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Cupid – God of Love

© Linda Casselman

Valentine's Day is almost upon us. I'm sure that you have noticed all of the hearts, the flowers, the chocolates, the plush toys, the greeting cards, the special lingerie, and the romantic getaway packages being advertised and offered in the stores. Everything is a warm and fuzzy shade of red, pink, and white these days in the run up to this day for lovers and sweethearts. But there is another figure among the Valentine decorations that I am sure you recognize. It's the figure of a cute cherub-like little boy with his heart-shaped arrows in hand. You know who he is. I'll give you one guess. Right! It's Cupid!

But do you know why Cupid is associated with Valentine's Day? What is his connection to this day for lovers? What is Cupid's story? What is his myth?

Well, Cupid just happens to be a part of one of the great love stories from Classical Mythology. Whose love story, you wonder? And just who is this great lover that he pricked with his love arrows? A-ha! That's the clincher. He pricked himself! Before I get to Cupid's own love story, however, let me tell you a bit about him as a mythical figure.

Cupid is the Roman god of love and the counterpart of the Greek god Eros. He is the youngest of the gods and the offspring of Venus, the goddess of love, and Mars, the god of war. Usually portrayed as a beautiful boy or young man, it is fitting that he blends aspects of both of his parents. Like his mother Venus, Cupid is also the god of love. And from his father the war god Mars, he is armed with a weapon - his bow and arrows. It is generally known that Cupid's arrows inspire passion in his victims, but did you know that some of his arrows also had the power to turn his victims from those who loved them?

Now, let's get to Cupid's own love story. The myth goes something like this:

There was a beautiful princess named Psyche who was so adored by the people that they began to forget about Venus. Venus grew so jealous of this that she sent her son Cupid on a mission to make Psyche fall in love with the ugliest man alive. But upon seeing Psyche, Cupid was so overcome by her beauty that he dropped his arrow on his foot and fell passionately in love with her. He visited Psyche every night and the couple became lovers. There was one condition, however, that Psyche was not allowed to see Cupid. She was forbidden to look upon him. One night, Psyche's curiosity overpowered her so she took a peek at Cupid as he slept. But he soon awoke to catch Psyche looking at him and he left her because he feared his mother's wrath should she discover their affair. Psyche spent years searching the world for Cupid with a broken heart until finally Jupiter granted her immortality so that she could remain with Cupid forever. The couple eventually had a daughter, Voluptas.

The copyright of the article Cupid – God of Love in Mythology is owned by Linda Casselman. Permission to republish Cupid – God of Love in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.