Psyche is a mortal woman of such extraordinary beauty that the goddess Aphrodite grows jealous and sends her son Eros (Amor) to make Psyche fall in love with something unworthy. Instead, Eros falls in love with Psyche himself and arranges for her to live in an enchanted palace, visited by him only in darkness—she is never allowed to see his face.
Psyche’s sisters, suspicious and envious, convince her that her unseen lover must be a monster. One night she lights a lamp while Eros sleeps. She sees not a monster but a god—and a drop of hot oil falls from the lamp and wakes him. Feeling betrayed, Eros flees. Psyche loses everything.
Desperate to find him again, Psyche goes to Aphrodite, who sets her four seemingly impossible tasks: sorting an enormous pile of seeds by morning; gathering golden fleece from violent rams; filling a crystal flask from an impossible waterfall; and finally, descending to the underworld to retrieve a box of beauty from Persephone. Each time, Psyche is helped by unexpected allies—ants, a reed, an eagle, a tower. She completes every task. Eros, unable to stay away, intervenes at last. The gods grant Psyche immortality, and the two are united.
