Although Valentine’s Day is a relatively modern celebration, there was no shortage of love in the ancient world. Today we’re looking at some of the great love stories of the Classical world and the way they still inspire us today.
Eros & Psyche
The story of Eros (Cupid) and Psyche comes to us particularly through its major role as a story within the story of Apuleius’ Golden Ass, which itself tells of love, transformation and magic. Renaissance artists in particular took quite a shine to the story and you will often see it represented in art and literature, though it is not so popular today.
The story is a long and winding one, which centres around themes of beauty, love, betrayal, redemption and more. Psyche was so beautiful that here admirers worshiped her over Aphrodite (Venus), who naturally was enraged and sent her son Eros to shoot her with a love arrow, causing her to fall in love with something monstrous. Eros messes it up, of course, and ends up being the one who falls in love with her. Shenanigans ensue but finally Eros is able to sleep with her, but only while hiding his identity.
When she inevitably tries to reveal him, things once again go wrong and they are separated; Psyche is forced to serve Aphrodite through a number of increasingly impossible tasks, which eventually sees her travel to the Underworld and recover a box which she shouldn’t open… and does, leaving her in a deep sleep. Finally, Eros flies to save her and begs the gods to make her immortal. The happy ending sees the request granted and the two are married at a grand banquet of the gods. Within this tale are many beautiful moments, none more so than their final reunion.
Many elements of the tale bear striking resemblance to similar folk tales, including the myths of Heracles and Pandora, and more recently Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Amongst all these themes is the inevitable victory of true love and the trials one must go through some times to win it. Despite the comic tone of Apuleius’ overall work, this tale itself has remained a inspirational love story for millennia.
Orpheus & Eurydice
I have written before about my love for the recent musical Hadestown, which is a modern retelling of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. The show is a two for one, as well, as it explores the relationship between Hades and Persephone (a little too complex to get into right now!). The myth of Orpheus, while a story of love and devotion, is also a downright tragedy, which proves to us that not all love stories need a happy ending to live on in our hearts
.As the story goes, Orpheus the poet fell in love with the beautiful Eurydice, who (in most versions) returned his feelings. However, through one tragic device or another, she ends up dying before they can live their happy ending. Orpheus is so unhappy with this fate that he travelled to the Underworld to get her back, aided by some of the gods and his musical skill. He played a song so moving that even Hades himself cannot deny his request; however, he only allows them both to leave under the condition that Orpheus walks ahead and never looks back at Eurydice. Thinking the task easy, he makes it nearly the whole way, but looks back just before the end out of fear - and she is taken back to Hades.
The tragic ending is quite moving if properly told and the myth itself delves deeply into the psychological aspects of human emotion. Who among us can live so confident in themselves that they never experience even the smallest shred of doubt? Who hasn’t locked their car and then gone back to lock it, just in case? Or pressed save on a Word doc about six times before closing?? The myth looks deep into our souls and asks us what we would do for love.
Pyramus & Thisbe
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. A pair of lovers from rival families are forbidden from seeing each other, but fall in love nevertheless. They make plans to elope but when one thinks the other has died, they take their own life leading to their lover doing the same. Yes that’s right, it’s the story of Pyramus and Thisbe that in many ways inspires Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
The best version of the story comes to us, as so many do, from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. The pair lived in Babylon, and lived in houses that shared a common wall - through which they would talk and fall in love. Eventually they plan to meet up one night, beneath a Mulberry tree, but when Thisbe arrives she sees a lion and runs away, losing her cloak in the process. Pyramus later arrives to find the lion has torn and bloodied her discarded coat, and thinking that this means Thisbe is dead, he falls on his sword. Thisbe returns and does likewise when she realises what has happened. Finally, they are united, in death at least.
These star-crossed lovers represent another tragic tale that nonetheless speaks to the eternal, enduring power of love in all its forms. Ovid has their blood stain the mulberry tree, giving it the blood red colour it is well-known for. He also gave us the aged pair of Baucis and Philemon, who as a reward for their respectful treatments of guests (two gods in disguise) were granted the ability to pass away at the same time and turned into two intertwining trees, fixed together forever.
That’s all for this week, I hope you have a wonderful day with all your friends and loved ones, whatever role they may have in your life. Keep an eye out for more regular posts now that I have moved countries and set my life up. Take care!
Great post. Shoutout to the movie Black Orpheus (1959).