Dr. C. George Boeree

The so-called psyche or butterfly is generated from caterpillars which grow on
green leaves, chiefly leaves of theraphanus, which some call crambe or
cabbage. At first it is less than a grain of millet; it then grows into a
small grub; and in three days it is a tiny caterpillar. After this it grows on
and on, and becomes quiescent and changes its shape, and is now called a
chrysalis. The outer shell is hard,and the chrysalis moves if you touch it. It
attaches itself by cobweb-like filaments, and is unfurnished with mouth or any
other apparent organ. After a little while the outer covering bursts asunder,
and out flies the winged creature that we call the psyche or butterfly. (From
Aristotle's History of Animals 551a.1)

Psyche was one of three sisters, princesses in a Grecian kingdom. All three
were beautiful, but Psyche was the most beautiful. Aphrodite, the goddess of
love and beauty, heard about Psyche and her sisters and was jealous of all the
attention people paid to Psyche. So she summoned her son, Eros, and told him to
put a spell on Psyche.
Always obedient, Eros flew down to earth with two vials of potions. Invisible,
he sprinkled the sleeping Psyche with a potion that would make men avoid her
when it came to marriage. Accidentally, he pricked her with one of his arrows
(which make someone fall in love instantly) and she startled awake. Her beauty,
in turn, startled Eros, and he accidentally pricked himself as well. Feeling
bad about what he had done, he then sprinkled her with the other potion, which
would provide her with joy in her life.
Sure enough, Psyche, although still beautiful, could find no husband. Her
parents, afraid that they had offended the gods somehow, asked an oracle to
reveal Psyche's future husband. The oracle said that, while no man would have
her, there was a creature on the top of a mountain that would marry her.
Surrendering to the inevitable, she headed for the mountain. When she came
within sight, she was lifted by a gentle wind and carried the rest of the way.
When she arrived, she saw that her new home was in fact a rich and beautiful
palace. Her new husband never permitted her to see him, but he proved to be a
true and gentle lover. He was, of course, Eros himself.
After some time, she grew lonely for her family, and she asked to be allowed to
have her sisters for a visit. When they saw how beautiful Psyche's new home
was, they grew jealous. They went to her and told her not to forget that her
husband was some kind of monster, and that, no doubt, he was only fattening her
up in order to eat her. They suggested that she hide a lantern and a knife near
her bed, so that the next time he visited her, she could look to see if he was
indeed a monster, and cut off his head if it was so.

Her sisters convinced her this was best, so the next time her husband came to
visit her, she had a lamp and a knife ready. When she raised the lamp, she saw
that her husband was not a monster but Eros! Surprised, he ran to the window
and flew off. She jumped out after him, but fell the ground and lay there
unconscious.
When she awoke, the palace had disappeared, and she found herself in a field
near her old home. She went to the temple of Aphrodite and prayed for help.
Aphrodite responded by giving her a series of tasks to do -- tasks that
Aphrodite believed the girl would not be able to accomplish.
The first was a matter of sorting a huge pile of mixed grains into separate
piles. Psyche looked at the pile and despaired, but Eros secretly arranged for
an army of ants to separate the piles. Aphrodite, returning the following
morning, accused Psyche of having had help, as indeed she had.
The next task involved getting a snippet of golden fleece from each one of a
special herd of sheep that lived across a nearby river. The god of the river
advised Psyche to wait until the sheep sought shade from the midday sun. Then
they would be sleepy and not attack her. When Psyche presented Aphrodite with
the fleece, the goddess again accused her of having had help.
The third task Aphrodite set before Psyche was to get a cup of water from the
river Styx, where it cascades down from an incredible height. Psyche thought it
was all over, until an eagle helped her by carrying the cup up the mountain and
returning it full. Aphrodite was livid, knowing full well that Psyche could
never have done this alone!
Psyche's next task was to go into hell to ask Persephone, wife of Hades, for a
box of magic makeup. Thinking that she was doomed, she decided to end it all by
jumping off a cliff. But a voice told her not to, and gave her instructions on
making her way to hell to get the box. But, the voice warned, do not look
inside the box under any circumstances!
Well, Psyche received the box from Persephone and made her way back home. But,
true to her nature, she was unable to restrain herself from peeking inside. To
her surprise, there was nothing inside but darkness, which put her into a deep
sleep. Eros could no longer restrain himself either and wakened her. He told
her to bring the box to Aphrodite, and that he would take care of the rest.
Eros went to the heavens and asked Zeus to intervene. He spoke of his love for
Psyche so eloquently that Zeus was moved to grant him his wish. Eros brought
Psyche to Zeus who gave her a cup of ambrosia, the drink of immortality. Zeus
then joined Psyche and Eros in eternal marriage. They later had a daughter, who
would be named Pleasure.

The Greek name for a butterfly is Psyche, and the same word means the soul.
There is no illustration of the immortality of the soul so striking and
beautiful as the butterfly, bursting on brilliant wings from the tomb in which
it has lain, after a dull, grovelling, caterpillar existence, to flutter in
the blaze of day and feed on the most fragrant and delicate productions of the
spring. Psyche, then, is the human soul, which is purified by sufferings and
misfortunes, and is thus prepared for the enjoyment of true and pure
happiness. (From Bulfinch's Mythology: The Age of Fable, chapter XI)


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