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.
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
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Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind; and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.
