What Represents love? As we all know a heart symbol or a heart shape represents love. But have you ever wondered why is love represented by a heart? If you are asked to show love, you will make a heart shape. Or if you see a heart symbol, then you immediately remember love. The heart is seen as the home of love. In most of the songs made on love, only the word heart is used. Any dialogue related to love has the word love in it.
When it came to the idea of why we only use a heart symbol for love, where does it originate from, and what was its primary purpose? I read and thought a lot. So, I am sharing the origin of using the heart symbol and the different theories behind using it.
Heart Symbol Origin
It was around the Middle Ages that the heart symbol assumed its current meaning. When Valentine’s Day debuted in England in the 1600s, the heart symbol was the obvious choice for the symbol to denote the new holiday.
Today the heart symbol is the universal symbol of romance and love. It can be seen all around us, but mostly in the form of heart emotions on social networks. People send millions of digital hearts to the web every day to express their adoration for someone, or something.
Theories about the Origin of Heart Symbol.
There are a few theories about the origin of a heart symbol.
One of the theories suggests that the origin of the heart symbol find back to an ancient plant called silphium. Silphium was a species of giant fennel that grew on the North African coastline near the Greek colony of Cyrene. In some ancient depictions, the silphium seed resembles the modern heart shape. In addition to this theory, some researchers believe that the heart shape originates from other plants such as the leaves of ivy, or the leaves of the water lily.
Another theory suggests that Pierre Vincent proposed it, and Martin Kemp suggests that the heart symbol is probably shaped according to the writings of Galen and Aristotle. These ancient philosophers described the human heart as an organ with three chambers and a tooth in the middle. Winken and Kemp believed that the heart shape was created during the Middle Ages by scientists who tried to visualize ancient texts.
One more theory suggests that the heart shape is similar to that of a pine cone and is placed upside down. That is not in the normal heart-shaped position we know today. Researchers only assume that the pine cone-shaped object is a heart because the part of it held by the lover is hidden. The name of this novel is “The Romance of the Pear”, so the object could also be a pear.
My Theory
I believe that the heart controls the flow of blood in our body. It pumps blood and regulates blood pressure. When blood flows through the body it creates feelings and emotions. It is as if electrons flowing in a wire create a current and create a magnetic field around that wire. That same blood flow creates emotions and there is an aura around you.
Love is nothing but your feelings and emotions. When you are in love with someone you are basically connected to each other by feelings. When you express love you are actually expressing your feelings. As the heart controls all emotions, the heart is used as a symbol of love. Because there are no scenes of feelings and emotions. It can only be represented by a heart symbol.
The Connection Between Heart and Mind.
There is a connection between heart and mind. Your mind creates thoughts, your thoughts create your feelings, and vice versa. Both feelings and thoughts decide your life. While we notice these feelings of attraction in the heart, true love actually starts in the mind.
Other Things to Represent Love
Roses
Robert Frost wrote: “My love is like a red, red rose that is new in June.” The line draws a comparison between romantic love and the red rose but has its roots in religion. If you want to define romance and love to your partner through symbols, then consider giving vibrant red roses to your partner.
Today the rose symbolizes passion, physical desire, and many aspects of love. In Greek mythology, it is associated with the goddess Aphrodite, and in Christianity, it is associated with the Virgin Mary. A white rose signifies divine love, a yellow rose illuminates friendship, and a pink rose signifies infatuation or romantic feelings.
Ankh
Also called crux anisate, the key of life, or the cross of life, the ankh is perhaps the most famous of the ancient Egyptian symbols of love. It resembles the Christian cross forming a loop at the top, and it usually represents life and immortality.
However, it is little known that the ankh is also a symbol of fertility, and some scholars have argued that it represents female genitalia. Another interpretation is that it also symbolizes the union between Isis and Osiris after he raised her from the dead. However, this is not a common association.
The Menet
This little-known and obscure Egyptian symbol is a heavily beaded necklace featuring a crescent front, weighted collar, and back counterweight that also doubled as a percussion instrument in ancient Egypt. It was worn with the intention of bringing fertility, strength, joy, and good fortune to the wearer. Maint is also known as Mainit or Menet.
Apple
The apple is a well-known and ancient symbol of love in many legends and stories. Different meanings have also been extracted from it. Think of Adam and Eve in the Bible, when Adam ate the forbidden apple, the fruit of knowledge, at Eve’s behest.
In this tradition the apple represents temptation. Venus, the Roman goddess of love and desire, is also often depicted holding an apple, so it could be said that the apple represents the slightly dangerous, seductive, and sexual aspects of love.
Swan
The swan has many representations throughout time. Love, grace, purity, beauty, and honesty, the swan is also a symbol of purity. The Celts believed that swans were benevolent deities and legend has it that their images were forged into medallions worn around the neck for protection. In Hinduism, the swan is known as the Hamsa bird, which symbolizes the divine mind and the breath of the soul. Similarly, the swan is a symbol of the Virgin Mary and she is a symbol of purity and love.
The Starfish
According to the Bible, the starfish represents the Virgin Mary. She travels safely on troubled waters and is also a safe symbol of salvation. They represent infinite divine love, guidance, vigilance, inspiration, brilliance, and intuition.
The Ring
The ring is one of the oldest and most universal symbols of marriage. The purpose of rings is to express eternal love, happiness, and commitment that cannot be broken. The ring itself is a complete circle with no break and no end or representation of never-ending love.
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Love,
Saurabh Goel
Saurabh Goel
He is the Founder and CEO of the Training and Counselling Company ‘Brain Soul & You’. He is an NLP Wellness Coach, Life Coach, Brain analyst, and Trainer for Education, Corporate, and Entrepreneurship. For more than 7 years, he delivered presentations on entrepreneurship, mind programming, and motivation. He did his B.tech in IT and later choose to be a successful psychologist. He is helping people in various ways through his counseling and training sessions.