Who was Cupid?

With Valentine’s Day soon upon us, the Valentine Cupid will be making his yearly appearance on greeting cards and advertisements.

Just who was Cupid? Today, he is pictured as a golden-tressed little Cherub carrying a bow and arrow. The arrows were said to represent feelings of love and desire and were aimed and shot at various people causing them to either fall deeply in love, or to fall out of love.

According to Roman mythology, Cupid was born to Mercury, the messenger of the gods, and Venus, who was portrayed as the goddess of love.

The Valentine Cupid we see today, is an interpretation of Eros, the Greek god of love. He was first portrayed as a handsome youth in early poetry and art, but when the Hellenistic period arrived from 323 B.C.E. to 31 B.C.E., he was portrayed as the chubby winged child that we know today.

When viewing Renaissance art, Cupid has been portrayed both as a young man as well as a child.

Valentine’s Day started to become more and more popular in the 18^th and 19^th centuries when the winged Cupid, armed with his bow and arrows, was celebrated for his matchmaking abilities.

In today’s world, Cupid continues to shoot his arrows and is as well-known and recognizable today as he was in ancient Rome. This Valentine’s Day just look around for his image as it appears on nearly every item associated with the romantic holiday. Even though his story dates back thousands of years, his character has evolved with time and remains to be seen as a mascot or iconic symbol for the “Day of Love.”