… yearns for Caer. It is the god who must pursue, woo and win the hand of Caer, the mortal woman (although she possesses magical powers). In Apuleius tale it is the mortal, the female, Psyche, who must toil to win her beloved Cupid. In Celtic myths the gods crave the love of mortals while in the classical myths it is the mortals who crave the love of the gods.
Moreover, in ‘The Dream Of Oenghus’ the gods must satisfy mortal conditions to win their true love. In the tale of ” it is Psyche, the mortal, who must satisfy the conditions of fate among the gods. When Psyche’s search for Cupid proves fruitless and her plea for sympathy and relief have been completely repulsed she decides to throw herself on Venus’s mercy and to satisfy her rage with meekness. Venus challenges Psyche to a series of tasks, that lead up to her making a trip to Hades, the underworld. Through favorable and periodically divine intervention Psyche is able to complete all these tasks although a second act of faithlessness condemns her to exhaustion. However, at this point Cupid has recovered from his wound, and is wasting away from loneliness for Psyche, he takes leave from his chamber, and finds Psyche.
A touch of one of his arrows awakens Psyche and he pledges to fulfill their relationship. Cupid obtains Jupiter’s blessing and the two a rewed. Eventually, their union produces a daughter who comes to be named Pleasure. In certain senses, both of these myths deal with the reunion of lovers. Cupid and Psyche are united only to be separated by her faithlessness. Oenghus has already seen Caer in a vision, and realized his infatuation with her, when he sets out to find her in the world.
Therefore, they are, in essence, both tales are of how to obtain love. In the Celtic tale one obtains love by proving its divine inspiration-by recognizing the beloved in both human and animal form-and by meeting her demands for freedom and protection. Oenghus gathers all of his resources to convince Caer of his love. He solicits the help of his father and many other people along the way. They use their influence, and negotiating skills to aid Oenghus in his pursuit. In fact, in stark contrast to the Roman Myth, the gods a reunited in their support for Oenghus’s quest.
There is none of the indifference’s and deceit of the classical gods. Ultimately though, Oenghus’s divine resources only present him with the opportunity to plead Caer for her love. His divine powers only set the stage. He wins the his true love through his altogether human expression of love.
His use of divine power stands as evidence of his desire and just how intense it was. It does not, however, insure his success in his quest for Caer’s affection. On the other hand, Psyche’s attempts to return to Cupid are carried outwith the direct and aggressive hostility of Venus. Repeatedly, Venus demands that Psyche undertakes tasks that appear humanly impossible to complete. However, in each instances natural forces abide with Psyche and assist her. When she must sort grain, the ants aid her; when she must obtain the golden fleece, she is advised by a reed; and, finally, her trip to Hades is facilitated by a sympathetic tower.
In this sense true love is identified with nature in both myths. In ” The Dream Of Oenghus,’ proof of his true love is provided by his ability to separate Caer from a crowd of other swans. In ‘cupid and Psyche,’ Psyche only survives the arduous tasks assigned by Venus because she has the support of the sympathetic natural realm. A behavior that is in sympathy with, and supported by the natural order.
Also, in both myths trust is seen as a fundamental element of natural love. It is lack of the faith that leads Psyche to illuminate Cupid and ultimately forces them apart. On the other hand, it is Oenghus’s faith in his love and Caer’s integrity, and trust, that leads him to promise Caer freedom and protection; the very conditions that win her love. Ultimately, it is Psyche’s dedication to her search for Cupid, an expression of trust, that leads to the reunion of the two lovers. Thus, in general terms’ one can identify certain similarities in the two myths’ portrayals of love. In both myths love is aligned with the natural order and predicated on mutual trust and respect.
Moreover, the lovers can become physically sick when they are separated. Thus, beyond these broad similarities the two myths present remarkably different perceptions of love. In the Celtic tale the god of love is captivated of human a human and he must use all his resources to win her affection. He is assisted in his pursuit by all of the divine family and even all of the mortals they must deal with. Only, Caer’s father, the fairy king, refuses to help and that is because he cannot: His daughter’s magical powers is stronger than his. In this sense, love is, in the Celtic myths, a relatively straightforward proposal.
A lover, committed to his beloved, and willing to demonstrate that commitment, may encounter obstacles but ultimately, the gods do not interfere with his pursuit and the natural world sympathizes. In Roman mythology the course of love does not run as smoothly. Cupid and Psyche are in love with on another. Nevertheless, for that very reason, coupled with Psyche’s extreme beauty, Venus is resentful of their relationship. Consequently, her malevolent jealousy is a constant theme in their relationship. The classical god’s war with one another, and exhibit human emotions in contrast to the united front of the Celtic gods.
Love must triumph over adversity and ill will in ‘Cupid and Psyche,’ while Oenghus’s love only confront adversity. Moreover, in the Celtic tale true love can proceed once the lovers have satisfied one another. In the classical tale true love can only proceed when it has the blessing of Jupiter himself-who can then restrain the other gods from interfering. In general terms a more natural conception of love is presented in the Celtic myth. Divinely inspired by a vision Oenghus’ pursuit of Caer is remarkably prevalent. While he must verify the divine inspiration for his love by identifying Caer on the basis of his dream, he pursues her in a very traditional manner.
He seeks out her father and requests her hand. After doing so he then seeks her, and charms her with his care and concern as well as devotion for her well-being and needs. On the other hand Cupid and Psyche must battle divine anger and vengeance, a trip to Hades, and numerous other unnatural interventions in the world in pursuit of their relationship. Despite its naturalness love must satisfy the needs and desires of the gods before it may progress. These gods act more like a dysfunctional family than divinity-Love, must satisfy the natural order and confront the cruel hand of fate in the classical myth. The only natural element of Psyche and Cupid’s love is that their final union produces Pleasure..