Psi (Ψ ψ) is the twenty-third letter of the Greek alphabet. The Romans used it in words such as psalmus, psalterium and psyche (psalm, psaltery and psyche).
Its meaning comes from the association between the letter Psi with the Greek word “Psyche”, which originally had the meaning of “butterfly”, in fact its drawing represents it with its wings spread. Later it evolved until it was used as a term with the senses of “breeze breath”, “breath”, “mood” and, finally, “soul” or “mind”.
From here comes the origin of the name “Psychology” (science of the soul) and the use of the letter Psi to represent it. The Greeks believed that when a person died and breathed their last breath, the soul left the body flying in the form of a butterfly. For them this was the beginning of life. Greek mythology represents the goddess “Psyche” or “Psyche” as a teenager with butterfly wings, being the youngest of the three daughters of the king of Anatolia, the most beautiful of them and the representation of the human soul.
The myth of Eros and Psyche
According to history, immortalized by Apuleius in his Metamorphosis (The Golden Ass), Psyche was the youngest and most beautiful of three sisters, daughters of an Anatolian king. Aphrodite, jealous of her beauty, sent her son Eros (Cupid) to shoot her an arrow that would make her fall in love with the most horrible and mean man she could find. However, Eros fell in love with her and threw the arrow into the sea; When Psyche fell asleep, he flew her to her palace.
To avoid his mother’s wrath, once he has Psyche in his palace, Eros always appears at night, in the darkness, and forbids Psyche from any inquiry into his identity. Every night, in the dark, they loved each other. One night, Psyche told his lover that he missed her sisters and wanted to see them. Eros accepted, but also warned him that his sisters would want to end his happiness. The next morning, Psyche was with her sisters, who enviously asked her who her wonderful husband was.
If you value articles like this, consider supporting us by becoming a Pro subscriber. Subscribers enjoy access to members-only articles, materials, and webinars.
Psyche, unable to explain to them what her husband was like, since she had not seen him, hesitated and told them that he was a young man who was hunting, but ended up confessing the truth: that she really did not know who he was. Thus, Psyche’s sisters convinced her to light a lamp in the middle of the night and observe her lover, assuring her that only a monster would want to hide her true appearance. Psyche listens to them and lights a lamp to see her husband. A drop of boiling oil falls on the face of the sleeping Eros, who wakes up and, disappointed, abandons his lover.
When Psyche realizes what she has done, she begs Aphrodite to return Eros’ love, but the spiteful goddess orders her to perform four tasks, almost impossible for a mortal, before recovering her divine lover. As a fourth labor, Aphrodite claimed that the stress of caring for her son, depressed and ill as a result of Psyche’s infidelity, had caused her to lose some of her beauty. Psyche had to go to Hades and ask Persephone, the queen of the underworld, for a little of her beauty that Psyche would keep in a black box that Aphrodite gave her. Psyche went to a tower, deciding that the shortest path to the underworld would be death. A voice stopped her at the last moment and told her a route that would allow her to enter and return still alive, in addition to telling her how to get past the dog Cerberus, Charon, and the other dangers of said route. Psyche appeased Cerberus with a barley cake and paid Charon an obolus to take him to Hades. On the way, he saw hands coming out of the water. A voice told her to throw them a barley cake, but she refused. Once there, Persephone said that she would be happy to do Aphrodite the favor. She once again paid Charon and gave the other pie to Cerberus to return.
Psyche left the underworld and decided to open the box and take a little of the beauty for herself, thinking that if she did this, Eros would surely love her. Inside her was a “stygian dream” that surprised her. Eros, who had forgiven her, flew to her body and wiped the sleep from her eyes, then begged Zeus and Aphrodite for her permission to marry Psyche. They agreed and Zeus made Psyche immortal. Aphrodite danced at the wedding of Eros and Psyche, and their daughter was named Pleasure or (in Roman mythology) Volupta.
Article previously published in and transferred for publication in . Psicopico is edited by psychologist Iván Pico, and in it you will find valuable articles related to psychology and well-being. You can follow him on and .