Cupid

Roman God of Love

Cupid was the Roman equivalent of the Greek Eros. Whereas Eros was often associated with the fires of passion, Cupid is softer and tends to be more involved with romantic love.

His name comes from the Latin word cupido, "desire", and he is sometimes known as Amor meaning "love". Today Cupid's arrow has become a standard metaphor for love and his name and image are frequently associated with Valentine's day cards, romantic gifts and dating services.

Mythology

Roman myth has a number of stories of Cupid and his history. One of the most common is that he was the son of Venus, herself a love goddess. His father may have been either Mercury or Mars.

Cupid is usually depicted in pictures as a cherubic young boy with angel style wings who carries a bow and a quiver full of arrows. Those mortals struck by Cupid's arrow are prone to fall madly in love. Many accounts of Cupid suggest he was rather mischievous, shooting his arrows with little or no concern for the havoc they could wreak. Sometimes he is depicted wearing a blindfold - "love is blind".

On modern artwork, the tip of Cupid's arrow is often shaped like a classical representation of a heart.

Psyche

The Metamorphoses of Apuleius tells the story of Eros and Psyche. In this tale the Greek god Eros falls in love with the young princess Psyche whose beauty has made his mother Aphrodite jealous.

Roman mythology retells the story with Eros and Aphrodite replaced by Cupid and Venus. Pictures of Cupid sometimes show him as a young man together with Psyche, sometimes accompanied by winged children known as the Amoretti.