Cupid may seem like a strange figure to slap on Valentine’s Day cards, but his connection to love and romance dates back centuries. Before he was a chubby, winged cherub, Cupid was a fearsome deity.

Unlike St. Valentine, Cupid’s existence is rooted in mythology. Cupid—whose name comes from the Latin word Cupido, meaning desire—is a Roman god who may have been connected to Eros ...