Cupid comes from many different origins, and is often
related to and celebrated on Valentine’s Day. There were two main versions of Cupid, one from ancient Rome, and its counterpart Eros from Greek mythology. In
Ancient Greece, Eros was the son of Ares, God of war, and
Aphrodite, Goddess of beauty. In Roman mythology he was the child of Venus, Goddess of love, and Mars, God of war. In the time of the Roman Empire, a Roman Poet by the name of Ovid wrote about there being two different types of Arrows that cupid uses, one that causes a surge of
desire and love for another, and the other giving the
person a feeling of revulsion. In Ancient Greece, Cupid was portrayed as a young adolescent man, but in the Hellenistic
period it became common to see him as a young and
playful child. This Cupid gave way to the version we see in
today’s time, of a young child with arrows spreading love and
passion throughout the month of February for Valentine’s Day.

In 1602, Renaissance painters began to paint scenes of a young child with wings and a bow, because of this, in the 18th century, Valentines day became more popular. By the time of the 19th century, people started to associate
Cupid with Valentine’s Day and it became a common trend to use renaissance inspired greeting cards with Cupid on them. Since then, people began to add Cupid in more modern day festivities, like stories, movies, shows and many more.

This includes the many rom-coms that come out yearly in the month of February. Most of which include the themes of two people meeting and instantly falling deeply in love with one another at first sight. Hitched, starring Will Smith, is one example. Cupid is represented by Smith’s character who is involved in people’s love lives, sometimes for the better. We see him teaching people how to woo their desired person and setting them up with one another, acting as a terrestrial Cupid. Another movie with a similar storyline is Playing Cupid, a 2021 production. The cupid figure in this film is the daughter of David Martinez, Mia Martinez. She sets up her father with her teacher, Kerri Fox, as a project for one of her classes. In the end, the two adults get together and form a happy relationship, thanks to the help of the daughter.