Cupid is the Roman God of love, lust, and attraction. It is believed that his name derives from the Latin 'to desire'.
He was the son of Venus and Mars, and despite being such a well known deity, he has very few myths solely about him; he mostly appears in myths related to other deities. Of those that we do know about him, the most prolific involves him falling in love with the Princess Psyche.
Psyche was a beautiful Princess, so beautiful that followers of Venus had stopped worshipping the Goddess, and were instead giving their offerings to Psyche. Enraged, Venus sent Cupid to pierce Psyche with one of his arrows and make her fall in love with something hideous. However, captivated by Psyche's beauty, he instead ends up falling in love with her and defies his mother's orders.
He arranges Psyche to be taken to his palace and visits her every night, but tells her that she must never look upon him. Convinced that he must be some sort of monster, Psyche sneaks into his chambers one night with a lamp and a dagger, intending to kill him. She is immediately struck by his beauty, and is so shocked that she accidentally wounds herself on one of his magical arrows. Suddenly filled with the burning passion that his arrows bring, she spills some of the hot oil from the lamp onto his body, waking him. Cupid flees, and whilst Psyche chases him, she cannot find him.
She searches the earth for him, petitioning several other deities, until she realises that the only one who can help her is Venus herself. Venus wastes no time in exacting her revenge, torturing Psyche with her handmaidens (Sadness and Worry), before sending her on several gruelling trials. In the final trial, she sends Psyche into the underworld with a box, and tasked to collect a dose of beauty from Proserpina, the Queen of the Underworld. Psyche eventually succeeds in her task, but cannot resist defying Venus and opening the box herself in hopes to increase her own beauty. However, all that she finds within the box is 'infernal and Stygian sleep', which sends her into a deep sleep.
When Cupid discovers what has happened, he rescues Psyche, drawing the sleep from her, and feeds Psyche ambrosia, the drink of immortality. He then marries Psyche, a wedding to which all the Gods attend, and even Venus dances at the wedding.
He was the son of Venus and Mars, and despite being such a well known deity, he has very few myths solely about him; he mostly appears in myths related to other deities. Of those that we do know about him, the most prolific involves him falling in love with the Princess Psyche.
Psyche was a beautiful Princess, so beautiful that followers of Venus had stopped worshipping the Goddess, and were instead giving their offerings to Psyche. Enraged, Venus sent Cupid to pierce Psyche with one of his arrows and make her fall in love with something hideous. However, captivated by Psyche's beauty, he instead ends up falling in love with her and defies his mother's orders.
He arranges Psyche to be taken to his palace and visits her every night, but tells her that she must never look upon him. Convinced that he must be some sort of monster, Psyche sneaks into his chambers one night with a lamp and a dagger, intending to kill him. She is immediately struck by his beauty, and is so shocked that she accidentally wounds herself on one of his magical arrows. Suddenly filled with the burning passion that his arrows bring, she spills some of the hot oil from the lamp onto his body, waking him. Cupid flees, and whilst Psyche chases him, she cannot find him.
She searches the earth for him, petitioning several other deities, until she realises that the only one who can help her is Venus herself. Venus wastes no time in exacting her revenge, torturing Psyche with her handmaidens (Sadness and Worry), before sending her on several gruelling trials. In the final trial, she sends Psyche into the underworld with a box, and tasked to collect a dose of beauty from Proserpina, the Queen of the Underworld. Psyche eventually succeeds in her task, but cannot resist defying Venus and opening the box herself in hopes to increase her own beauty. However, all that she finds within the box is 'infernal and Stygian sleep', which sends her into a deep sleep.
When Cupid discovers what has happened, he rescues Psyche, drawing the sleep from her, and feeds Psyche ambrosia, the drink of immortality. He then marries Psyche, a wedding to which all the Gods attend, and even Venus dances at the wedding.
Cupid is often depicted as a winged boy, often playing or flirting with nymphs, occasionally being scolded by his mother Venus. He carries his bow and arrows, and is often nude or wearing a nappy or sash.
He carries two types of arrows with him. One is tipped with gold, and these are the arrows which will cause uncontrollable love and lust in a person. The others are tipped with lead, and anyone struck by these will be overcome with a desire to flee. He is also associated with bees, as in one tale he is stung by a bee whilst attempting to steal its honey. When he runs home to his mother, Venus laughs at the irony, for Cupid too is small and delivers the 'sting' of love.
Cupid has also been depicted riding dolphins. Dolphins have long been seen as playful creatures, and so it is a fitting creature for this playful God. Despite his status, there were no temples dedicated to him solely, and he was often included in the worship of Venus.
It is worth noting that there is a difference between Cupid and Cherubs. Cherubs are angelic beings, often depicted similarly to Cupid as young boys with wings. However, religious Christian texts don't often describe them as such. In fact, they have been described as having four faces (one of a human, one of an ox, one of a lion, and one of an eagle), four wings, hoofed, and with an appearance 'like burning coals of fire' (Ezekiel). It is difficult to pinpoint when Cherubs became the winged figures we often see on the front of Valentine's Day cards, although it does seem very likely that they were indeed inspired by the depictions of the Roman God Cupid.
He carries two types of arrows with him. One is tipped with gold, and these are the arrows which will cause uncontrollable love and lust in a person. The others are tipped with lead, and anyone struck by these will be overcome with a desire to flee. He is also associated with bees, as in one tale he is stung by a bee whilst attempting to steal its honey. When he runs home to his mother, Venus laughs at the irony, for Cupid too is small and delivers the 'sting' of love.
Cupid has also been depicted riding dolphins. Dolphins have long been seen as playful creatures, and so it is a fitting creature for this playful God. Despite his status, there were no temples dedicated to him solely, and he was often included in the worship of Venus.
It is worth noting that there is a difference between Cupid and Cherubs. Cherubs are angelic beings, often depicted similarly to Cupid as young boys with wings. However, religious Christian texts don't often describe them as such. In fact, they have been described as having four faces (one of a human, one of an ox, one of a lion, and one of an eagle), four wings, hoofed, and with an appearance 'like burning coals of fire' (Ezekiel). It is difficult to pinpoint when Cherubs became the winged figures we often see on the front of Valentine's Day cards, although it does seem very likely that they were indeed inspired by the depictions of the Roman God Cupid.
