TEN ANCIENT LOVE SYMBOLS

Love is a beautiful thing... Many people when in love, offer symbols of love to their partner to express their love. There are many ways to express love to someone, symbols can often help people to express their love. Through the ages there are some love symbols that have stood the test of time.

Here are some of the most popular Love Symbols.

1. THE CLADDAGH – an ancient Irish love symbol

There are 3 components in the Claddagh symbol – Crown that symbolizes loyalty, Heart that represents love, and Two Hands that are symbolic of friendship. The Claddagh symbol is widely used in Celtic jewelry like pendants, rings, earrings and charms. A traditional jewelry piece is the Claddagh ring that is used commonly as a wedding or engagement ring, and sometimes as a friendship ring.

This symbol is associated with the legend of the Claddagh, a fishing village just outside the city of Galway. According to the legend, a young man, named Richard was fishing at sea with other men from his family when they were captured by pirates and brought to Africa as slaves. Years passed, many of the Irish fishermen died and Richard was miserable because all he wanted was to get back to his beloved who was on Ireland.

To keep his spirits up and to keep hope in his heart, each day Richard stole a tiny speck of gold from his slave masters in the goldsmith shop where he tended the fires. Years passed and, with his tiny pieces of gold, he was finally able to fashion a ring. It was his hope that, despite what seemed nearly impossible, he would return to his village and present the ring to his true love.

It remains unknown how Richard escaped or earned his release from slavery, but one day he was able to get back to Ireland. Richard was overcome with joy when he learned that his beloved had remained true to him in his long absence, waiting faithfully for him to return. It was on that day that Richard gave his beloved the ring he created that is now known worldwide as the Claddagh Ring. The Claddagh design appears not only in rings, but in other types of jewelry as well. The heart in the cladadgh symbolizes the love Richard longed to share with his true love. The crown symbolizes his undying loyalty and the hands symbolize friendship, which is, after all, the very foundation of love, with loyalty holding the two hands together.

1. THE HARP – an ancient artistic symbol of love

The harp is a well known symbol of love in the form of lyrical art, poetry, and music. The Harp shares more mythical connections to the Celts, representing the bridge of love, connecting heaven and earth. In Norway and Iceland, the Harp strings formed a ladder symbolizing the ascent to higher states of love and a pathway leading to paradise.

Long ago King David played the harp to the Lord, to express his devotion and love.

1. THE MAPPLE LEAF – an ancient symbol of love in China and Japan

In China and Japan the Maple Leaf is a well known emblem of lovers. North American settlers used to place the maple leaves at the foot of their beds to ward off demons and encourage sexual pleasure as well as peaceful sleep. Also in the North American region, the stork can be observed weaving maple branches in nests - hence, the maple became a symbol of the love found in welcoming a new child in the home. Just as the sweet rich sap produces maple syrup so too does the maple leaf serve as a love symbol as the maple leaf depicts the sweetness and wonder of love in every day life.

1. DOVE – a symbol for peace and deep love

Doves have long been treated as a symbol for peace, but they also represent deep love. Doves mate for a lifetime, with one bird often unable to survive when the other dies. Male doves also help their female partners incubate and care for their young, which helps their image as devoted, loving birds. They are therefore considered to symbolize loyalty and fidelity. In the Hindu tradition, the dove represents the infinite capacity the heart has for love.

In Greek and Roman mythology the dove was a sacred animal of love goddess Aphrodite/Venus. Aphrodite/Venus is often depicted with doves fluttering around her or resting on her hand. Doves are also often used in Western wedding to symbolize ongoing love of couples.

1. APPLE – an ancient love symbols with several meanings

Apples appear in many religious traditions, often as a mystical or forbidden fruit. Christians associate the apple with the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The larynx in the human throat has been called Adam’s apple because of the folk tale that the bulge was caused by the forbidden fruit sticking in the throat of Adam.

In Norse mythology, gods and goddesses regularly eat marvelous golden apples from Idun’s garden to ward off diseases, disabilities and old age and remain vigorous, beautiful, and young through countless ages.

