History of Cupid 

If there was a figure that was most associated with St. Valentine’s Day it would be the character of Cupid, the small “angel” who holds a bow and arrow and if he hits you with the arrow you will be “forced” into falling in love. This is quite an interesting concept that people can recognize Cupid upon sight, yet has absolutely no idea what St. Valentine looks like! Part of the reason for this is that there are 11 St. Valentine’s honored with Valentine’s Day so it would not be accurate to establish a single look for St. Valentine and with the lack of a strong visual image of a particular character paved the way for Cupid to become the character that is most singularly associated with the holiday. However, despite so many millions of people being familiar with the image of Cupid, most people are not familiar with whom or what Cupid actually is. 

There is something humorous present when it comes to the image of Cupid and its relationship to the celebration of Valentine’s Day. Now, before we examine the specifics of the character of Cupid we must look at where Cupid comes from: he is a creature of Roman mythology. This makes the inclusion of Cupid in a catholic holiday somewhat bizarre because the Saint Valentine(s) who is honored in these holidays were martyred (executed) by the Romans! As such, the addition of a character from the oppressive and morally bankrupt regime such as the Roman Empire is somewhat quizzical when one examines the history of the holiday. Then again, most people are not all that familiar with the origins of Valentine’s Day so Cupid remains a “cute” figure that does not embody the cruelty or immorality of Rome. 

In Roman mythology, Cupid was the God of love and sex. (Actually, he is a Greek God named Eros whom the Romans “appropriated” upon the conquering of Greece) Keep in mind that in the Roman tradition love and sex were far removed from any of the moral grounding that was found in the catholic tradition. However, since Christianity originated in territories that were under the dominion of the Roman Empire some Roman symbols would be appropriated into catholic tradition, but it would be altered to be more acceptable. For example, Cupid was downgraded so to speak from an adult god to that of an angel who was a small child. In doing this, his more amorous and amoral traits were removed and he became a symbol more of charity and honest love as opposed to one of vice. 

As such, the benign image of Cupid helps fuel the more honest aspects of Valentine’s Day as well as providing a clear character that is associated with the holiday. The image of Cupid is hardly an overbearing one and it adds to the “cuteness” of the holiday and as one that adds a somewhat humorous edge to the holiday and a little bit of humor is never a bad thing!