We all have come to know Cupid as that winged cherub carrying his bow and arrow whose image pops up at the beginning of February in every Target in America. His image is strongly associated with Valentine’s Day and the idea of love and romance. A beacon for falling in love, common mythology states that he has arrows, that when shot at their target, they immediately fall in love. There are plenty of variations within that general idea, but what always remains constant is Cupid, love, and a quiver of arrows. Whether it is in music (think Stupid Cupid by Mandy Moore and the iconic Cupid Shuffle) or in movies, he has become a pop culture icon that is instantly recognizable. Despite his unmistakable presence, his history often is unknown by the public. Who is Cupid?
Cupid’s origin is rooted in Greek mythology. Known as Eros, he is a primordial (ancient) god that was accompanied by the likes of Gaia who is the earth, mother of the Titans; Chaos; and Tartarus, the abyss at the beginning of the world. He was first mentioned in one of the first true canons of Greek mythology by a man named Hesiod in 700 BC. In his work “Theogony”, he describes Eros as the god of love. Variations in Orphic (an ancient mystery cult) traditions say Eros was born from the world egg, which is where the world began. Eros is most commonly known as the son of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and Ares, the god of war. Some strains of myth say he started a race of birds after being born from this egg; others say he is the son of Nyx and Erebus (the personification of night and primordial darkness) or even Zeus, the king of the gods and Aphrodite. He is often portrayed in Greek mythology as mischievous, spoiled, immature and a playful child. Eros makes multiple appearances in Greek plays and epic. The part about his bow and arrows is true – Eros often uses his powers to make both gods and mortals fall in and out of love – no one is safe. This power is irreversible unless he shoots his victim with an arrow of hate. Some instances of this can be seen in both Greek and Roman myths (Apollo and Daphne, for example).
When the Romans grew to power and finally began constructing their own religion, they adopted Eros into their divine pantheon. The Romans shifted his image, however, renaming him “Cupid” and making him a personification of desire rather than love. His image in this time frame is depicted as attractive man, irresistible to the mortal and the divine. Pop culture has adopted this image and it has evolved as the popularity of this holiday has grown. Cupid has become an embodiment for this holiday dedicated to love, his history becomes muddled in the background. In bringing it to light, we can see just how much of an impact he has had. Cupid is a powerful symbol for the inevitability and continuity of love. In him being a divine being and one of the oldest gods in an ancient religion it really adds emphasis on the power love as a concept. He is love. We love love, but we also love Cupid.
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