Cupid is often misinterpreted as the chubby and mischievous winged cherub but he is, in fact, the Roman god of romantic and erotic love, desire and affection. He is also known as Eros in Greek mythology, Kama in Hindu mythology and Amor - another of his Latin names. Cupid is the son of the Mars, the Roman god of war and agriculture and Venus, the Roman goddess of love, beauty and fertility. Cupid was responsible for inducing love on earth. It was his duty to shoot golden arrows to make people fall in love and get animals to mate with one another.
According to Romans mythology, the tale of Cupid and his consort, Psyche is the most popular tale involving Cupid. Venus, Cupid's mother was extremely jealous of a mortal named Psyche. Not only was she beautiful, but she was also craved by Venus' subjects, who desired her so much, that they forgot to worship Venus. Venus, unable to bear this, sent Cupid to punish the Psyche. However, when he went to Psyche's room, Cupid accidentally pierced himself with the golden arrow, which made him in fall deeply in love with her. He took Psyche as his wife much against Venus' wishes. Cupid used to come to meet her every night but Psyche was forbidden to see his face. This went on for a while until one day when Psyche following her wicked sisters' advice attempted to see him. This outraged Cupid and he flew away. As a punishment to her, he decided never to meet her again. Psyche began to wander relentlessly to search for Cupid. She finally reached the temple of Venus one day. When Venus came to know about what happened, she was furious and gave Psyche a number of tasks to perform, each tougher and more dangerous than the previous one. At last, Jupiter gave Psyche the gift of immortality so that she could be with Cupid forever. They together had a daughter, whom they named Voluptas, meaning sensual pleasure in Latin. Psyche is depicted in many Roman myths as the soul that arises once a mortal sheds his body. In many places, she is depicted as a goddess with butterfly wings and immense beauty. The union of Cupid and Psyche is indeed a portrayal of the union of love and the soul.
