Ah, it’s that time of year once again. Love is in the air—or maybe it’s just the snow—and it’s here to infect everyone. Advertisements, TV shows, grocery stores, and everywhere else all have been preparing since Christmas ended. But what does Valentine’s Day really mean? Multiple saints in the early eras of Christianity share the name Valentine, and tales between them complicate the matter. Generally, the most accepted tale is that in the 3rd century, when the Roman ruler Claudius banned all marriages to have more soldiers, St. Valentine performed marriages for young couples in secret. He was later caught by the emperor and beheaded, and his death is celebrated on February 14.

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Now, that’s a bit depressing isn’t it? Such is the life of saints. Flash forward to now and it’s a celebration of reds, pinks, and love towards one another. But how did we get from a Catholic martyr to now, with companies going all out with themed products and ideas for the day? Well, a few centuries later, in the 1300s, it began to be associated with romance. In the 16th century, some of the first valentines appeared, and by the 18th century, commercial cards were first produced. These cards often depicted Cupid, a trend that has carried on to this day.

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Where did Cupid originate? Cupid was the Roman god of love, (adapted from the Greek Eros). According to mythology, he was the son of Venus, or Aphrodite, and Mercury, or Hermes. Guided by his mother, Cupid would go about matchmaking in the human world. In the original Greek tales, he could make the wrong people fall in love with the intent to harm the mortals. The damage he could inflict was feared. However, when women’s social status began to fall, the idea that Eros should be feared by the actions he took because of his mother fell in popularity. While originally depicted as a strong, handsome man, this societal change altered his depiction. Romans adapted the softer, cuter ideas of his work, and began depicting him like a small cherub. Thus, we have our modern depiction of him.

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What about the ultimate symbol for love, the heart? While multiple theories exist, the most likely theory originates with Aristotle’s depiction of the human heart as having three chambers and an indentation. Medieval drawings depicted this and were later simplified into the modern heart.

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All these factors and more contributed to our modern ideas of Valentine’s Day and love. For those of you with a significant other this holiday, enjoy yourselves, and remember that there are more ways to demonstrate love than by buying items for them. For those without, you can make it into a day to analyze the holiday’s history for fun, or to demonstrate the love you feel for your family and your friends. And, for anyone without Valentine’s Day plans, on February 14, the Honors program is putting on a Valentine’s Day party in the Honors Center from 7-9pm. Happy Valentine’s Day!