Cupid and Psycheee

The little interlude of Cupid and Psyche in Lucius the Golden Ass was a cute story. I think Psyche is just a little naive and vulnerable and her sisters take advantage of that. They use their bond to her as sisters to manipulate her in order for their lives to seem better. Once Psyche learns of their treacherousness, she manipulates them in her own way and continues the search for her husband. Even though it seemed that she had learned from her first mistake of listening to her sisters and viewing what she was not supposed to, she goes and does it again with the box of make-up. It's only by sheer luck that Cupid finds her and wakens her.

As to the connection to Beauty and the Beast, I suppose I see the connection between the inanimate objects and bodiless voices speaking and serving around the house, but beyond that I'm not sure. Cupid is really not a beast. He's a beautiful creature (and I guess you could count being a creature as a beast, but I don't). The Beast is beastly and bear-like. He's nothing like the beautiful, winged love God. I suppose the beast connection could be made because both the Beast and Cupid are mythical and inhuman beings that have fallen in love with a mere mortal woman. The more and more I think and type about this, the more I'm convinced that yes, I guess Cupid and Psyche do connect to Beauty and the Beast.

I love it when I convince myself of something I didn't really believe at first.