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(European mythology)

The Italian Cupid or Amor, the Greek Eros—god of love, son of Aphrodite, by either Zeus, Ares, or Hermes. Cupid was thought of as a beautiful but wanton boy, armed with a golden quiver full of ‘arrowed desires’. According to a late legend, Venus became jealous of beautiful Psyche, ‘the soul’, and ordered her son to inspire her with a love for the ugliest of all men. It happened that Cupid himself fell in love with Psyche and, invisible, visited her every night. He ordered her not to attempt to see him and when, overcome by curiosity, she violated his command, he deserted her. Psyche wandered about the world seeking him, overcoming many obstacles placed in her way by Venus, until at last Jupiter granted her immortality and the lovers were reunited. The Greco-Roman conception of the love god, however, lacks the brilliance and subtlety of his Hindu counterpart, Kama.

 
 
Dictionary: Cu·pid  (kyū'pĭd) pronunciation
n.
  1. Roman Mythology. The god of love; the son of Venus.
  2. cupid A representation of Cupid as a naked cherubic boy usually having wings and holding a bow and arrow, used as a symbol of love.

[Middle English Cupide, from Old French, from Latin cupīdō, desire, Cupid, from cupere, to desire.]


 

Cupid, classical statue; in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples
(click to enlarge)
Cupid, classical statue; in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples (credit: Alinari — Art Resource/EB Inc.)
Ancient Roman god of love in all its varieties, identified with the Greek Eros. Cupid was the son of Mercury and Venus. He was usually represented as a winged infant who carried a bow and quiver of arrows, which he shot at humans to inflict wounds that inspired love or passion. He was also sometimes depicted as a beautiful youth. Though generally considered beneficent, he could be mischievous in matchmaking, often at his mother's behest.

For more information on Cupid, visit Britannica.com.

 

God of Love, usually depicted as a winged male child with bow and arrow, as distinct from an unarmed Cherub or wingless putto. See amorino.

 

Cupid (Lat. cupīdo, ‘desire’), the Roman boy-god of love, son of Venus and Vulcan, an adaptation of Eros, the childlike god of Hellenistic Greece with wings and a quiverful of arrows, and a figure of literature rather than of cult. He is familiar in the Latin poets, and especially in the first book of Virgil's Aeneid where Venus sends him to take the place of Ascanius, and to excite the love of Dido for Aeneas. Later he appears in the fairy story of Cupid and Psychē, set in the narrative of the Golden Ass, a Latin novel of the second century AD by Apuleius. Cupids appear on ancient coffins as a symbol of the life after death promised to initiates of the mystery religions, and hence into churches as winged cherubs.

 
Spotlight: Cupid

From our Archives: Today's Highlights, February 14, 2005

In Roman mythology, Cupid is the god of love. He is particularly busy on Valentine's Day, celebrated today in America and Europe. Today is also one of the busiest days of the year for vendors of greeting cards, flowers, and chocolates.
 
A cynical view of the world by Ambrose Bierce


n.

The so-called god of love. This bastard creation of a barbarous fancy was no doubt inflicted upon mythology for the sins of its deities. Of all unbeautiful and inappropriate conceptions this is the most reasonless and offensive. The notion of symbolizing sexual love by a semisexless babe, and comparing the pains of passion to the wounds of an arrow -- of introducing this pudgy homunculus into art grossly to materialize the subtle spirit and suggestion of the work -- this is eminently worthy of the age that, giving it birth, laid it on the doorstep of prosperity.


 
Wikipedia: Cupid
Cupidon (French  for Cupid), by Bouguereau, 1875
Enlarge
Cupidon (French for Cupid), by Bouguereau, 1875

In Roman mythology, Cupid (Latin cupido) or Eros is the god of erotic love and sex. He is equated with the Greek god Eros, and another one of his Latin names Amor (cognate with Kama). In popular culture Cupid is frequently shown shooting his bow to inspire romantic love and sex, often as an icon of Valentine's Day.

There are many differing stories about Cupid's parentage. Cicero provides three different lineages: son of Mercury (Hermes) and Diana (Artemis), son of Mercury and Venus (Aphrodite), and son of Mars (Ares in Greek mythology) and Venus. Plato mentions two of these, and Hesiod's Theogony, the most ancient Greek theoography, says that Cupid was created coevally with sex,Chaos and the earth.

