Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon my Darlings. Today’s post is about five Greek mythic love stories in honor of Spring being a season for new love! This will not be a ranked list, instead will be more focused on five of my favorite sets of lovers from Greek myth. Of course, being Greek myth these relationships do not usually end happily, yet that does not make them less fascinating! Without further ado, let’s look at some mythic lovers.
HADES & PERSEPHONE
~The first relationship I have to mention is Hades and Persephone, which is only one of two of these five couples that can be seen to have a happy ending, in that they are still King and Queen of the Underworld ruling side by side. The relationship certainly did not have a happy beginning, given that Persephone was literally stolen to the Underworld by Hades, after he had been given her hand in marriage by Zeus, without consent from Demeter or Persephone herself! However, this becomes one of the most truly functional marriages in the whole of the Greco-Roman pantheon. The two rule jointly and have deep respect for one another! Plus, I have to give this relationship major points for the fact that it is the oldest example of the Death and the Maiden motif, which is one of my favorite artistic and literary motifs of all time!
ORPHEUS & EURYDICE
~The second relationship I have chosen to highlight in this post is deeply related to Hades and Persephone. Orpheus and Eurydice are the famed couple who attempted to defy the odds and cheat death! After his wife died very young, Orpheus, the greatest of all musicians traveled to the Underworld to try and get his beloved wife back. He used his incredible musical skills to help him get past many trials, including soothing Cerberus into submission and gaining an audience with Hades. It is during this audience that Orpheus’ deep devotion to his wife tugged at Persephone’s heartstrings and she convinced Hades to give the couple a chance to be together once again. Of course, this came with a catch, Orpheus needed to put true faith in Hades when he asserted that Eurydice was walking along after her husband, but did not turn around to see her. At the very last moment before getting back to the land of the living, Orpheus let his paranoia get the better of him and turned around to see Eurydice there behind him, right before she was forever lost to him because he had not trusted Hades at his word! This myth is one that has deeply tugged at my own heartstrings since childhood, and I think that it is a good lesson in keeping your word and learning who is truly trustworthy.
CIRCE & ODYSSEUS
~The third relationship I have decided to feature in this post is Circe and Odysseus. This is a short-lived romance by all accounts since Odysseus only encountered Circe because she lived on an enchanted island where his men landed on their perilous voyage after the events of the Trojan War. The relationship between the two began after Odysseus had to plead with Circe to turn his men back from pigs. Circe is best known as a sorceress capable of enchanting humans into other forms, which she did to Odysseus’ men, turning them into swine, so the two met when he had to convince her that his men did not deserve to be in animal form! The relationship is often described as being a very sexual one, even sometimes thought of as one that Circe used enchantment to keep going, as she did not want Odysseus to leave. However, I also think that there was some true emotion mixed in because Circe could provide some sort of companionship that Odysseus’ wife could not (especially given that he had not seen her in many years). Whether we view this one as a purely sexual liaison or a romance that meant more to the lovers, it is truly one of the most intriguing in Greek myth!
EROS & PSYCHE
~The fourth relationship I want to highlight in this post is Eros and Psyche. Interestingly, this is yet another love story that features an appearance by Persephone since one of Psyche’s tasks is to obtain a beauty potion from Persephone in the Underworld. Now, the basic story of Eros and Psyche is very well-known. It is another example of Aphrodite being angered that someone is perceived to be more beautiful than her, and in this case, it is exacerbated by the fact that locals had begun to give Psyche offerings instead of Aphrodite. This led to Aphrodite sending her son Eros to make Psyche fall in love with a monster, but instead, Eros accidentally pricked himself with his own arrow and fell hopelessly in love with Psyche himself! The two are married with Eros stating that Psyche could never look upon his face but he would come to her at night, where they would spend the evening in passion. Due to her sister’s planting seeds of doubt, Psyche lost the trust of Eros and he fled their relationship, running to Aphrodite to confess what he had done. When Psyche follows to find her husband, whom she had just discovered was Divine, she is tested by Aphrodite, who is now in the role of protective mother wanting to make sure this woman is worthy of her son! Of course, in the end, Psyche is helped with her tasks and is made immortal, allowing her to remain with Eros for eternity. That makes this story the most romantic and happy ending of the whole bunch I have covered in this post!
APHRODITE & ADONIS
~The final relationship I want to focus on in this post had to be Aphrodite and Adonis! I would be remiss if I did not include one of the relationships of the Goddess of Love and Sexuality herself. I chose her relationship with Adonis because it is one of the most romantic of all of her relationships. It has a very messed up start, which I will not go over here. But I do go over it in the YouTube video I am posting tomorrow, so you can hear me talk about it a bit on my Enchantress of Avalon YouTube channel. Their romantic relationship begins after Adonis had been raised into manhood by Persephone (yes she appears in four out of five of these tales funnily enough). When Aphrodite meets the adult Adonis, she immediately desires to be with him, but she and Persephone fight over him, which leads to an arrangement between Aphrodite and Persephone concerning Adonis that mirrors the arrangement between Hades and Demeter concerning Persephone. This time, Zeus decreed that one-third of the year Adonis would be with each Goddess, and the final third of the year he would choose who he spent his time with. He chose to spend that final third with Aphrodite as well, leading to a very loving and romantic relationship. Sadly, this romance was doomed with Adonis dying in Aphrodite’s arms after having been gored by a boar, with either Artemis or Aries being the culprit who killed Adonis! It is a tragic end to a lovely chapter in Aphrodite’s love life, but it is also such a great story to research when you want to feel deep emotions.
~I hope you have enjoyed this look at five great Greek mythic love stories. Which relationship of the five is your favorite? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Tarot Note: I have a page offering tarot and oracle readings for those interested in these services! I am very happy to be offering these readings to my treasured readers at White Rose of Avalon! Link to page: https://whiteroseofavalon.life/tarot-and-oracle-readings/
Further Reading
- Mythology by Edith Hamilton
- Bulfinch’s Mythology by Thomas Bulfinch
- Persephone Unveiled by Charles Stein
- Aphrodite: Encountering the Goddess of Love & Beauty & Initiation by Irisanya Moon
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