Who Is Cupid? - The Secret History Of Valentine's Day
Most people around the world celebrate Valentines Day where candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint, and where did these traditions come from? According to the National Retailers Association Americans will drop $19.6 mil on Valentine's Day this year.
The history of Valentine’s Day–and the story of its patron saint–is shrouded in mystery. We do know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance and that St. Valentine’s Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. But who was Saint Valentine, and how did he become associated with this ancient rite?
The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.
Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl–possibly his jailer's daughter–who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and–most importantly–romantic figure. By the Middle Ages, perhaps thanks to this reputation, Valentine would become one of the most popular saints in England and France. source
The modern version of Valentine's Day is a modified iteration taken from Catholicism but if one digs deeper into the past we discover that the Catholic church rebranded many holidays that were originally Pagan celebrations and Valentine's Day is no exception.
The true and unedited source of Valentine's Day is rooted in Pagan worship of the devil and is a story of lust and incest which begs the question, Why would the Catholic church want to recognize it at all?
The devil is famous for being the greatest deceiver of the whole world and Valentine's Day is just another example of how talented the serpent of heaven has become at deceiving.
Most people think of Cupid when they think of Valentine' Day. Cupid continued to be a popular figure in the Middle Ages when under Christian influence he often had a dual nature as Heavenly and Earthly love. In the Renaissance, a renewed interest in classical philosophy endowed him with complex allegorical meanings. In contemporary popular culture, Cupid is shown drawing his bow to inspire romantic love, often as an icon of Valentine's Day
In classical mythology, Cupid (Latin Cupīdō [kʊˈpiː.doː], meaning "desire") is the god of desire, erotic love, attraction, and affection. He is often portrayed as the son of the love goddess Venus and the war god Mars. He is also known in Latin as Amor ("Love"). His Greek counterpart is Eros. Although Eros is generally portrayed as a slender winged youth in Classical Greek art, during the Hellenistic period, he was increasingly portrayed as a chubby boy. During this time, his iconography acquired the bow and arrow that represent his source of power: a person or even a deity, who is shot by Cupid's arrow is filled with uncontrollable desire. source
For most people, that's as far as they look back in history to explain where Cupid comes from, but dig deeper and you'll find the original inspiration for Cupid is Tammuz, aka the Lord Of Demons.
Join me in this video, far down the rabbit hole, to see where Valentine's Day really comes from.
Every part of the Catholic Religion was adapted from Pagan Religions, including Christmas and Easter... So, why not adapt this day, too?
If the Catholic Church joined Steem, they'd be flagged for plagiarism! 😂
Hahaha, that's funny.
Plagiarism is occurring in various degrees everywhere. Take music for example. As John Lennon once said, there are only 12 notes and everyone is stealing from everyone. It's not like they invented those notes.
Happy Valentine's Day :) ❤️
For me it means good things...
I loved it, it is important to talk more about this, people need to wake up.
Just another example of the powerful controlling the thoughts of the misinformed.
Another example of this actually happening today in real life is illustrated perfectly by the term Big Brother. Big Brother is a fictional character and symbol in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four and is where the term originated from. In the society that Orwell describes, Oceania, every citizen is under constant surveillance by the authorities, mainly by telescreens. The people are constantly reminded of this by the slogan "Big Brother is watching you": a maxim that is ubiquitously on display. That's what it has always referred to since 1949 when the book was written.
Fast forward to today. Google Big Brother and what you'll find is a reality TV show that has aired for 20 seasons now. 20 seasons!? That's a whole new generation of people who only think of that show when they hear the words big Brother. Now do the search on YouTube and you'll find the same results.
Is that show really that good? Or is this the slow reconditioning of an entire population to erase from their memory what the expression refers to, curiously timed for a generation who have only grown up with the internet and increasing surveillance in their daily lives.
You can read more about it in this post The Dystopian World Of George Orwell's Book Nineteen Eighty-Four - 1984
The same reconditioning is currently happening for all kinds of ideas.