The Digital Companion to Roman Antiquity

cupid roman mythology

Venus and Cupid: The Goddess of Love and Her Most Dangerous Son

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Roman-inspired scene with Venus and a symbolic Cupid figure in a calm architectural setting

When Venus needed Dido to love Aeneas, she didn’t leave it to chance. She sent Cupid disguised as a child to sit in Dido’s lap at the welcome feast and infect her with desire while she thought she was holding a boy. The love that destroyed Dido was a targeted operation. That is what Venus and Cupid actually were.

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