Why is cupid shown as an almost naked baby boy?
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Re: Why is cupid shown as an almost naked baby boy?Undoubtedly(Original post by KalSA)
Am I weird for wondering over such a question?
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Re: Why is cupid shown as an almost naked baby boy?He's usually considered to be the son of Venus (god of love, fertility, sex, beauty, etc), and represents the less mature of these characteristics (fickleness, playfulness, the feeling of falling in love), and so is usually depicted as innocent, playful and mischievous.
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Re: Why is cupid shown as an almost naked baby boy?If we look at Eros in Greek mythology. Eros is a young adolescent as well. All this supposedly goes back to a time in ancient Egypt when the gods were supposed to be portrayed as being youthful, which has its traits in the fertility cults as well. Concidently, Eros and Cupid are both associated with love and fertility.
The connection with Egypt, in case you are wondering, can easily be seen with Hesiod who posits that Eros came into existence in the same way as the Ennead gods of Heliopolis. The Orphics represented him as a child. There was a belief, for example, that youth and fertility were linked, and this was certainly so in ancient Egypt, from the where the ancient Greeks derived a great deal of their religious culture.
Since Eros was the son of Aphrodite, this would make Eros the equivalent of Horus (the young child), since Aphrodite was the equivalent of Hathor (i.e., Isis) in ancient Egyptian mythology. Horus (or Harpokrates) was represented as a young baby or adolescent child, but not originally.
The Greek Eros is in fact Horus of the Egyptians. Cupid is the Roman equivalent of Eros. -
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Re: Why is cupid shown as an almost naked baby boy?I don't think this takes into account the cultural processes involved in religious assimilation and syncretism. The source motifs of a god of a given culture is more often than not to be found in the traits of another god of another culture. This is more so with Greeks, Romans, Babylonians, Phoenicians, Hebrews, Assyrians, Hittites and Egyptians. Much of Roman culture is derived from Greek culture, and the cross-fertilization between Greece, Babylon and Egypt occured quite early in Greek history.(Original post by Pitt1988)
Maybe some sort of representation of the child that would come from two people falling in love? Sort of like your child before it is born bringing two souls as one or some rubbish lol. -
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Re: Why is cupid shown as an almost naked baby boy?I didn't understand much of what you just said haha. But would I be on the right lines in saying that this cross cultural similarities are also shared with Christianity and Jesus? Jesus, sharing similarities with Horus. Both depicted as youthful; baby jesus etc. If cupid is the Roman equivalent of Eros, who is the Eqytptian Horus, but Jesus shares many similarities with Horus. I'm not religious so don't follow all these ancient fairytales.(Original post by Martyn*)
I don't think this takes into account the cultural processes involved in religious assimilation and syncretism. The source motifs of a god of a given culture is more often than not to be found in the traits of another god of another culture. This is more so with Greeks, Romans, Babylonians, Phoenicians, Hebrews, Assyrians, Hittites and Egyptians. Much of Roman culture is derived from Greek culture, and the cross-fertilization between Greece, Babylon and Egypt occured quite early in Greek history.Last edited by Pitt1988; 29-06-2012 at 12:20. -
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Re: Why is cupid shown as an almost naked baby boy?Sorry, just reading this and its really bugging me. Nothing wrong with most of it, its just that the Greeks came first - the Egyptian culture is a mirror of the Greek (as is the Roman). It was when Alexander the Great died, after conquering the known world, including Egypt, that his Empire was divided and different portions given to different generals, who were Greek. Egypt was given to Ptolemy, founding the line of the Pharaohs who ruled Egypt for the next 350 years (all of whom were Greek - the tradition of brothers marrying their sisters ensured that the line was kept "pure") Sooooo the Greek culture filtered down through the classes, mixing with the Egyptian and so resulting in the similarities between the Greek and Egyptian theology.(Original post by Martyn*)
If we look at Eros in Greek mythology. Eros is a young adolescent as well. All this supposedly goes back to a time in ancient Egypt when the gods were supposed to be portrayed as being youthful, which has its traits in the fertility cults as well. Concidently, Eros and Cupid are both associated with love and fertility.
The connection with Egypt, in case you are wondering, can easily be seen with Hesiod who posits that Eros came into existence in the same way as the Ennead gods of Heliopolis. The Orphics represented him as a child. There was a belief, for example, that youth and fertility were linked, and this was certainly so in ancient Egypt, from the where the ancient Greeks derived a great deal of their religious culture.
Since Eros was the son of Aphrodite, this would make Eros the equivalent of Horus (the young child), since Aphrodite was the equivalent of Hathor (i.e., Isis) in ancient Egyptian mythology. Horus (or Harpokrates) was represented as a young baby or adolescent child, but not originally.
The Greek Eros is in fact Horus of the Egyptians. Cupid is the Roman equivalent of Eros.
Sorry for the rant, just my own personal brand of OCD there - Classics A Level, my lecturer absolutely loved Alexander the Great and Ptolemy, so it has been pretty much drilled into us!!!
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Re: Why is cupid shown as an almost naked baby boy?Sorry pal, but the Egyptian Civilization was around much before the Greek (~3150BC against 8th century BC, according to wikipedia). There had already been tons of pharaonic dynasties before Ptolemy. In fact, Ancient Egypt is among the "primordial" civilizations which flourished around the "fertile crescent" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fertile_Crescent).(Original post by bobmullins)
Sorry, just reading this and its really bugging me. Nothing wrong with most of it, its just that the Greeks came first - the Egyptian culture is a mirror of the Greek (as is the Roman). It was when Alexander the Great died, after conquering the known world, including Egypt, that his Empire was divided and different portions given to different generals, who were Greek. Egypt was given to Ptolemy, founding the line of the Pharaohs who ruled Egypt for the next 350 years (all of whom were Greek - the tradition of brothers marrying their sisters ensured that the line was kept "pure") Sooooo the Greek culture filtered down through the classes, mixing with the Egyptian and so resulting in the similarities between the Greek and Egyptian theology.
Sorry for the rant, just my own personal brand of OCD there - Classics A Level, my lecturer absolutely loved Alexander the Great and Ptolemy, so it has been pretty much drilled into us!!!
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Re: Why is cupid shown as an almost naked baby boy?Because all artists are blatant paedophiles. End of.(Original post by KalSA)
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Re: Why is cupid shown as an almost naked baby boy?You've done classics at A level, and yet you're unfamiliar with the name Narmer/Menes and the date 3150BCE? It should be as familiar to you as the name William the Conqueror and the date 1066CE.(Original post by bobmullins)
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Let me put it another way; the Egyptian culture was as ancient to the Greeks travelling there 2500 years ago (oftentimes as tourists to the pyramids!) as the Greek civilisation is to us.Last edited by MostUncivilised; 30-06-2012 at 01:08.
