Before his association with Valentine's Day, Cupid was known to the Greeks as Eros, the god of love and sex.
He was represented in their early texts and art as a young adult male, irresistible to both man and gods.
When the Roman period came along, he was rebranded as the cherubic Cupid we know today, a less dangerous version of the earlier depiction.
In the 19th century, he started appearing on Valentine's Day cards and decorative items, more a symbol of love and romance than the lustful desire of the past.