ExclusiveThe god of love went from Greek slender youth Eros to Roman pudgy cherub Cupid

Cupid is synonymous with Valentine’s Day, February, and the romantic love itself. Although we know him as a chubby baby with a bow and arrow wearing nothing but a sash and a diaper, he was not always depicted as a winged infant. The history of Cupid goes back to the earliest legends of Greek mythology. Eros, the Greek god of love, was originally considered one of the primordial gods, meaning he had no parentage. However, in later legends, he began to be considered the offspring of a god and goddess, most often Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, and Ares, god of war.
In Roman mythology, Eros became Cupid, son of Venus, Aphrodite’s Roman counterpart. Like Eros, Cupid was originally depicted as a slender, handsome, and often licentious young man. Over the centuries, he became younger and younger until his usual depiction was as a child or even an infant, often accompanying his mother. The pagan tales were painted in a more negative light as Europe became Christian, with Cupid’s coming to represent wanton lust, bare because of its shame. However, the romantic spirit of the Renaissance kept Cupid from losing his charmed role as the patron emblem of desire. In fact, the story of Cupid and Psyche, the only story which focuses on the god, inspired several famous European fairy tales.