| Cupid is the mischievous, juvenile, | | | | became the brood of love. |
| winged child, who shots the heart of his | | | | Cupid has been portrayed in various |
| victims with his arrows and making them | | | | facets in art and literature. In |
| fall deeply in love. In ancient Greece, | | | | Caravaggio's Amor Vincit Omni painting |
| he was known as Eros the young son of | | | | and sculpture, Cupid is portrayed as a |
| Aphrodite, the goddess of love and | | | | nude winged boy armed with a bow and |
| beauty. According to the Roman | | | | quiver of arrows. The conventional |
| mythology, Cupid was the son of Lord | | | | Christian illustration of a Cherub is |
| Venus. Venus was supposed to be envious | | | | footed on him. On trinkets and other |
| of Psyche and ordered her son Cupid to | | | | extant pieces, he is usually made known |
| punish the mortal maiden. But Cupid fell | | | | amusing himself with childhood play, |
| in love with Psyche and they end up in a | | | | sometimes driving a hoop, throwing |
| bitter partition after Psyche committed | | | | flits, catching a butterfly, or flirting |
| the fault of throwing a glance at the | | | | with a nymph. He is often portrayed with |
| god of love. Their lovely castle and | | | | his mother as playing a horn. He is also |
| garden vanished with him and Psyche | | | | shown wearing a helmet and hauling a |
| found her unaided in an open field. | | | | buckler. Cupid is commenced vastly in |
| Distressed Psyche landed in the temple | | | | Ariel poetry, lyrics and of course |
| of Lord Venus for help and malicious | | | | Ovid's love and metamorphic poetry. |
| Venus instead of providing a helping | | | | Cupid is not frequently beckoned on epic |
| hand, bombarded her with a series of | | | | poetry but he has an existence in |
| treacherous and fatal tasks. Her last | | | | Virgil's Aeneid changed into the shape |
| task was to carry a small box to | | | | of Ascanius rousing Dido's love. In |
| Proserpine, wife of Pluto and was told | | | | later literature, Cupid is cited more |
| to get some beauty of Proserpine and put | | | | often than not as mischievous, erratic |
| it inside the box. Slowly locating each | | | | and perverse. Cupid is often depicted as |
| of her steps through the overflowing | | | | carrying two sets of arrows among which |
| perilous path to her destination, Psyche | | | | one set is gold-headed which inspire |
| was lured to open the box where she | | | | love and the other set is lead-headed |
| found poisonous sleep. Cupid found her | | | | which motivate revulsion. |
| lifeless on the ground. He assembled the | | | | There are some legends which involve |
| sleep from her body and put it back in | | | | Cupid but the best known saga on Cupid |
| the box. Psyche's intense love and | | | | is the tale of Cupid and Psyche, first |
| devotion for Cupid rubbed out all the | | | | attested in Apuleius' picaresque novel |
| envy and anger of gods and therefore | | | | and The Golden Ass, written in the |
| made her a goddess. | | | | second century. Cupid's personality was |
| Cupid's cult was strongly allied with | | | | anything but virtuous. He was reasonably |
| Venus and he was worshipped as acutely | | | | playful and many of his deeds resulted |
| as Venus. Cupid was known to have more | | | | in tragic ending of his victims. Cupid |
| power than his mother. He had command | | | | possesses the traditional supremacy of |
| over the dead in Hades, the creatures of | | | | the Olympic Gods such as superhuman |
| the sea and the gods in Olympus. Some of | | | | power, fortitude and permanence. Cupid |
| the religious groups of Cupid suggested | | | | can grow wings at will and fly, carrying |
| that Cupid got united with Chaos and | | | | the weight of others. He is very proud |
| created gods and men alike and so gods | | | | of his skills as God of Love. |