Editing Cupid and Psyche (section)

{{Short description|Classical story of Cupid and Psyche}}
{{Other uses}}
[[File:Gerard FrancoisPascalSimon-Cupid Psyche end.jpg|thumb|200px|''Psyche and Amor'', also known as ''Psyche Receiving Cupid's First Kiss'' (1798), by [[François Gérard]]: a symbolic butterfly hovers over Psyche in a moment of innocence poised before sexual awakening.<ref>Dorothy Johnson, ''David to Delacroix: The Rise of Romantic Mythology'' 
(University of North Carolina Press, 2011), pp. 81–87.</ref>]]
{{Greek underworld}}

'''Cupid and Psyche''' is a story originally from ''[[The Golden Ass|Metamorphoses]]'' (also called ''The Golden Ass''), written in the 2nd century AD by Lucius [[Apuleius]] Madaurensis (or Platonicus).<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lewis|first1=C. S.|title=Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold|date=1956|publisher=Harcourt Brace Jovanovich|isbn=0156904365|page=[https://archive.org/details/tillwehavefacesm00lewi_0/page/311 311]|url=https://archive.org/details/tillwehavefacesm00lewi_0|url-access=registration}}</ref> The tale concerns the overcoming of obstacles to the [[love]] between [[Psyche (mythology)|Psyche]] ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|aɪ|k|iː}}; {{Langx|grc|{{linktext|Ψυχή}}|lit=Soul' or 'Breath of Life}}, {{IPA|grc|psyːkʰɛ̌ː}}) and [[Cupid]] ({{langx|la|{{linktext|Cupido}}|lit=Desire}}, {{IPA|la|kʊˈpiːd̪oː}}) or {{linktext|Amor}} ({{lit.|Love}}, Greek [[Eros]], {{linktext|Ἔρως}}), and their ultimate union in a [[Hieros gamos|sacred marriage]]. Although the only extended narrative from [[classical antiquity|antiquity]] is that of Apuleius from the 2nd century AD, Eros and Psyche appear in [[ancient Greek art|Greek art]] as early as the 4th century BC. The story's [[Neoplatonic]] elements and allusions to [[mystery religions]] accommodate multiple interpretations,<ref>Stephen Harrison, entry on "Cupid," ''The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece and Rome'' (Oxford University Press, 2010), p. 338.</ref> and it has been analyzed as an [[allegory]] and in light of [[folklore|folktale]], ''[[Fairy tale#Terminology|Märchen]]'' or [[fairy tale]], and [[myth]].<ref>{{cite book |doi=10.1163/9789004296688_007 |chapter=Cupid and Psyche |title=Pietas |year=1980 |pages=84–92 |isbn=9789004296688 |last1=Wagenvoort |first1=H. }}</ref>

The story of Cupid and Psyche was known to [[Giovanni Boccaccio|Boccaccio]] in c. 1370. The ''[[editio princeps|first printed version]]'' dates to 1469. Ever since, the [[reception theory|reception]] of ''Cupid and Psyche'' in the [[classical tradition]] has been extensive. The story has been retold in poetry, drama, and opera, and depicted widely in painting, sculpture, and even wallpaper.<ref>Harrison, "Cupid and Psyche," in ''Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece and Rome'', p. 339.</ref> Though Psyche is usually referred to in Roman mythology by her Greek name, her Roman name through direct translation is Anima.