sdi: Oil painting of the Heliconian Muse whispering inspiration to Hesiod. (Default)
sdi ([personal profile] sdi) wrote2023-08-23 01:56 pm

The Daughter of Soul and Love

Soul bears Love a daughter whom Apuleius calls Voluptas. Lewis and Short translate this as "satisfaction, enjoyment, pleasure, or delight," either sensual or spiritual.

Every source I've seen equates Her with Hedone ("sensual pleasure"), but I think this is wrong: Apuleius was a Platonist (not an Epicurean), and She is only born after Soul evolves (not before). Rather, I wonder if Voluptas was an attempt to render Eudaimonia ("well-being, happiness") in Latin.