Hey Dan

I have always been fascinated by the myths of Cupid (Eros/Cupid/Amor). Most people think of him as the cherubic god of love and his arrow that cause love. None of that is what fascinates me and it is almost wholly inaccurate to the Roman mythology. Cupid was in fact a much more complicated idea. Let me explain.

Cupid was born the winged god of love and son of Venus the goddess of beauty and love. Now this is where things start getting interesting. His father was Mars the god of war. So the gods of beauty and chaos are the parents of love.

As time past Cupid would not grow. He remained a cherub. As you can imagine this worried his mother. It was not until Venus had a second son, pathos or passion that cupid grown. For without passion love cannot grow. This was not Cupids only sibling Anteros an avenger of slighted love and the opposer of love, the god who puts obstacles in the path of lovers. These bothers rule lover’s fates.

Now about Cupids bow, that symbol of struck love so popular on St. Valentine’s Day. The arrows were poisonous any mortal who touched the tip would die. You see cupid was his mother’s assassin. For love is deadly dangerous.

It was on one such task for his mother that Cupid fell in love. You see beauty is jealous and the goddess mother of love had seen one she would not allow to live. The mortal woman name Psyche, or soul. Cupid was sent to slay her, but for his love for her he did not, though in his actions he wounded himself with one of his arrows. So deadly was his weapon that even the god of love was left with a wound that would never heal.

Though the whole story of Cupid and Psyche is well worth telling I will stay on the subject of the god of love. Cupid asked only one thing form Psyche, to have faith in him. Fooled by doubt, she failed him and broke his heart. But this was not the end of this story for Psyche so dedicated herself to righting this wrong that she won the attention of Venus. The once jealous goddess was so moved by her faith she reunited the lovers and made them one.

As a representation of abstract ideas and principles the stories of Cupid hold a dramatic narrative in characters, and events. These are fascinating allegories that are belittled by St. Valentine’s Day Cards and or little cherub statuettes. Three thousand years ago they new love was complicated.