QuickCheck: Was Cupid originally a Greek god?

POPULAR depictions of Cupid portray him as a winged infant, carrying a bow and arrow. This Valentine's Day, we are reminded that when Cupid is around, love comes easy. His arrows have the power to make people fall in love.

But is it true that he wasn't always so cute and cherubic?

Verdict:

TRUE

Long before his association with Valentine's Day, Cupid was known to the Greeks as Eros, the god of love and sex.

He was represented in their early texts and art as a young adult male, irresistible to both man and gods.

When the Roman period came along, he was rebranded as the cherubic Cupid we know today, a less dangerous version of the earlier depiction.

In the 19th century, he started appearing on Valentine's Day cards and decorative items, more a symbol of love and romance than the lustful desire of the past.

References:

1. https://www.history.com/news/who-is-cupid

2. https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/2018/02/20/the-evolution-of-cupid/

3. https://www.brandeis.edu/now/2022/february/joel-christensen-cupid.html#:~:text=The%20Romans'%20Cupid%20was%20the,well%20as%20sex%20and%20desire