The family tree of Psyche, the Greek goddess of the soul, centers on her marriage to Eros (Cupid) and her daughter Hedone (Voluptas); her parents are not named in any surviving classical text, though later writers sometimes call them kings or personifications. In the standard myth from Apuleius’ The Golden Ass (2nd century CE), Psyche is a mortal princess, the youngest of three daughters of a king and queen whose names are never given. Her only firmly attested relatives are her two older sisters, her husband Eros, and their child Hedone.
Who Psyche Is in the Myth
Psyche appears chiefly in Apuleius’ Latin novel The Golden Ass (also called Metamorphoses), where her story is told as a tale within the main narrative. She is so beautiful that people stop worshipping Aphrodite (Venus) and instead revere her, which provokes the goddess’s jealousy. Aphrodite sends her son Eros to make Psyche fall in love with a monster, but Eros accidentally pricks himself with his own arrow and falls in love with her instead. He hides her in a magical palace and visits her only at night, forbidding her to look at him. After her sisters persuade her to break the rule, she discovers he is a god; he flees, and she must complete a series of impossible tasks set by Aphrodite to win him back. Eventually Zeus grants her immortality, and she is reunited with Eros.
Parents: Unnamed in Ancient Sources
No classical author gives Psyche’s parents names. Apuleius simply says she is the youngest of three daughters of a king and queen. Later mythographers, especially in the Renaissance, sometimes invented parents for her—for example, some late allegorical texts call her father “King” or “the Sun,” but these are not ancient traditions. In Greek, the word psyche means “soul” or “breath of life,” and some philosophical readings treat her as a personification of the soul rather than a figure with a literal genealogy. So in the strict mythological sense, her parents are unknown.
Sisters: The Two Older Princesses
Psyche has two older sisters, also unnamed in Apuleius. They are married to kings of neighboring lands. In the story, they are jealous of Psyche’s good fortune and persuade her that her hidden husband is a serpent who will devour her. After Psyche accidentally reveals Eros, the sisters try to win his love for themselves; Eros discovers their plan and abandons them. In some versions, they are said to have died by throwing themselves from a cliff, but Apuleius does not describe their deaths in detail. They serve as cautionary figures of envy and malice.
Husband: Eros (Cupid)
Eros is the Greek god of love, son of Aphrodite and Ares in most traditions (Hesiod’s Theogony makes him a primeval force born from Chaos, but the later, more common genealogy is as Aphrodite’s son). In the Psyche myth, he is a young, handsome god who disobeys his mother to marry Psyche. He is often depicted with wings and a bow and arrows. After Psyche completes her trials, Zeus grants her immortality, and Eros marries her publicly on Olympus. Their union is sometimes read as the union of Love and Soul.
Daughter: Hedone (Voluptas)
Psyche and Eros have a daughter named Hedone, which means “pleasure” or “delight” in Greek; in Roman sources she is called Voluptas. Apuleius mentions her at the very end of the tale, saying that when Psyche was made immortal, she gave birth to a daughter named Voluptas. Hedone has no myths of her own and appears only as a personification. She is sometimes considered the goddess of sensual pleasure, but she is not a major figure in Greek religion.
Extended Family and Connections
Through Eros, Psyche is connected to the broader Olympian family. Her mother-in-law is Aphrodite (Venus), her father-in-law is usually Ares (Mars) in later tradition, and her siblings-in-law include the other Erotes—such as Anteros (requited love), Himeros (desire), and Pothos (longing)—though these figures are not consistently named in the Psyche story. In some late allegorical interpretations, Psyche is also linked to the winds, who help her in her tasks, but they are not relatives. Her family tree is therefore small and mostly defined by her marriage to Eros.
Common Misconceptions About Psyche’s Lineage
Many modern retellings or online charts give Psyche parents like “King of Sicily” or “a king named Lycurgus,” but these are inventions from later adaptations, not classical sources. Some also claim she is a goddess from the start, but in Apuleius she is mortal until Zeus grants her immortality. Another frequent error is calling her the daughter of Aphrodite—that is Eros, not Psyche. The confusion arises because Psyche becomes Aphrodite’s daughter-in-law, not her daughter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are Psyche’s parents in Greek mythology?
In the only surviving ancient version of the myth (Apuleius’ The Golden Ass), Psyche’s parents are an unnamed king and queen. No other classical source names them, so her parents are effectively unknown.
Did Psyche have any children?
Yes, she had one daughter, Hedone (Roman: Voluptas), whose name means “pleasure.” She was born after Psyche became immortal and married Eros.
Is Psyche the same as Cupid’s wife?
Yes, Psyche is the mortal (later immortal) wife of Cupid, the Roman name for Eros. The story of Cupid and Psyche is the same myth told by Apuleius.
Why did Psyche’s sisters die?
In Apuleius, after they try to take Eros for themselves, he abandons them. They are not explicitly said to die, but later retellings often have them throw themselves off a cliff in despair or shame.
Was Psyche a goddess or a mortal?
She was a mortal princess until Zeus made her immortal at the end of the story. After that, she lived on Olympus with Eros and became the goddess of the soul.
What does the name Psyche mean?
Psyche means “soul” or “breath of life” in Greek. In the myth, she represents the human soul, and her trials symbolize the soul’s journey toward love and immortality.
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