Cupid actually gave the rose its thorns. One day, Cupid stopped to smell a rose. Hidden inside of that rose there was a bee which shot out and stung him. Exasperated, he pulled out an arrow and shot it right into the flower in anger, resulting in the rose everafter sprouting thorns.
This god of love and desire is one of the reasons why the rose is one of the most celebrated symbols of love in our culture. He appears on and leading up to Valentine's Day as a symbol of both pure and blindlove.
Son of Venus, who is the goddess of beauty, this young man was bound to become the prince of love. The legend of his own love affair begins when a young woman was accoladed for her pristine beauty. Her name was Psyche. His mother, became extremely jealous and sent Cupid to destroy her. She conspired that he should shoot one of his magical darts in Psyche. His darts had the power to make a person fall in love with the first person they laid eyes on after being pierced. Not only should he shoot her with one of these, but he should make sure that the first person she laid eyes on would be hideous. That way, her reputation would be ruined and the only one on earth heralded for beauty would once again be Venus. Cupid went off on his mission.
He found Psyche and poised to shoot his dart. As he pulled out the arrow Cupid accidentally pierced himself. His magic worked on him, and he was head over heels in love with Psyche.
The two became lovers, but Cupid made sure to never allow Psyche to see his face, for fear of displeasing his mother. Years past and Psyche could no longer take the mystery. She decided she must see her lovers face. She tricked Cupid into exposing himself, and he became so angry that he ran away. Psyche wandered all across the land in misery, looking for Cupid. Finally, Zeus took pity on her, and re-united her with Cupid and gave them permission to marry.
DID YOU KNOW?
Cupid is the father or Pleasure. No, really. He and Psyche gave birth to a daughter, whom they named Pleasure.
Lorraine McLaughlin is an employee of Toronto Baskets and Gifts. For great gift ideas on Valentine's day or any time of year simply visit: http://www.torontobasketsandgifts.com
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