Throughout ancient mythological writing, there appear to be either two Cupids or two sides to the figure of Cupid (sex). One is the son of Jupiter (Zeus) and Venus. He is a lively youth who delights in pranks and spreading love. The other is a son of Nyx and Erebus, known for riotous debauchery.

Sleeping Cupid by Battistello Caracciolo, c.1616, Whitfield Fine Art
Enlarge
Sleeping Cupid by Battistello Caracciolo, c.1616, Whitfield Fine Art

Cupid's cult was closely associated with that of Venus, with Cupid being worshipped as devotedly as she. Additionally, Cupid's power was supposed to be even greater than his over the dead in Hades, the creatures of the sea and the gods in Olympus. Some of the cults of Cupid suggested that Cupid as son of Night and Hell mated with Chaos to produce both men and gods, making the gods love the goddesses more than anyone.

Portrayal in art and literature

In painting and sculpture, Cupid is often portrayed as a nude (or sometimes diapered) winged boy or baby armed with a bow and a quiver of arrows. The Hindu Kama also has a very similar description. The traditional Christian depiction of a cherub is based on him. On gems and other surviving pieces, he is usually shown amusing himself with childhood play, sometimes driving a hoop, throwing darts, catching a butterfly, or flirting with a nymph. He is often depicted with his mother (in graphic arts, this is nearly always Venus), playing a horn. He is also shown wearing a helmet and carrying a buckler, perhaps in reference to Virgil's Omnia vincit amor or as political satire on wars for love or love as war.

Cupid figures prominently in ariel poetry, lyrics and, of course, elegiac love and metamorphic poetry. In epic poetry, he is less often invoked, but he does appear in Virgil's Aeneid changed into the shape of Ascanius inspiring Dido's love. In later literature, Cupid is frequently invoked as fickle, playful, and perverse. He is often depicted as carrying two sets of arrows: one set gold-headed, which inspire love; and the other lead-headed, which inspire hatred.

The best-known story involving Cupid is the tale of Cupid and Psyche.

Holiday character

Cupid is a holiday character and symbol usually representing Valentines Day and the emotion of love. Cupid is based on the god of Roman mythology of the same name but has undergone many changes. Cupid in this usage is not tied to any religion and is not generally considered to be a god.

The most common representations of Cupid include a chubby baby with wings and a bow and arrow. Sometimes the arrow has a heart for its tip. Cupid is most often seen nude or diapered. Cupid is sometimes blindfolded, symbolizing the figure of speech "love is blind."

Reinterpretation of the Cupid character may leave off any or all of the traditional details of the character, so long as the character's main purpose is to make or help people fall in love (or possibly become physically intimate).

Humorous interpretations may feature an obviously grown man but keeping the other traditional elements including the diaper.

It is said that if Cupid's arrow hits you, you will fall hopelessly and madly in love with the next person you meet.

See also


 
Translations: Translations for: Cupid

Dansk (Danish)
n. - Amor, amorin

Nederlands (Dutch)
cupido(otje), Cupido

Français (French)
n. - Cupidon, amour

Deutsch (German)
n. - Amor, Amorette, Cupido

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (μυθολ.) ο 'Ερως (των Ρωμαίων)

Italiano (Italian)
cupido

Português (Portuguese)
n. - Cupido (m)

Русский (Russian)
амур, Купидон

Español (Spanish)
n. - Cupido

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - Cupido, amorin

中文(简体) (Chinese (Simplified))
丘比特, 丘比特的画像, 爱神

中文(繁體) (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 丘比特, 丘比特的畫像, 愛神

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 큐피드 신, 사랑의 사자, 미소년

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - キューピッド, キューピッドの絵

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) آلهه الحب‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮סמל האהבה, קופידון‬


 
Best of the Web: Cupid

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Roman Mythology
www.pantheon.org
 
 
Shopping: Cupid
cupidCupid Mini Rose
 
 

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Copyrights:

World Mythology Dictionary. A Dictionary of World Mythology. Copyright © Arthur Cotterell 1979, 1986, 2003. All rights reserved.  Read more
Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Architecture and Landscaping. A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. Copyright © 1999, 2006 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
Classical Literature Companion. The Concise Oxford Companion to Classical Literature. Copyright © 1993, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
Answers Corporation Spotlight. © 1999-2008 by Answers Corporation. All rights reserved.  Read more
Devil's Dictionary. Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce, 1911  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Cupid" Read more
Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.  Read more

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From Today's Highlights
February 14, 2005

Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind; and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.
- William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream

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