Cupid

In Roman mythology, Cupid or Amor was the god of erotic love and desire. His name in Greek mythology was Eros. He was the son of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, whose Greek name was Aphrodite.

Cupid
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Cult

Cupid's cult was closely associated with Venus', and he was worshipped as seriously as she. Additionally, his power was supposed even greater than his mother's, since he had dominion over the dead in Hades, the creatures of the sea, and the gods in Olympus.

Portrayal in art and literature

The most well-known story involving Cupid is the tale of Cupid and Psyche, first attested in Apuleius' picaresque novel, The Golden Ass, written in the second century CE.

Cupid is frequently portrayed as fickle, playful, and perverse. In painting and sculpture, Cupid is usually portrayed as a winged infant armed with a bow and a quiver of arrows. He is often depicted as carrying two sets of arrows: one set gold with dove feathers, which inspire love, and the other lead with owl feathers, which inspire hatred or indifference.

Often he is usually shown amusing himself with childhood play, sometimes driving a hoop, throwing darts, catching a butterfly, or flirting with a nymph. He is also shown wearing a helmet and carrying a buckler (perhaps as political satire on wars for love or love as war).

In the Christian era, cupid tends to have been replaced in most artworks by one or more cherubs (little angels).

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