Cupid is the most famous of Valentine symbols. He is known as a mischievous, winged child armed with bow and arrows and is famous for piercing hearts. The arrows signifies desire and emotions of love. Cupid aims those arrows at Gods and Humans, causing them to fall deeply in love.
Cupid has always played a role in the celebration of love and lovers. In ancient Greece he was known as Eros the young son of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. To the Romans he was Cupid, and his mother was Venus.
There is a very interesting story about Cupid and His mortal Bride Psyche in Roman mythology. Venus was jealous of the beauty of Psyche, and ordered Cupid to punish the mortal. But instead, Cupid fell deeply in love with her. He took her as his wife, but as a mortal she was forbidden to look at him.
Psyche's sisters didn't know he was a god, although they may have suspected it. However, they did know that Psyche's life was much happier than theirs, so knowing their sisters well, they preyed on her insecurities and persuaded Psyche that her husband was a hideous monster. She assured them they were wrong, but since she'd never seen him, even she had doubts. Psyche decided to satisfy the sisters' (and by now, her own) curiosity, so that night she took a candle to her sleeping husband in order to look at him. His angelic form was exquisite. While Psyche dawdled, ogling, she dropped a bit of wax. Her rudely awakened, irate, disobeyed husband-angel-god flew away.
Cupid punished her by leaving her. Their lovely castle and gardens vanished too. Psyche found herself alone in an open field with no signs of other beings or Cupid.
As she wandered trying to find her love, she came upon the temple of Venus. Wishing to destroy her, the goddess of love gave Psyche a series of tasks, each harder and more dangerous then the last.
For her last task Psyche was given a little box and told to take it to the underworld. She was told to get some of the beauty of Proserpine, the wife of Pluto, and put it in the box. During her trip she was given tips on avoiding the dangers of the realm of the dead. She was also warned not to open the box. But temptation overcame Psyche and she opened the box. But instead of finding beauty, she found deadly slumber.
Cupid found her lifeless on the ground. He gathered the deadly sleep from her body and put it back in the box. Cupid forgave her, as did Venus. The gods, moved by Psyche's love for Cupid made her a goddess.
Cupid has always played a role in the celebration of love and lovers. In ancient Greece he was known as Eros the young son of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. To the Romans he was Cupid, and his mother was Venus.
There is a very interesting story about Cupid and His mortal Bride Psyche in Roman mythology. Venus was jealous of the beauty of Psyche, and ordered Cupid to punish the mortal. But instead, Cupid fell deeply in love with her. He took her as his wife, but as a mortal she was forbidden to look at him.
Psyche's sisters didn't know he was a god, although they may have suspected it. However, they did know that Psyche's life was much happier than theirs, so knowing their sisters well, they preyed on her insecurities and persuaded Psyche that her husband was a hideous monster. She assured them they were wrong, but since she'd never seen him, even she had doubts. Psyche decided to satisfy the sisters' (and by now, her own) curiosity, so that night she took a candle to her sleeping husband in order to look at him. His angelic form was exquisite. While Psyche dawdled, ogling, she dropped a bit of wax. Her rudely awakened, irate, disobeyed husband-angel-god flew away.
Cupid punished her by leaving her. Their lovely castle and gardens vanished too. Psyche found herself alone in an open field with no signs of other beings or Cupid.
As she wandered trying to find her love, she came upon the temple of Venus. Wishing to destroy her, the goddess of love gave Psyche a series of tasks, each harder and more dangerous then the last.
For her last task Psyche was given a little box and told to take it to the underworld. She was told to get some of the beauty of Proserpine, the wife of Pluto, and put it in the box. During her trip she was given tips on avoiding the dangers of the realm of the dead. She was also warned not to open the box. But temptation overcame Psyche and she opened the box. But instead of finding beauty, she found deadly slumber.
Cupid found her lifeless on the ground. He gathered the deadly sleep from her body and put it back in the box. Cupid forgave her, as did Venus. The gods, moved by Psyche's love for Cupid made her a goddess.
