Week 3 Story: Venus's Revenge on Psyche

        Venus had done her best to forgive the girl. She obviously made her son very happy, and she did love the grandson that was born out of their union. But every time she looked upon that wretched girl's face, she was filled with a rage that threatened to rattle the heavens! The girl had been made a deity, and this had only intensified her beauty and reputation among the mortals. Venus tried to shrug off the whispers of Psyche usurping her one day as Goddess of Love, but these rumors slithered around in the back of her mind like venomous snakes. She hated Psyche, and she could try her best to convince herself and others that she did not, but that was never going to change. And shouldn't Venus, one of the most highly-revered goddesses, not have to live tormented by this villainous girl for the rest of her days? No, something must be done. Venus paced her chambers, rattling her brain for a solution to the problem of her daughter-in-law. Suddenly, her violet-colored eyes flashed with a light that had not been seen since Psyche had set foot on Mount Olympus. She knew exactly what she must do and who to call to help her. In a puff of pink smoke she disappeared to Zeus's court.
           Zeus jumped, startled, when Venus appeared before him. He hated how his goddesses poofed to and fro, it was quite unnerving. Zeus's jaw set when he saw the expression on Venus's face. He knew it all too well from years of hearing Venus's wishes. He bellowed, "What is it you have come for, my child?" Venus reclined on one of the marble steps below his throne and replied, "No need to bellow, you old fool. It's just me. I have come to see about your love life. You seem very tense lately and as the Goddess of Love I feel it is my duty to make sure the King of the Heavens is well attended to when it comes to love and pleasure." Zeus shifted uneasily, stammering, "My love life is fine and none of your concern. I take any damsel I wish and my desires are sated. Maybe I am tense because I have goddesses like you running around causing trouble. I distinctly remember Olympus being turned upside down only a short while ago while you were looking for that daughter-in-law of yours."
          Venus waved away his comments with her slender hand. "The Goddess of Love knows the difference between sexual tension and other stresses, and it is coming off of you in waves. I remember when you used to take any damsel you wish, yes, you were much more relaxed then," the goddess continued nonchalantly. As Zeus began sputtering incoherently at this insult, Venus cut him off, "Speaking of my daughter-in-law, she is a pretty thing, isn't she? They say she is the fairest deity on Mount Olympus. A perfect damsel for the Tamer of Lightning, don't you think? I bet a pretty face like hers could relieve any and all tension those old bones have."
           Zeus cocked his head and asked, "What are you up to Venus?" The Goddess of Love leaned in with a feral glint in her eye, "I need the girl gone. She torments me day and night, and my reputation is in ruins while she is here. All I ask is that you awe her with your power and seduce her, and if Cupid happens to discover you two while in the act, then it is a sad coincidence that you could not help. That love-struck fool will not be able to bear the sight of her once she is soiled, and he will exile her somewhere where I never have to see her face again. Now, can you do me a favor and bed the most beautiful girl in the world?"

Jupiter and Juno by Annibale Carracci

Story source: Apuleius's Golden Ass, as translated into English by Tony Kline (2013).

Author's Note: This story is an extension of Cupid and Psyche, a fairy tale written by Apuleius. Psyche is hailed as the fairest girl in all the world, and Venus, the Goddess of Love, becomes extremely irritated and jealous because the mortals are forgetting to worship her and believe that Psyche is Venus reincarnated. So Venus sends her son Cupid to curse Psyche to fall in love with someone terrible. But instead, Cupid makes Psyche fall in love with him. There is of course some turmoil including Venus trying to destroy Psyche with a number of tasks but the story ends happily ever after with Venus dancing at their wedding ceremony and Psyche turning into a deity. This did not sit well with me because Venus had this all-encompassing rage throughout the entire story that just ended at the very end quite suddenly. So I incorporated a seething grudge in this extension to show how Venus got her revenge. 

Reading Notes Part B: Cupid and Psyche

- I love that in Roman mythology the gods and goddesses are so flawed and humanistic. Venus is an almost all-powerful goddess who is worshipped the world over yet she is tormented by this mortal, by a girl whose lifetime is the blink of an eye for Venus. It makes for very interesting reading.

-I cannot imagine how absolutely frightening Psyche’s first night with her husband must have been. She was taken away from her family on a morbid prophecy, swept away to a strange castle filled with invisible servants, and then her virginity was taken by someone she cannot see! It is hard to imagine someone falling in love with a person who treats them like that, but maybe Psyche is so starved for human interaction that she is unable to maintain these feelings

-It seems that Venus could be taking out some of her own guilt on her son. Her speech was awfully harsh, threatening to clip his wings and have another son to replace him. It is known that Venus was unfaithful and has had some love affairs that were not exactly great for her marital reputation, possibly she is feeling guilty about that and taking it out on her son?

