A brief History of Cupid
Cupid is the Roman God of desire, affection, and erotic love, his name means love in Latin. In the Greek Pantheon, his name is Eros, also meaning love. Although he is one of the oldest of the gods and he came with light and day at the beginning of creation, there is a conundrum about his birth, because he is older than his mother and father. Cupid’s parents are Venus, the Goddess of love beauty and fidelity, and Mars the God of war.
In art, Cupid is shown with wings, bow and arrows. Sometimes shown as a beautiful baby in a nappy or diaper, or as a beautiful young man, or youth, with golden curly hair. Cupid fires his arrows to make people and animals fall in love. Without Cupid’s arrows, the Earth would die. Some sources claim that Cupid also carried lead tipped arrows that made people unable to love, or unlovable.
In both the Greek and Roman cultures, there is a fable, or story, from Metamorphoses. Cupid’s mother, Venus, was jealous of the beautiful and good princess Psyche, whose subjects loved her so much, they forgot to worship Venus. Venus ordered Cupid to make Psyche fall in love with the most horrible thing in the world. Cupid, whilst secretly entering Psyche’s bedroom, accidentally scratched himself with his own arrow, and fell passionately in love with her. He married Psyche, and took her to a beautiful castle in the woods. Cupid then visited Psyche every night, hiding so that she could not see him, he told her not to try to look at him.
Psyche had two older sisters, whom she had prevailed upon Cupid to bring to the castle to enjoy her beautiful home and good fortune with her. Psyche’s sisters, who were jealous of her beauty, goodness, and her lovely home and marriage, spitefully told her that Cupid was a monster and persuaded her to look at him. Psyche tried to see Cupid, and made him angry. He left her, and the castle disappeared leaving Psyche in the woods.
Psyche’s sisters, having realized that Psyche’s husband was a god, threw themselves from a mountain, in the vain hope that the angry god would choose one of them for a wife. Instead of the magical lift to Olympus, each was expecting, they both fell to their deaths.
Psyche searched the known world for Cupid. She arrived at a temple of Venus. Venus, dangerously jealous, and looking to destroy Psyche gave her a series of difficult and dangerous tasks, each more difficult and dangerous than the last. Psyche’s final task one was to fill a little box with a little of Proserpine's, or Persephone’s beauty. Although friendly gods had warned Psyche not to open the box, on any account, an over-whelming curiosity and need to open the box took hold of her. She opened the box, and sleep overcame her and she fell down in a death sleep.
Cupid found her lifeless body, Cupid appealed to Jupiter, Jupiter pleaded with Venus, and she consented to Psyche becoming immortal The gods gave her ambrosia, making her immortal, and thus a goddess, and joined her to Cupid forever. Cupid and Psyche had a daughter called Voluptas. Voluptas is one of the Three Graces, she is the goddess of sensual pleasures, and her Latin name means pleasure or bliss. In Greek mythology, her name is Hedone, from which the word Hedonism comes.
In modern culture, Cupid is mischievous, playful, fickle, and contrary. On St Valentine’s Day cards, and in Literature, Cupid shoots his arrows into people’s hearts to provoke romantic love. If Cupid’s arrow hits your heart, you will fall hopelessly in love with the next person that you meet.
If you would like to see an image of Cupid, orEros, there is a statue in Piccadilly Circus in London, England or there arevarious images on the internet.
