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| Home »Valentine Symbols »Cupid |
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Cupid is the goddess of love and has a long mythological lineage. The popular character, Cupid is found in the Roman mythology. He is the Roman God of love and the son of Venus, Goddess of love and beauty. He is a small winged boy, carrying bow and arrows. Whoever gets struck with his arrows, falls in love. Thus, he inspires people to fall in love, and is therefore, regarded by people as an icon of love and romance. His association with love has made him the symbol of love and is regarded as an icon of Valentine's Day. However, not only in Roman mythology, Cupid finds its representation in other mythologies also. Eros in Greek mythology and Kama in Hindu mythology are also equated to Cupid. The word 'Cupid' is derived from the Latin word 'Cupido' meaning 'desire'.
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Regarding the parental lineage of Cupid there are various interpretations. According to Cicero, Cupid has three different ancestries. He is the son of Mercury (Hermes) and Diana (Artemis), son of Mercury and Venus (Aphrodite) and the son of Mars and Venus. However, the most ancient of all Greek mythologies, Hesiod's Theogony, has the opinion that Cupid was perhaps created during the time Chaos and Earth came into being. According to some traditions, Cupid was born from a silver egg. It is also believed that Cupid used to have some little winged infants called Amoretti or Amorini as his followers. Psyche was the beloved of Cupid.
Owing to its association with love, Cupid is often considered as a muse by poets and sculptors. A literary work or pieces of sculpture have been influenced a lot by Cupid. In various classical paintings, Cupid is shown in different postures, sometimes carrying bow and arrows, sometimes shown flirting with other nymphs or sometimes with Venus. In the field of literature too, Cupid is presented widely. Starting from the Ariel poetry to lyrics to metamorphic poetry to elegiac poetry and epic poetry, Cupid has his presence in all kinds of poetry. The best story about Cupid is that of Cupid and Psyche.
In some places, Cupid is associated as a holiday character as he speaks if the feelings of love. His blindfolded eyes have given rise to the proverb “love is blind”.
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