by Paul Bovis

Created on: January 13, 2007   Last Updated: April 23, 2007

Is love blind? Oh! Most certainly it is and an age-old concept going back to the days of Cupid' the God of Love (Eros in the Greek & Cupid in the Latin)? Cupid was often painted and sculpted with a blindfold; significant of the fact that once a hidden arrow touched lovers they became blind to the faults or the unsuitability of the one they love.

Love is Blind,' being a proverb comes to us from this early era and used by authors through the ages such as Chaucer and especially Shakespeare.

The Greeks and Romans considered that the God of Love (Eros in Greek, Cupid in Latin) was blind and as a result they painted or sculpted Eros/Cupid with a blindfold, to substantiate that point.

The proverb "Love is blind" derives directly from this concept, and has been used by English writers from Chaucer and Shakespeare onwards. In fact Shakespeare play, The Merchant Of Venice. Act II Scene VI reflects this well.
Cupids own story is also touched by blind faith with its origins in Greek times known as Eros the Son of Aphrodite, which the Romans changed to Cupid son of Venus.
The story has it that Venus was jealous of a mortal called Psyche and her beauty. In turn she ordered Cupid to punish Psyche and in due course accidentally fell in love with her and Married her. The blind faith here comes in as Psyche was a mortal and forbidden to look on the face of a God. However her sisters convinced her to look at Cupid, which caused him to leave her as a punishment with their home vanishing as well.

Psyche in her travels to find Cupid found instead Venus who still wanted her destroyed, so set about giving Psyche some tasks; one of which was to take a box to the underworld and capture some beauty from Proserpine the wife of Pluto. Curiosity though got the better of her and unable to resist the temptation opened the box and consequently fell in to a deep deadly slumber.
Against all odds and the forces that surrounded Cupid and Psyche, Cupid eventually found her and retrieved the sleep from her body placing it back in the box. Through blind love Cupid and eventually Venus forgave Psyche by making her a Goddess enabling to hold her love in full sight.

Life today is no different as it is a requisite of man to love and to belong. At times though our senses are controlled within the visionary spectrum that not all is as seen. Something else is felt and we question our judgement as we see something else through the veil, which distorts the image of intrigue lashed to the emotion within. This emotion that can be caused through fear and joy alike, knots the stomach and makes us gasp, holding us at times standing in awe.

Sensual Love blindness is all encompassing, all accepting creating a patience not seen in normal activities, it is passive as well as being strong to the point of defiance as well as protecting with direction and purpose.

Assistance with the memory box on the cupid story was taken from:

http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/cupid.htm

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