Cupid's arrow is one of the most widely recognized symbols there is. Cupid and his arrows are all over sappy, cheesy Valentine's Day cards, and we all know that when Cupid strikes with his golden bolts, a person falls instantly hopelessly in love. You could say that the arrows represent love itself.

Oftentimes in stories, Cupid's arrows strike totally out of the blue, and they almost always cause tons of trouble. This, of course, represents how wild passionate desire can seemingly come from nowhere and really disrupt the order of a person's life. If you've ever fallen in love, we're guessing you know exactly what we're talking about. If you haven't ever been in love, watch out – Cupid may be taking aim at you this very minute.

In the story of "Venus and Adonis," we see what happens when Cupid's own mother gets a taste of his magic arrow.