Psyche was the youngest of three daughters of a great king. So beautiful was she in both countenance and spirit that people traveled from all over the world to admire her. Venus became jealous because their admiration of Psyche led people to neglect and even forget about her. So Venus devised a plot: She asked Cupid to make Psyche fall in love with the most detestable creature in the world. Cupid arranged for Psyche to be abandoned by her parents on a hilltop, where she would be married to an ugly, vile, two-headed winged serpent.

Psyche was dismayed at her fate but was resigned to it because, although she was beautiful, no one had ever in fact fallen in love with her, and so it seemed that only the winged serpent would have her.

In her devious plans, Venus had not counted on one detail. Cupid, upon seeing Psyche, fell in love with her. Instead of bringing her a monster, he took its place and wedded her himself, then he spirited her to his magnificent palace. However, because Psyche was a mortal, she was not allowed to gaze upon him or question who he was. He visited her only at night and made her agree never to look upon him. Psyche lived a happy life, although one filled with mystery.

Eventually Psyche's sisters became envious of her peaceful marriage and splendid palace, and decided to ruin her. They told her that surely if she was not allowed to see or know who her husband was, then there must certainly be something horrible to hide or fear. They convinced her that she had indeed married the terrible serpent after all.

Psyche finally could no longer stand the uncertainty, and to confirm her suspicions, she waited until Cupid slept, and then carried a lamp to his bedside to gaze upon the forbidden face. Instead of seeing a monster, she saw the most enrapturing vision one could possibly imagine, and trembling, she spilled some hot oil on his arm. He awoke startled, and discovering her betrayal, he fled from the palace, leaving her there alone. In anguish at her faithlessness and at having hurt him and then lost him, Psyche vowed to show Cupid the depth of her love by spending the rest of her life searching for him.

Cupid had flown to his mother and as she treated his wound he told her about his secret marriage to Psyche, and that Psyche had betrayed him. Venus was understandably upset with both Psyche and Cupid. But Venus was known for being an unreasonable supreme being, and chose to punish only Psyche, creating a series of impossible tasks to complete with the promise of forgiveness if she was successful, and with that forgiveness would come the way to find her lost lover.

Venus took some tiny seeds of wheat, poppy, and millet, mixed them, and dropped them in a single pile. She gave Psyche until nightfall to separate the seeds. Psyche was almost in despair when a colony of ants came by and sorted them out for her. Seething with rage, Venus assigned more impossible tasks, such as fetching the golden wool from some fiercely aggressive sheep, and to retrieve black water from the River Styx. Every time, Psyche was helped by others, and every time Psyche fulfilled her challenge.

Cupid had grown bored in his recuperation, and longed for Psyche once again. He met with Jupiter on the sly and beseeched him to grant Psyche immortality. Having always wanted true love himself, Jupiter played easily into Cupid's plea. Before an assembly of the gods, Jupiter made Psyche a goddess, and then announced that they were now formally married. Fickle Venus was finally happy, her son had married a goddess of a suitable nature, and with Psyche in the Heavens with her Cupid, people were no longer distracted by her beauty and once again worshipped Venus, in all her glory, of course.