Psyche was a mortal woman whose beauty was so immense it rivaled even the goddess Aphrodite. When Aphrodite's temples were deserted because her worshippers became devotees of Psyche, Aphrodite unleashed a merciless, envious wrath on Psyche.
As part of the punishment, Aphrodite sent her son, Eros, to exact vengeance. However, Eros was overcome with love when he laid his eyes on Psyche.
Eros urged the king of the gods, Zeus, to save his Psyche. Hermes, whose winged attire enabled him to fly, was sent by Zeus to retrieve Psyche and bring her to Mount Olympus, where the gods resided, so she could be formally married to her beloved Eros.
Passion spills out from the image of a contorting Hermes as he engulfs Psyche with his divinely-endowed abilities.
Psyche is perhaps the personification of passion and serves as a reminder to follow our passions fervently, wherever they may lead.
