When you think of Valentine’s day, Cupid usually springs to mind as the bringer of love. Cupid is a large part of Valentine’s Day and the celebration of love. Most people believe him to be a cute angel with love arrows that are romantic to decorate with but there is actually a story behind how Cupid became who he is known as today but not many know the story behind the face of Valentine’s Day.
Cupid was known as the boy with bow and arrows who pierced the hearts of people, which made them fall in love according to theholidayspot.com. He was a mischievous winged child who toyed with Romans’ hearts. His arrows signified emotions of love and desires, which he would pierce people and Gods with and would miraculously make them fall in love.
In ancient Greece he was called Eros, Aphrodite’s son, who was the goddess of love and beauty. In Rome, he was known as Cupid and as Venus’ son.
The story goes that Psyche, who was a mortal, was interested in Cupid and Venus did not like her. Venus was very jealous of Psyche’s beauty and ordered Cupid to punish her. At this time, Cupid had not met Psyche yet but when he did he fell in love with her and took her as his bride. With Psyche being a mortal, she was not allowed to look at Cupid because he was the son of a goddess.
Psyche accepted Cupid’s wishes and went on without ever looking at her husband until the day her sisters got the best of her and told her to look. When Psyche saw Cupid he punished her by leaving her and making their castle disappear.
Psyche was alone in an open field with no other human contact and Cupid was nowhere to be found. She eventually ran into Venus who wanted to destroy her. Venus, hoping to wear Psyche out to death, gave her a list of tasks to complete, which got harder as they went on.
One task Psyche had to complete was to take a small box to the underworld and get some of the beauty from Prosperine, who was the wife of Pluto. She was warned not to open the box.
Temptation got the best of Psyche and during her travels she opened the box only to find “deadly slumber,” according to theholidayspot.com.
Cupid found her lifeless and gathered all of the deadly sleep from her body and replaced it into the box. When Psyche awoke, Cupid forgave her for looking at him and so did Venus. The gods were moved by Psyche’s passionate love for Cupid and made her a goddess so her and Cupid could live together as one.
Cupid’s story is a myth and there a few versions of it but they all end the same way. Since Cupid’s arrows signify love as does the holiday, he has been a symbol of Valentine’s Day for as long as anyone can remember.
Valentine’s Day is a day for love and Cupid is said to help with the emotions. Megan O’Neil, a senior business administration major, said, “There is a story behind Santa Claus, why not Cupid?”
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