Cupid - A Symbol of Valentine's Day

Cupid is none other than the son of Mercury, God of Commerce, and Venus, Goddess of Love.  Additionally, Cupid's power was supposed to be even greater than his mother's, since he had dominion over the dead in Hades, the creatures of the sea and the gods in Olympus. 

Cupid is derived from the Latin word cupido, which means ‘desire’.  Cupid is the Roman version of the Greek deity Eros. 

The best-known story involving Cupid is the tale of Cupid and Psyche.  Cupid is portrayed as a young man with his beloved Psyche, with Venus or with a small group of winged infants known as Amoretti or Amorini.  Cupid is one of the few ancient gods that is still a popular part of modern society. 

In later literature, Cupid is frequently invoked as fickle, playful, and perverse.  In popular culture, Cupid is frequently shown as a playful god who likes to scamper about shooting tender golden-tipped arrows to inspire romantic love. Although nowadays Cupid is most often portrayed as a cherubic fairy devoted to the spread of love and romance, he did not have such a squeaky clean reputation among the ancients.

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.  Cupid is sometimes blindfolded, as in the expression ‘love is blind’.  Cupid is a holiday character and symbol usually representing Valentine’s Day and the emotion of love. 

Cupid, one of the gods in Roman mythology, is the force that controls erotic love, and in Western culture, Cupid has currently become a symbol of Valentine's Day.  Cupid often appears on Valentine cards and gift tokens holding a bow and arrows as he is believed to use magical arrows to arouse feelings of love and all things romantic.

Valentine’s Day is most closely associated with the mutual exchange of love notes in the form of ‘valentines’.  The sending of Valentines was a fashion in nineteenth-century Great Britain, and, in 1847, Esther Howland developed a successful business in her Worcester, Massachusetts home with hand-made Valentine cards based on British models.  The popularity of Valentine cards in 19th-century America was a harbinger of the future commercialization of holidays in the United States.  Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately one billion Valentines are sent each year worldwide, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year behind Christmas.

 So, get busy, find a great gift for your Valentine now and make this year a memorable one!

By:  Sessie http://ValentinesDay.ArticleReview.info