Love symbols: cupid, heart, apple, red roses and more!

Heart, wedding ring, flowers and even bonbons are some of the symbols that instantly refer to the noble feeling of love in contemporary culture. However, love has been desired since the dawn of humanity and, for this reason, it has several other representations that have emerged over the centuries.

The cupid, the apple, the roses and the dove are just some of the symbols that emerged in ancient societies and that remain until the present day as a reference to love. For many, the heart may just be an image, but the truth is that each symbology holds a passionate story. Uncover the story behind these symbols in this article!

The heart is, among the symbols associated with love, the most famous. However, in this case, the image used to convey the idea of ​​affection does not resemble the original shape of the heart organ at all. The origin of its form has several interpretations, among them, the chalice. Understand better below!

The format we know today as the imagery representation of the heart is recorded in the work “I Documenti D’Amore”, by the Italian writer Francesco di Ser Neri da Barberino. Francesco expresses in his work the idea that Love itself transmits the teachings through Eloquence to the author, who transcribes them into the book.

Written in the 14th century, the book “I Documenti D’Amore” is not only composed of poems and sonnets, but also of images that complete the transmission of the message reflected in the journey of the allegorical characters created by Francesco. In this work, some of the symbols related to love are registered and, among them, there is the heart.

In Libya, around the 7th century, an element was associated with love. At that time, the heart began to stamp the coins that ran in the city of Cyrene. This happened due to the silphium seed, which had the shape of a heart.

At the time, silphium was so valuable that it surpassed the price of gold and, for that reason, began to illustrate the coins. The herb was used as a contraceptive method, in addition to having aphrodisiac uses. It was believed that the uses of the herb related to sexual practices, in addition to the heart shape present in the seed, were responsible for the association of the symbol with love.

The idea that arose in Ancient Greece, the result of the famous philosopher Aristotle, contributes to the relationship of the meaning of love associated with the heart. For Aristotle, the corner of the human body where emotions reside is the heart. For this reason, love, one of the main emotions addressed by philosophy, connects with the organ.

Thus, the philosopher was responsible for propagating the idea that emotions do not arise in the head, but in the chest, but the Greeks already valued the heart. Until then, it was believed, in Greek society, that the heart was the first organ created in the human body.

The concept that the heart holds emotions has been around for over 3,000 years. The Hebrews believed that all emotions, including love, had their origin in the heart. This association is believed to have occurred due to the tightness felt in the chest by individuals who are scared, who feel anguish or a strong passion.

However, the sensation that gave rise to this idea can be explained biologically in another way. What happens to the body in the face of strong emotions is caused due to the discharge of adrenaline, which increases blood pressure and heart rate.

Giving or receiving roses can be considered a gesture of friendship or love. However, the meaning attributed to the gesture differs and can be interpreted by analyzing the color of the roses. Of all colors, the most commonly associated with love is red. Find out why below!

In Greek culture, the goddess who represented love, beauty and sexuality was known as Aphrodite. The same deity was assimilated by Roman culture, earning the name of Venus, but still having the same attributes. Both the Greek Aphrodite and the Roman Venus had red roses as one of their symbols.

According to the myth of Aphrodite, wherever the goddess passed, red roses were born, which perfumed the environment, creating an enthralling atmosphere. Furthermore, red roses were also used in ritualistic practices, as a part of offerings made to the goddess of love.

The idea that red roses were one of the symbols related to love persisted after Ancient Greece and was also reflected in classical literature. Shakespeare mentions, in one of his most famous plays, “Romeo and Juliet”, the roses as a reference to the unchanging love that the passionate Romeo felt for Juliet.

Thus, while white roses are used to represent purity and innocence, red roses are used, in classical literature, as a great reference of beauty and passionate love. Red roses have already been mentioned by Luís de Camões, Oscar Wilde and by Shakespeare himself as symbols of love.

