The son of Venus, Cupid was the God of Love and wielded golden arrows capable of inspiring passionate devotion and lust in those they struck. Reportedly sighted darting around the mortal world, there were many tales surrounding the deity, with some saying that he wore a blindfold, while others purported to have been visually impaired since birth.
It was during one of these misadventures with humans that resulted in the creation of Love-In-Idleness, a pansy flower imbued with his magic. Though this was a complete accident. Cupid had been aiming for a young Vestal, when Diana intervened, using a beam of moonlight to knock the arrow of course. Instead of piercing flesh, the tip struck the flower's white petals. This was not the first time that he and Diana had crossed paths. He harboured enmity towards the Goddess of the Hunt, who he believed often interfered in his amusement for no good reason.
The Athenian maids Hermia and Helena would often invoke Cupid's name and image when expressing their affection for their lovers, Lysander and Demetrius, respectively.
The Fairy King Oberon would call upon the power of Cupid when the monarch used Love In Idleness to enchant his wife, Titania.
No comments:
Post a Comment