy, peas, and beanes from a big heap
- to bring her the fleece of the golden sheep
- to bring her a bottle of water from the Styx river
- and, finally, Venus sent Psyche to Hades, to bring her some beauty from Proserpina.

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Charon and Psyche
John Stanhope


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Psyche's Last Trek


Helped by many, Psyche managed to do what she had been ordered. But, in the end, when she got the little jar with beauty, she was so curious, that she opened it. Inside there was no beauty, but a deadly sleep, so she fell asleep. In the meantime, Cupid managed to get out of his mother's house and began to search for his beloved wife. When he found her, he wiped away the sleep, and she returned to life.

Cupid took Psyche to the Olympus and asked Jupiter to allow them to be married.

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Ravissement De Psyche
Adolphe Bouguereau


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Cupid and Psyche, 1889
William-Adolphe Bouguereau


Jupiter allowed it and Mercury offered Psyche a drink that made her immortal.
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Mercury Offering The Cup ...


So, in the end, Cupid and Psyche got married and lived happily ever after (they could, as they were both immortal).

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The Marriage of Cupid and Psyche
Francois Boucher


For some more pictures of Cupid and Psyche, click here.