Pověst o Erotovi a Psyche – vypracovala RNDr. Dagmar Benešová

Eros and Psyche

The king had three daughters. The youngest Psyche was divinely beautiful. People started to worship her instead of Afrodita, the divine of beauty and love. Afrodita was angry because of it and sent her son Eros to punish Psyche for her supposed pride. However Eros fell in love with Psyche and instead of punishing he brought her to his castle. They lived happily there. However Psyche was not allowed to see Eros. Psyche asked her lover to invite her sisters for a visit. They were very sad so she wanted to let them know that she has alived. However the sisters were envy so they gave Psyche a bad advice to see her lover sleeping at night. They said that he is an ugly creature and so he did not want Psyche saw him. When Psyche sparked an oil lamp, she was suprised by Eros beauty. However hot oil from the lamp dropped on Eros´s shoulder. Eros woke up with pain and went to her mother Afrodita. Desperate Psyche looked for her lover everywhere. She came to the Afrodita´s castle. Psyche had to accomplish three difficult tasks for be able to see Eros again. First she had to sort grain and pulses and ants helped her. Then she had to bring gold wool and reed helped her. An eagle helped her to bring water from the black source. Afrodita got known that Psyche had helpers and so she ordered to accomplish one more the most difficult task. Psyche had to bring curative ointment for Eros´s injury from the underworld. Desperate Psyche wanted to jump from a high tower to kill herself and so get to the underworld. The power of her love to Eros mollified the tower and it helped Psyche. However on the way from the underworld curious Psyche opened the box with ointment although it was strictly forbiden. There was no ointment but the sleep of death. Psyche fell death. However Eros put the sleep of death back into the box. In the end Afrodita took Psyche on grace. On Eros request the ruler of gods Zeus received Psyche among gods and permitted Eros and Psyche got married.