In Chinese tradition the apple blossom signifies adoration. Celtic mythology includes a story about Conle who receives an apple which feeds him for a year but also gives him an irresistible desire for fairyland. In early Greek history, the apple was prominent in courtship as well as the rites and customs of marriage. A happy couple in the seventh century B.C. might share an apple as a symbol of their marriage and hopes for a fruitful relationship.

1. SEASHELL – a symbol of the protectiveness of love

According to an ancient legend, Venus, the Roman goddess of love, emerged from the sea and was ferried to shore, fully formed on a scallop shell, as depicted in Botticelli’s famous painting Birth of Venus. Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of beauty, love and fertility was also created from the sand and pearls within an oyster shell.

The Shell, with its hard casing inside which it protects life in form of pearls, symbolizes the protective aspect of love. It has had slightly varying symbolism in different cultures.

1. SWAN – a symbol of grace, love and beauty

Swans have many different meanings in myth and folklore. They symbolize freedom, fidelity, love, companionship and loyalty. The Swan holds a number of different representations including love, grace, purity, beauty and sincerity. The Swan is another symbol of the Virgin Mary and represents her purity and love. According to English and Celtic traditions, the swan is a powerful and ancient power animal. Here the swan is associated with goddesses of healing waters. They are connected with music, love, purity and the soul.

1. CUPID – the most famous Valentine symbol

In Roman mythology, Cupid is the god of desire, affection and erotic love. He is the son of goddess Venus and god Mars. In popular culture, Cupid is frequently shown shooting his bow to inspire romantic love, often as an icon of Valentine's Day. He is now in the current culture the personification of love and courtship in general. In the Roman version, Cupid was the son of Venus (goddess of love) and Mars. In the Greek version he was named Eros and seen as one of the primordial gods (though other myths exist as well). Cupid was often depicted with wings, a bow, and a quiver of arrows.

1. ROSE – a symbol of love and romance

Roses have been long used as symbols in a number of societies. Roses are ancient symbols of love and beauty. Rose means pink or red in a variety of languages (such as Romance languages, Greek, and Polish). The rose was sacred to a number of goddesses (including Isis and Aphrodite), and is often used as a symbol of the Virgin Mary. The ancient Greeks and Romans identified the rose with their goddesses of love, Aphrodite and Venus. In Rome a wild rose would be placed on the door of a room where secret or confidential matters were discussed. Early Christians identified the five petals of the rose with the five wounds of Christ. Despite this interpretation, their leaders were hesitant to adopt it because of its association with Roman excesses and pagan ritual. The red rose was eventually adopted as a symbol of the blood of the Christian martyrs. Roses also later came to be associated with the Virgin Mary.

1. LOVE KNOT – a Celtic symbol of eternal love

The love not is a well-known Celtic tradition. It represents eternal love because it has no beginning or end. It was also used in ancient Muslim culture when young women would send secret message, hidden in knots of cloths to their beloved.

As you have seen we have deliberately not mentioned the heart as a symbol of love. It’s because it’s very well-known. It is worth mentioning the heart dates back to the time of the Bible. The heart has long been used as a symbol to refer to the spiritual, emotional, moral, and in the past, also intellectual core of a human being.

Ribbons, laces, frills and hands can be also a love symbols.

RIBBONS, LACES and FRILLS

Ribbons and frills have long been associated with romance since the days of knighthood when a knight rode into battle with a ribbon or scarf given him by his fair lady. The dictionary states that the word "Lace" comes from a Latin word meaning to "snare" or "noose". Hundred of years ago, women dropped her laced handkerchief in hopes that a man picked it up and gave it to her. This would mean that the man was interested in her. The woman would do this to attract his attention to encourage romance. Boxes of chocolate and valentine cards are also decorated with lace.

HANDS

Clasped hands represent those of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and were symbols of the friendship between their countries of Germany and England. Years ago, when a man proposed marriage to a woman, he asked for her hand. The hand then became a symbol of marriage and love.

Love symbols take us on a fun ride of expressing ourselves, when you give out a symbol of love, you are expressing deep emotions. These emotions are often more easily expressed by using love symbols. In a way love symbols help us more easily express how we feel about other people.

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