The choice of red roses is due to their aroma, more intense than that present in the other colors of the flower. For this reason, red roses are used not only as gifts, but also as a way of perfuming the environment. The practice dates back to Ancient Egypt, a time when, according to historical accounts, Cleopatra filled her room with red rose petals.

Thus, the use of flowers by the famous queen of Egypt had an aromatic and romantic purpose. Furthermore, the same accounts mention the use of flowers especially at times when Cleopatra received her lover, Mark Antony, in her royal chambers.

Cupid is a winged, rosy-cheeked childlike figure with a mischievous air, wielding a miniature bow and arrows capable of inducing passion. Discover the origin of one of the most famous symbols of love here!

For the Romans, Cupid was the deity that personified Love. His figure was sometimes described as a child, sometimes as a young man in armor, alluding to his father, the God of war. Son of Venus, Cupid had the ability to make love and passion sprout in anyone he wanted, as long as his target was hit by one of his arrows.

In addition, the mythological allegory also serves as a reference to the unpredictability of passion and love, which can arise without a reason to do so and take care of its victims, like the poison of a magic arrow.

In Greek mythology, Cupid is named after Eros. The Greek deity was one of the children of Aphrodite with the God Ares, being the union between beautiful love and the intensity of war. According to mythology, Eros, God of eroticism, had a cunning temperament and was always looking for new targets for his passionate arrows.

Initially, Eros is portrayed as a child, symbolizing eternal youth provided by love. However, his mother discovers that, from the moment he gains a brother, Eros can mature, no longer being spoiled. As an adult, the god marries Psyche and generates pleasure, his daughter called Hedonê.

Currently, the figure of cupid is a reference to passionate and playful love. His representation is focused on the idea that love and passion are feelings that arise unexpectedly and that cause intense emotional changes in those who feel them.

Thus, representations of cupid in cinema and animations usually precede comic scenes, in which enemies succumb to passion, causing estrangement. In addition, cupid is presented today as the very representation of love, which can be fleeting and cause radical changes in the lives of the lovers in question.

The figure of the dove is related to several symbols, from the meaning of hope and peace, to love. Thus, the representation of the animal linked to feeling has its origin in Greek mythology and Christianity. Understand better below!

The origin of the symbolic connection of the figure of the dove with love took place in Christianity, thanks to the biblical passage that presents Noah in his ark, seeing a white dove through the heavens. The animal carrying an olive branch in its beak indicates the end of the flood and, for Christianity, is a symbol of God’s love for his creations.

In addition to the biblical passage of the flood, there are also other citations present in Christianity that attribute to the symbols of love and the divine the animal in question. In the “Song of Songs”, a poetic book from the Old Testament that celebrates love, the expression “dove” is used as the way in which the protagonist refers to his beloved.

In Greek mythology, doves are associated with the goddess Aphrodite. However, this relationship has its origins in an older belief. The Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar was also associated with love and passion, as well as Aphrodite, and had the dove as one of her greatest symbols.

In Ancient Greece, the goddess Aphrodite came to represent this Mesopotamian deity, receiving a new name, but still remaining with the dove as its greatest representation. In the temples of the goddess of love, Aphrodite, carvings in the form of doves were found, and, according to mythology, offerings in the form of marble doves were made to the goddess.

Swans are slender and elegant figures. But, beyond the animal kingdom, its representation also occurs in a suggestive way in Greek mythology, transforming the animal into one of the symbols of love and fidelity. Discover the history of this association below!

In Greek mythology, the occurrence of animals as representations of deities or even feelings, such as love, was common. In one of the Greek myths, Zeus himself turns into a swan to seduce the queen of Sparta, managing to deceive her and produce four children with the queen.

Another Greek god associated with swans is Apollo, known as the deity of beauty, music and poetry. According to Greek mythology, Apollo owned a celestial chariot drawn by swans and had, as a permanent companion, a male swan.

Swans have their representation related to the idea of ​​fidelity. Birds are one of the symbols of this feeling, because, from the moment they choose a partner, they refuse to have a relationship with another of their species, even in the case of the death of their partner.

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