Both “Cupid and Psyche” and “The Tiger’s Bride” are versions of AT 425: Search for the Lost Husband. They both entail a beautiful girl, who, in the end, is transformed into the form of her lover. In “The Tiger’s Bride”, the heroine is transformed by the Tiger King into a woman of tiger form, while Psyche is transformed in the conclusion into an immortal by Cupid.
The Beast in each story, both Cupid and the Tiger King, choose to conceal their image. It is the the Tiger’s Bride who convinces the Tiger King to reveal himself out of curiosity as well as a fear from not wanting to show her virgin body to a terrifying beast. On the other hand, Psyche is content with her loving and caring husband, but her evil and jealous sisters convince her that she is married to a horrible beast who will kill her after a certain time.
Both of the beauties go on their own journey’s to win the “Beast”. Psyche goes and tries to win Cupid back through his jealous mother Venus. The Tiger’s Bride does not have a journey that is similar to Psyche, but has a journey through her own emotions in which she has to make a decision to stay with the Tiger King and goes and re-reveals herself to him after giving permission to leave the castle.
“The Tiger’s Bride” is a more recent tale, written in 1993 by Angela Carter, and based of off an Italian poem. “Cupid and Psyche” on the other hand is an ancient greek tale. Even though they are so far apart in culture and time, they are similar in their motifs although they vary in certain characteristics. The Greek tale deals with the deities and immortality, while Carter’s tale is very risque and revealing in comparison.
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