-The goddesses have a very fierce protection of one another. All of the gods and goddesses are so close knit in this big, dysfunctional family

-While the gods and goddesses seem awfully harsh with their punishments, they also seem extremely understanding of some faults. Jupiter talks of how Cupid constantly disrespected him and ruined his reputation, yet he grants him his wish right when he asks for it. It would be a tight line to walk as a god or goddess

-Venus quickly turned around from hating Psyche with all her might to dancing merrily at her wedding. A whole other story could be done about the inner turmoil there

Story source: Apuleius's Golden Ass, as translated into English by Tony Kline (2013).

Image: Cupid and Psyche by François-Édouard Picot

Feedback Thoughts

The first article I read was 6 Bad Mental Habits That Sabotage Your Success. I was actually surprised to find that I do not really employ any of these mental habits anymore. However, this article was all about self-criticism and I very much employ the mindset that the world is going to give you plenty of criticism without you adding on more. I truly believe in myself and my capabilities and I do not spend time (most of the time) negatively thinking about myself. I do engage in these habits when it comes to others however and that is an area I can improve upon. I definitely believe when other's doubt my abilities or second-guess my actions, and I would like to be able to brush off their doubts better.

The second article I read was Using Harsh Feedback to Fuel Your Career. I have to admit, I love negative feedback. And I know that's weird, but I have always loved a challenge and that is how I like to view negative feedback. As I have grown older and tougher I have gotten better at distinguishing when someone is just trying to tear me down and when someone is genuinely trying to help me. So, I try to brush off the people who are trying to hurt me and really utilize the constructive criticism. Compliments are nice but they do not help you grow. The best things I have accomplished in my life have come out of situations where people have told me "There's no way you can do this". I found this article really useful and had some good pieces of advice on how to utilize constructive criticism. I think having an outlet for your emotions is crucial. I understand that it is always going to hurt my feelings when someone criticizes me, and that's okay. I just have to move on from that and use their advice.

By Keri-Lee Beasley  

Topic Brainstorm

The first project that would interest me is based off the novel The Unknown Witches of Oz by Dave Hardenbrook. This book is about the Good Witch of the North Locasta and the Adepts, who go to Oz and fight for good. I have always loved The Wizard of Oz and had no idea that there was such a collection of books about Oz. I would love to do a project that delved deeper into such an intricate land and this sounds like a new and original way to do it. I would like to tell a story about a lesser-known witch for each of my stories, and tell how they are tied to Oz and where they came from. It would be fun to also not just do the good witches but maybe some bad witches too.

Resource

The second project of interest for me is to do a storybook about the Hawaiian goddess Pele. She is the goddess of fire and who created the Hawaiian islands, and there are tons of legends about her. I would love to create a personality for her and then tell some of her legends from her point of view. I love the Hawaiian culture and both my parents lived there growing up so I have always felt a connection to Hawaii. A good resource would be Hawaiian Legends of Volcanoes by W. D. Westervelt which has a lot of legends about Pele.

Resource

A third project involves the Lady of the Lake. She is mysterious and is involved in a lot of powerful roles in stories from a time when women did not have much power. I do not know much about this era of literature but would like to know more. I know she was able to trap Merlin in a tree even though he was considered to be psychic and almost all-knowing, and I think that is pretty awesome. I would love to write a couple of the really famous stories from her point of view.

Resource

The Lady of the Lake in Lancelot Speed's illustration for The Legends of King Arthur and His Knights (1912)

My fourth project idea involves Amaterasu who is the solar goddess of the Shinto religion. From my readings she rules the sky and is a primary goddess in this religion. It seems she has had some disputes with her brothers and I think that could be a fun and different topic to write upon. I could title it "sibling spats" or something like that. Again the Shinto religion is something I literally know nothing about so I would love the chance to be exposed to this culture.

