Psyche Callista is the deuratagonist of Your Throne. She is the only daughter of Mone Callista and the fiancée of Crown Prince Eros Orna Vasilios. On the day of the Yearly Prayer, Psyche made a wish that inadvertently allowed her to inhabit the body of Medea Solon.
Psyche used to have wavy, blond hair that extends past her waist and is often styled with lavish accessories. She has slanted, translucent green eyes set in a soft, feminine face. Her frame is slim and willowy, with gentle, frail arms.
Psyche opts to wear a colorful array of lavish gowns, often in pastel or pale shades.
After her breakup with Eros Orna Vasilios, Psyche currently has a shorter hairstyle that almost reaches her shoulders.
According to Countess Callista in Episode 195, she mentions on how Psyche resembles her father Mone Callista due to having "this pretty face... those thick lashes" while also complimenting that "Even your golden blonde hair looks just like his."
Switched[]
After switching bodies with Medea Solon, Psyche now appears agile and lithe, with strong, trained arms. She has long, purple hair and purple eyes framed with thick black lashes. Out of habit, she occasionally ties her hair in braids and wears pastel-colored clothes.
Personality[]
Psyche has a happy and carefree disposition who trusts people easily. Her sincerity naturally draws people to her, including those with ill intentions who wish to take advantage of her kind nature.[3] She has difficulty impersonating Medea Solon, who values social status and treats others with contempt. Although Psyche is a noble within the Vasilios Empire, she disregards one's social class and instead values one's personality. Humble, compassionate and loving, Psyche cares for the servants and knights of the House of Callista and considers them family.[4] Throughout the Empire of Vasilios, she is known as the benevolent future princess consort who sympathizes with all people regardless of their origins, especially amongst the commoners.[5] She is often swayed by her emotions, unable to maintain her composure when caught off guard. Despite this, she exhibits good survival instincts. When confronted by Helio Niccolo, Psyche was able to pull herself out of a precarious situation and portray a passable impression of Medea.[6] Psyche initially lacks self-worth and is prone to quickly giving up in the face of adversity. However, after discovering that Eros Orna Vasilios wishes for her demise, Psyche began to learn determination and persistence.[7]
Due to her sheltered upbringing, Psyche is considered naïve for her idealistic perspectives of the world. Medea once declared Psyche as obtuse for valuing true love over the responsibilities of ruling an empire.[8] Unlike Medea, Psyche lacks experience interacting within her social class and therefore does not possess proper savoir-faire. She is generally ignorant of social politics and empire affairs. With minimal education, Psyche also lacks knowledge in most subjects and is not very well-read.[1] After the body-switch, Psyche diligently works to accumulate educational knowledge to properly impersonate Medea. She later begins learning swordsmanship as a form of self-defense.[9]
Psyche was born as the blessed child of the guardian deity of Vasilios. As a result, she possesses divinity, a holy power that allows her to heal minor to moderate injuries on her own body, and on those within a certain vicinity. Her ability is a heavily-guarded secret, resulting in her confinement within her own home[10] until her official debut in high society.[11] Though it was surmised that Psyche's ability was involuntary,[10]Helio Niccolo conducted an experiment to confirm that she had full control over her divinity.[12]Eros Orna Vasilios discovered her secret ability many years prior to the current timeline and coveted it,[13] aware that only members of the imperial family could make use of it. After the assassination attempt on the night of the imperial banquet, Psyche disclosed her secret to Medea Solon and Helio Niccolo.[10]
The following list consists of confirmed characters who are privy to the secret of Psyche's divinity:
The switching of souls between Psyche and Medea Solon is a supernatural phenomenon that does not often occur in the world of Your Throne. It is the result of the concurrent wishes Psyche and Medea made on the day of the Yearly Prayer. The guardian deity of Vasilios granted Medea's wish of living Psyche's life [14] and Psyche's wish of death by allowing her to live as another.[15] Medea deduced that the guardian deity only switches their bodies during instances when Psyche faces imminent danger. After recalling a repressed memory, Psyche discovered the method to return to her original body.[16]
The following list consists of confirmed characters who are privy to the body-switch incident:
The etymology of the name "Psyche" derives from the Greek word Ψυχη. It has multiple meanings, including "life," "soul," and "conscious personality."[17]
In Ancient Greek, the word butterfly is pronounced as Psyche.[17]
The surname, Callista, is derived from the Greek word καλλίστη, meaning "the most beautiful or feminine."[18]
Trivia[]
As part of her character design, Psyche is often drawn in various shades of yellow. This warm color scheme is employed even when she is inhabiting Medea Solon's body, serving as a visual representation of her true identity. As Medea's color scheme is primarily purple, the two female leads have opposing color schemes, symbolizing the different lives they lead.
The colour yellow is often associated with happiness, optimism and enlightenment. However, it also stands for cowardice, betrayal and madness.[19]
In Greek mythology, Psyche was originally a mortal princess whose beauty rivaled that of Aphrodite, the goddess of love. She was later given immortality and butterfly wings, making her the goddess of the human soul. In Your Throne, Psyche's divinity is a reference to her godly status.[20]
Citizens of Ancient Greece travelled long distances to witness Psyche's beauty in person. Believing her to be the next Aphrodite, they began to worship Psyche and neglected the temples of Aphrodite. When the goddess of love learned her temples had been left barren, she commanded her son, Eros, the god of lust, to make Psyche fall in love with the ugliest creature on earth. However, Eros fell in love with Psyche and decided to disobey his mother's orders. The two eloped and after a series of tragic events, Psyche was granted immortality to live forever by Eros's side. Together they gave birth to a daughter, Voluptas or Hedone, who represented physical pleasure, or bliss.[20]
Psyche and Eros's love story is considered one of the greatest tales of romance in Greek mythology and has inspired centuries of artwork and story adaptations.[21]
After returning to her original body, Psyche told Eros that love cannot grow in a relationship full of doubt.[22] This is a direct reference to the Greek mythological Eros, who told his beloved Psyche that "love cannot dwell with suspicion."[23]
Envious of her lavish life, Psyche's sisters attempted to undermine her relationship with Eros by suggesting that he hid his true appearance of a vile winged serpent. When Psyche attempted to slay the alleged monster, Eros chastised her for betraying his trust and abandoned her.[24]
Eros gifted Psyche the "Tear of Eos," an ornate necklace with a vibrant pink gem embedded in its pendant.[22] This is an allusion to the greek mythological figure, Eos, the goddess of the dawn. The necklace's pink hue alludes to the goddess's rosy pink arms as she opens the gates of heaven, allowing the sun to rise.[25]
