The Tale of Soul and Love, part III

The very next day, after Eros has left at dawn, Psyche runs outside the palace and already hears her sisters wailing for her high above. As her husband had promised Zephyr yields to her request and carries them safely to the enchanted valley below. After joyful embraces she leads them inside the supernaturally beautiful palace. She describes her happiness and that she carries the fruit of her love in her womb.

But her sisters have plans of their own, and seek to twist their envy into her; to punish Psyche for her pride and because of their bitter and unhappy lots in life and marriage. “If she is to give birth to a god I might go ahead and just hang myself!”, one proclaims. They create the doubt and fear in her mind that she is married not to the dark and mysterious god-like form she knows, but to a hideous and terrible serpent that is merely waiting to devour their child whole after its birth. She eventually concedes to the power of their persuasion and admits to her sisters that she has actually never seen his daylight form. They instruct Psyche to set upon her husband while he sleeps, with a lamp and a blade, as she’d been warned that they would.

But when the fated night comes the flame of her lantern reveals the form of none other than Eros himself. Beside the bed she sees his divine paraphernalia; the quiver and arrows of the trickster himself! Psyche gazes upon him in surprise and for the first time Love fully enters into her heart with full wings. But her startled hand shakes a drop of the burning lantern oil and burns Eros’ shoulder. He awakens and seeing her there with the blade and lamp, turns angrily to the window to disappear into the night sky. But Psyche, embracing him, sobbing holds on to his leg as he lifts into the air. As she falls from him, he lands in a nearby cypress tree. He reveals to her that he has disobeyed his mother Venus’ command to destroy Psyche, having struck himself with his own arrow. In faith to the fairytale mode, he reminds our hero that she was often warned of the danger that she is in. And now, her sisters would pay dearly, while she, our Psyche would be punished by Eros’ running away.

to be continued