Resource

Week 2 Story: A New Metamorphosis

Light burst through my eyes, and I felt warmth through my body. I felt pressure on my skin- wait, I have skin? Suddenly someone was kissing me, and as I opened my eyes I saw a slightly older man staring at me in rapture. I stuttered, “Who, who are you?” and he replied, “I am Pygmalion. I carved you out of ivory because the women of this Earth were flawed and did not please me. Venus gifted you to me.” I found his voice to be brusque, but underneath I saw a tenderness and love that I found startling. Just as a stream of questions were bubbling up, a shimmering veil appeared to the left of us and the most beautiful woman I have ever seen stepped out. By the way the man called Pygmalion fell to his knees I assumed this was Venus. She addressed the man, instructing him to leave her alone with me so she could orient me to this world.

            “Hello, darling, my name is Venus and I am the goddess of Love, Beauty, Fertility, and a good many other things. I have brought you here for this man Pygmalion, but not in the capacity he believes. This is a very important mission I have for you, and in return for your cooperation I will grant you the boon of a goddess. Does this interest you?”

            I nodded quietly in response, my mind whirling. She continued, “This man carved a statue of your likeness out of stone because he considers the women of this world flawed and beneath him. While this type of mindset is not uncommon for this era, I feel in this particular case something needs to be done. So I have brought you, a woman with the independence, fire, and education of a modern woman, to woo him. If he does not like the women of this world, then he will love you. Hopefully this will bring some respect and humility to his heart, particularly when he loses his love. In return, I will take you to the modern world and grant you a wish. The most important part of this plan is that you do not get emotionally involved, got it?”

            This plan seemed cruel, but if this Pygmalion was as chauvinistic and harsh as Venus said, maybe he deserved it. I certainly did not want to stay here with this old guy who did not value women forever. So the girl agreed to Venus’s plan, and laughed at the idea that she could ever fall in love with Pygmalion…

Ludwig Wilhelm Wichmann statue in Hermitage

Bibliography: Story source: Ovid's Metamorphoses, translated by Tony Kline (2000).

Author's Note: This story is based on Ovid's Metamorphosis, where Pygmalion carves a statue and falls in love with the likeness of a women who is then brought to life by Venus. They get married and live happily ever after. But as I was reading the story I was struck by the fact that the women never spoke, never thought, was never offered any kind of choice in the matter. In this version, I like giving the women in this tale a little more power. 

Reading Notes: Metamorphosis- Pygmalion

-Pygmalion seems to be awfully narcissistic. Seriously, there's not a SINGLE woman in the whole world who is good enough for him? What is so "offensive" about the female nature? Maybe no woman would have him because he's so arrogant so he had to make what sounds like the Ancient Greek version of a blow up doll.
-The prose describing how he feels about the statue is beautiful, but shallow. Of course, how deep can a love be for a statue? I think Pygmalion fell in love with the idea of a woman who looked exactly the way he wanted her to look and loved exactly what he wanted her to love. "Gifts that please girls", as if we all are brought to tears by polished rocks.
-I am disappointed in Venus in this story. I have always thought of her as an independent and empowered goddess, and in no way would I think she would grant this chauvinist's wish. However, maybe there are bigger powers at play than what we are getting in this story.
-Finally, I hate that when the statue finally gets turned into a real girl, of course she has no say in what goes on in her life. Maybe she doesn't want to marry this crazy guy who's obsessed with her? Maybe she doesn't want to have a baby immediately after gaining the ability to live. Would be nice to get her side of the story. I imagine it would be pretty disconcerting to be brought to life to begin with, but on top of that the first thing that is happening is that you are getting kissed and groped by a man. This story could be a sweet love story but only if the woman gets to have a part in this story other than the "beautiful ivory girl"

Even in this image she looks pretty peeved about the whole situation.
Image Information: Pygmalion priant Vénus d'animer sa statue by Jean-Baptiste Regnault.

Story source: Ovid's Metamorphoses, translated by Tony Kline (2000).

Reading Options

I am so excited to read such an eclectic group of stories this semester. Three units that really stuck out to me are:

1) Through the Looking Glass
I have always liked Alice in Wonderland but have never really explored Lewis Carroll's other novels. His writing has a darkness to it that contrasts quite nicely with he fairytale childlike world that he creates in his writing. I look forward to reading this story as an adult and seeing what it reveals to me.

Illustration by John Tensile

2) Arabian Nights

This is another relatively well known set of stories that I am very interested in delving deeper into. I have always been fascinated by this culture but know very little about this region of the world. I love Aladdin but I am sure I have been told only the Americanized, Disney version and it will be interesting to see the differences between that and the original version. 

3) Women Saints

I know very little about the saints in general and know literally nothing about any of the female saints so I thought these stories sounded really cool. I always like to read about females stepping outside of their prescribed roles and pushing the boundaries and I think we will see a lot of that in these stories