Valentine Day Symbol: Cupid

Cupid is known as the symbol of Valentine Day. He is a winged child armed with bows and arrows at Gods and humans, causing them to fall deeply in love. In Roman mythology, Cupid is the son of Venus. In ancient Greece, Cupid is known as Eros, the young son of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty.

The story of Cupid is found in Roman mythology. His mother, Venus, was jealous of a mortal woman, Psyche, and she ordered Cupid to punish her. Cupid fell in love with her and took her as his wife. As a mortal, she was forbidden to look at him because he was a god.

psyche's sisters persuaded her to look at Cupid and when she did, he punished her by leaving. When he left, their castle and gardens disappeared and she was left alone in an open field. While looking for Cupid, she found the temple of Venus. In an effort to destroy her, Venus gave her a series of tasks to complete. Each task was harder than the last one.

The last task Psyche performed was to take a box to the underworld and to put some of the beauty of Proserpine, the wife of Pluto, in the box. She was told not to open the box but could not resist the temptation. She opened it. The box contained deadly slumber.

Cupid found her. He removed the deadly slumber from her body and put it back in the box. Cupid and Venus forgave. Because of her great love for Cupid, the gods made her a goddess.

Cupid, with his bow and arrow, is the universal symbol of love. The drawing most depicted is that of two hearts pierced with an arrow.