Cupid, the Roman god of love, desire and affection is often personified as love and has come to acquire a humungous fan following among the love-struck. Yes, it's the same chubby, mischievous, nude, winged boy equipped with a bow and quiver of arrows, who goes around darting the hearts of naïve victims and making them fall in love. The name Cupid is apparently inspired from the Latin word 'Cupido' implying desire. Believed to be the son of Mars and Venus, this chubby cherub has a slew of interesting legends attached to his name. Affectionately dubbed as 'Eros' in Greek mythology, meaning erotic love, this winged son of Aphrodite is conferred a coveted status in the mythic world. It's said that Eros emerged out of 'Chaos', before he was claimed by Aphrodite as her son. Cupid, who is usually seen armed with bows and arrows, holds two kinds of arrows-gold and lead. While the golden arrow represents real love, the lead arrow stands for sensual passion and lust. Read on to know more about Valentine's love cupids.
The Cupid Legend
Although there is no dearth of legends revolving around this mythological god, one of the oldest legends about Eros is his love for the mortal princess, Psyche. It's said that the beauty of Psyche was so incredible that people flocked from the farthest corners of the earth to appreciate her beauteousness. This irked Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of beauty and love, who commanded young Eros to dart the heart of Psyche and make her fall in love with the most despicable creature on the earth. However, no sooner young Eros set his eyes on the young princess, he was smitten. Psyche reciprocated back his feelings and soon the two fell in love. However, Eros forbade Psyche to look at his face, as doing so would mean the end of their love liaison.
The Temptation
However, persuaded by her sisters and beguiled by temptation, Psyche committed that one blunder that spelled the end of her amorous love affair. Having his real identity revealed, Eros had no choice but to leave Psyche. As she wandered aimlessly in search of Eros, she chanced upon the temple of Aphrodite. The Goddess of love, seeing this as an opportune moment to settle her scores, presented Psyche with a slew of challenges, with an aim to put her down. Nevertheless, Psyche successfully managed to spade through all odds, but one. For her last task, Psyche was asked to carry a box to Hell and was warned not to open it under any circumstances. However, caught by temptation again, she unlocked the box. The moment she peeked into the box, she dropped dead on the ground. When Eros found his beloved lying dead on the ground, he was devastated.
The Happy Ending
Moved by the extreme affection of her son, Eros and Psyche, Aphrodite agreed to bring her back to life and the two lovers were united in the end. Till date, people all over the world, observe the reunion of Eros and Psyche by gifting each other miniature cupid showpieces, pendants, etc. on Valentine's Day.
Valentine's cupids are famous for their bow and arrow. Read about valentine's love cupids.