While you may be familiar with the myth of Cupid and Psyche, C.S. Lewis retold the story through Psyche’s sister Orual in his Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold. The description reads: Haunted by the myth of Cupid and Psyche throughout his life, C.S. Lewis wrote this, his last, extraordinary novel, to retell their story through the gaze of Psyche’s sister, Orual. Disfigured and embittered, Orual loves her younger sister to a fault and suffers deeply when she is sent away to Cupid, the God of the Mountain. Psyche is forbidden to look upon the god’s face, but is persuaded by her sister to do so; she is banished for her betrayal. Orual is left alone to grow in power but never in love, to wonder at the silence of the gods. Only at the end of her life, in visions of her lost beloved sister, will she hear an answer.
Till We Have Faces isn’t like his other fantasy works. It’s a different kind of story and different style, but Lewis considered it his best work. For a little background, he started this story when he was an atheist, but he finished it when he was a Christian. Also, he not only dedicated it to his wife Joy Davidman, but wrote it with her as well.
In Christine L. Norvell’s Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold: A Reading Companion, she writes that “Lewis believed that myth is able to invite us into a story, reveal things we didn’t know about ourselves, and ultimately illuminate truth.” This is such a fantastic way to describe what Lewis sought to accomplish is this retelling. And he does so in creative fashion.
Only in long life is Orual, the narrator, finally able to examine her life’s decisions and motivations. While she has always longed for love, at the end of her life, she finally realizes her love for Psyche wasn’t as pure as she thought, but also possessive. Even her love for Bardia, her dear friend who she loves (and who is married), was tainted with control. What started off as a complaint and accusation against the gods, ends up a difficult yet deeply impactful examination of her life and actions.
It is only then that Orual is able to see the role her motives, her faults & her mistakes played in her life and those around her. Through this process she comes to acknowledge and understand the gods and is reunited with Psyche before her death. Not until the end, when she strips away her veil, does she finally see her true self. But Orual does find redemption. There’s such hope in that.
In Psalm 26:2, David writes: “Test me, Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind.” (NIV). It's never easy to look in the mirror and ask ourselves the hard questions of what our motivations are or being willing to admit our faults. Whether it is from examining one conversation or looking back at a lifetime, it requires vulnerability and honesty. And thankfully we aren’t alone in this process. Unlike the characters of Greek mythology, change and redemption isn’t dependent solely upon ourselves. Jesus took care of that. And I’m so thankful for the beauty He reveals in each of us.
I’ll close with this quote from Norvell’s Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold: A Reading Companion. I appreciate the connection of Orual and our faith that she points out:
“In the midst of her final dream, Orual is answered by the gods, for now she knows without riddle they have always been there. Once Psyche gives her the gift of beauty and the God of the mountain appears and speaks to her, her ugliness is washed away. Orual had not been able to see until the end that love, the real love of Charity, reveals truth incessantly, so that we can be like God. Yes, it takes all of Orual’s life to come to this point, and even then, it is in a dream, yet now she can love herself and be loved by God fully.”
© 2023 Jamie Lapeyrolerie