a_contemplative_life wrote:I have enjoyed William Bouguereau's artwork for years. I was browsing some of his art this evening and came across this one, "L'Amour Mouille" ("Wet Cupid"), which struck me as fitting of the description of Eli in LTROI. Thoughts?
I find it interesting that people on this thread see a correlation between Cupid and Eli and from this painting it's quite understandable. It's hauntingly beautiful and yet, strangely sad.
What's more interesting is the story in Greek mythology of Cupid and a mortal girl named Psyche. I remember this story because I once did an essay about this during school.
As the story goes (short version), a girl was born to a king and queen so beautiful, the fame of her beauty was so great that "strangers from neighboring countries came in crowds to pay homage and looked on her with amazement." The goddess Venus (aka Aphrodite) eventually becomes extremely jealous and angry at such blasphemy and so orders her son Cupid to shoot Psyche with his arrow so that she would fall in love with a monster. Cupid makes himself invisible and creeps into Psyche's bedroom, about to shoot Psyche, when he is taken aback by her beauty. Psyche wakes up and looks straight into Cupid's eyes while he is invisible. Cupid, shocked, accidentally pricks himself with his arrow-tip and instantly falls in love with her.
This further enrages Venus who places a curse on Psyche so that nobody shall ever love or marry her. Much later, Psyche's parents, the king and queen, suspecting that they somehow offended a god because she has no suitors consult an Oracle who makes a prophesy that she will marry a monster.
Eventually Psyche is taken to a distant and beautiful castle where there are treasures and bountiful food for her to enjoy and invisible servants to wait on her hand and foot. The catch is that she is not permitted to see the mysterious castle's king and host. This invisible host is kind and gentle to Psyche and eventually proposes to her. She is then told to kill her suitor/monster with a knife while he slept lest the prophesy come true, that she would marry a horrific monster.
That night, as Psyche raises her knife about to strike a fatal blow, she realizes that the suitor is actually the beautiful god Cupid who wakes up and sees Psyche about to kill him. Feeling betrayed he then flies out the window and the castle disappears leaving Psyche all alone. Desperate, she wanders the land looking for Cupid and eventually seeks help from Cupid's mother Venus who, unbeknownst to Psyche, is still enraged and jealous. Venus then tells Psyche that she must prove herself worthy enough to marry Cupid and then... ahem... bullies Psyche by assigning impossible tasks which she is able to accomplish from some unexpected help. The final task require her to bring back a certain flask from Proserpine, queen of the underworld. "How can I get to the underworld much less return with the dark queen's trophy?", Psyche asks. She finally decides to fling herself off a cliff.
Cupid however, saves Psyche and guides her past Cerberus, the demon dog which guards the gate and through the underworld to Pluto and Proserpine's palace of the undead where she is able to procure the flask. Curiosity overcomes Psyche and she opens the flask which put her into a deathly sleep. But Cupid is able to revive her with his arrow. Moved by such love and devotion, the gods at Olympus finally grant Cupid Psyche’s hand in marriage. They give her ambrosia which turns her into a goddess and immortal. They then consign Psyche as "Goddess of the Soul." Cupid and Psyche later become married and have a daughter.
As far as this story goes, there are many striking similarities to LTROI and the story of Cupid and Psyche happens to be one of my favorites.
There are numerous artwork and sculptures devoted to Cupid and Psyche but one particular drawing from this website:
http://www.elfwood.com/~greeneyed333/Cu ... 74784.html caught my attention.
