Cupid (mythology)
Cupid is the Roman god of love, often depicted as a small child with wings, a bow, and a quiver of arrows. This contemporary image contrasts sharply with his ancient representation, which drew from the Greek god Eros, a figure associated with desire and complex lineage. In Greek mythology, Eros is described as one of the primordial beings, possessing significant power and often depicted as a handsome young man rather than a child. The Romans adapted Eros into Cupid, altering his parentage to align with their pantheon, identifying Venus as his mother and sometimes Mars as his father.
Cupid's arrows have the ability to evoke love or repulsion; a golden arrow instills love, while a lead arrow causes aversion. He is often portrayed as a playful yet mischievous figure who interferes in the romantic affairs of gods and mortals alike. Notable myths include his unrequited love for the nymph Daphne, and his transformative relationship with the mortal Psyche, which culminates in her gaining immortality. Over time, especially during the Renaissance, Cupid's image evolved into a cherubic figure, solidifying his role as a symbol of romantic love and the mascot of Valentine's Day in modern culture.
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Subject Terms
Cupid (mythology)
Symbol: Bow and quiver full of arrows
Culture: Roman
Mother: Venus
Father: Mars
Overview
Cupid is the Roman god of love and is familiar to many as a diapered or naked small child with a bow and quiver full of arrows who serves as the mascot for Valentine’s Day. However, the Cupid of ancient times was a very different figure. Built on a mythology borrowed from the Greeks, the Roman Cupid was a young male god of complex ancestry who sought to impose his will or the will of the gods on others by using his arrows to strike his victims. He was a frequent subject of artists working in both paint and sculpture throughout the ages; it would ultimately be these artists who would convert the muscular young man the Romans knew into the cherub-like Cupid known in modern times.
In Mythology
The god the Romans knew as Cupid was adapted from the Greek god, Eros. For either culture, the name given to this god means "desire." Eros is first mentioned in Hesiod’s Theogeny, a poetic accounting of the history of the gods as the Greeks knew them, written in about 700 BC. As portrayed by Hesiod, Eros was one of the five first beings created from the original chaos of the universe. As such, he existed before the gods and has greater power than they do. Hesiod’s tale depicts Eros as an attendant to Aphrodite, the goddess of love, while some other versions of Greek mythology say he is the son of two of the other original beings, Nyx and Erebus.
However, later legends portray Eros as Aphrodite’s son sometimes with no father named, other times with Aries, the god of war, named as his father. It is this version of Eros that was adopted by the Romans, changing his parents to Venus, the Roman goddess of love, and Mars, the Roman god of war, though he is mostly associated with Venus. The Roman version of the god of love is often portrayed as a little younger than the Greek Eros—more a young teen than a man—but both are depicted as young, handsome, athletically built immortals with wings.
Cupid was equipped with a bow and a quiver full of arrows. Being struck by one of these arrows affected the emotions of the victim. Being struck with a golden arrow made the person fall hopelessly in love with anyone Cupid chose. He also had arrows made of lead that could cause a person to be repulsed by someone of his choosing.
As a mischievous god, Cupid would often shoot one person of a pair with a golden arrow and the other with a lead one, so that one would be revolted by the person who was madly in love with him or her. Sometimes, this was at the direction of his mother, Venus, while other times, it was his own decision to interfere in the love lives of others. One of the most retold versions of an unrequited love created by Cupid was known to both the Greeks and the Romans. It involved the sun god Apollo and the nymph Daphne. According to the myth, Apollo was boasting about a recent conquest and taunted Cupid about playing with his smaller, simpler bow and arrow. For revenge, Cupid shot Apollo with a golden arrow that made Apollo fall hopelessly in love with Daphne and Cupid used a lead arrow to cause Daphne to be repulsed by Apollo. Daphne was so eager to avoid Apollo’s advances she had her father, the river god, turn her into a laurel tree.
One story about Cupid as an individual that is among the best known involves his relationship with the mortal princess Psyche. It appears first in Metamorphoses, also known as The Golden Ass, written by Apuleius. Although there are several versions of the story and its characters, the gist of most of them is that Cupid’s mother, Venus, is very jealous of the beautiful young Psyche and tells Cupid to make the girl fall in love with a terrible monster. When Cupid sees Psyche, he falls in love with her. He convinces her he is a monster and marries her under the condition she cannot look at him, and he only comes to her at night. One night, Psyche is unable to control herself and sneaks a look at her supposedly ugly husband, only to discover he is the handsome god. As punishment for her disobedience, Venus sentences the girl to three difficult tasks. Remaining invisible to her, Cupid helps Psyche with each one. However, the third task claims her life and Cupid begs the gods to restore her. The gods relent and make the human princess an immortal, and Cupid and Psyche are finally and forever together.
This myth is very commonly portrayed in many works of art, both as sculptures and as paintings. These include Psyché et l’amour by Simon Vouet, Cupid and Psyche by Jacques-Louis David, and many portrayals by sculptor Antonio Canova. The couple is generally depicted as being very young, often teens or just slightly older.
Origins & Cults
In the stories and art that surround Cupid, he is not generally the recipient of worship on his own, though small statues that were likely included in home shrines or altars to gods have been found. Instead, he is usually present in stories and art as the representation of love and sexual desire among the other mythological beings.
A number of Renaissance paintings of the gods include Cupid as an indication that others portrayed in the artwork are in love. It was at this time that Cupid often came to be depicted as a younger, more cherubic figure. This became the image of Cupid that was adopted as the symbol of romantic love and Valentine’s Day that remains as the representation of the god of love in the twenty-first century.
Bibliography
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"Images of Cupid and Psyche." Rutgers University. Rutgers, n.d. Web. 19 May 2016.
Lee, Jolie. "Cupid, Chocolates, Red Roses: Valentine’s Traditions Explained." USA Today. Gannett Satellite Information Network, 14 Feb. 2014. Web. 19 May 2016.
Martin, Roger. "Cupid, aka Eros, Has Long History." University of Kansas Lawrence. University of Kansas Office of University Relations, Feb. 2000. Web. 19 May 2016.
Schumm, Lara. "Who Is Cupid?" History. A&E Television Networks, 12 Feb. 2014. Web. 19 May 2016.
"The Tale of Cupid and Psyche." British Library. British Library Board, n.d. Web. 19 May 2016.