Which mythical couple inspired the story retold in C.S. Lewis's Till We Have Faces?

Cupid and Psyche inspired the myth retold in C.S. Lewis's Till We Have Faces.

Published in 1956, the novel reworks the ancient story of Cupid and Psyche from the viewpoint of Psyche's older sister, Orual. In the classical myth, Psyche is forbidden to look at her mysterious husband, Cupid, and loses him after breaking the prohibition. Lewis turns this familiar plot into a complex exploration of love, jealousy, accusation, faith, and self-knowledge.

The novel is set in the fictional kingdom of Glome, rather than in a modern setting or a directly named version of ancient Greece. Orual's voice gives the story a psychological and philosophical depth that distinguishes it from a simple retelling.

Readers sometimes identify Till We Have Faces primarily as a Christian allegory, but Lewis described it as his own retelling of the Cupid and Psyche myth. Its classical source is central to the book's structure, characters, and themes.