Alphabet of love

Love shows more than one face, which has been known since the earliest times. Aleksander Krawczyk in his work entitled "Mythological Alphabet" shows the symbolism of a pierced heart with an arrow and an amorca - a mythological idol.

The symbol of the pierced heart is known to every man from the earliest years of life. Valentine's Day, full of Chinese decorations at every step, wedding anniversary, carnival or birthday - no matter the occasion, because every woman "certainly" will be delighted with the red gift. Pendants, notebooks, pendants, soaps, and even chocolates - we all see them every day. If we think deeper about this fact, it would seem logical that understanding a blood-pumping organ pierced with a sharp tool should really mean death and should be a symbol not of love, but of murderous threats! Blood ceases to circulate in the body, the brain automatically receives no oxygen, and the end - man ceases to exist. However, the entire cultural community of Europe has no doubt about the love aspect of the heart pierced with an arrow - where did this conviction come from?

One may be tempted to explain this phenomenon with such arguments as the uniqueness of the arrow, which in fact exists only in abstract terms. The Greeks call it Eros, the Romans the Amor or Cupid. We are talking about a special god - the god of love. The son of Ares and Aphrodite, according to Greek mythology, is a force emerging from Chaos that binds the universe together. Homer wrote about the violent sexual impulse that connected Paris with Helena, Zeus with Hera and provided Penelope with a huge number of suitors. Thanks to Hezjod, we learn about his influence on people and other gods, and for orphans, he was the creator of the world. Ordinary people saw in Eros an unruly child, who is shot blindly at randomly selected mortals and gods, which sometimes resulted in forbidden love. Gymnasiums were full of portraits of Eros, and the Spartans sacrificed to the god of love before the battle. Boys - Cupid were depicted on vases and wall paintings in ancient times, as well as in the Renaissance and Baroque (as amorca or wingless putti). In addition to the bow, an attribute of the idol was a quiver with arrows, a motif which was ideally used in the short film "God of Love". The story shows the fate of a young, unhappy in love master throwing darts, who prayed hard for reciprocity in love and in response received a box of arrows that caused him to fall in love and, like Amor, could decide who would be associated with whom in what circumstances. The film won an Oscar in 2010 in the Best Short Acting Film category of Luke Matheny. A burning sail was a symbol of the heat of feelings at Cupid's film.

A cupid is nice, he plays a lot and laughs, he likes to play tricks. Unfortunately, sometimes the idol's games can be painful, and everyone can become their victims. The goddess of love, Aphrodite, or Venus, is both cruel and joyful. In Central Greece, an uncut boulder that embodied Amor was worshipped. Without love, the world would plunge back into Chaos. According to the oldest sources, the mother of Eros was supposed to be Aphrodite, but the question of fatherhood was sometimes unexplained. Some claimed that he was Hermes, the guardian of merchants and thieves, while others claimed that he was a warrior, Ares. Socrates, one of the most controversial Greek thinkers, in spite of everyone, showed that the mother of Eros was Poverty and the father of the Idea. Many people came to the conclusion that it was Artemida who gave birth to Eros, despite her virginity. What was the Opposite then? Eros' brother, meaning either mutual love or a degrading feeling. Amorca depicted in art willingly entertained and caused either unexpected happiness or boundless despair.

Bibliography: As above
Photo: https://pixabay.com/pl/ksi%C4%85%C5%BCki-czerwony-book-dziewczynka-2400507/