Cupid's Bow

Cupid draw back your bow, And let your arrow go, Straight to my lover's heart for me, For me.
— Sam Cooke, Cupid, You Send Me (1960)
The Greek god known as Eros, affectionately dubbed Cupid by the Romans, wielded a bow neither crafted by Hephaestus, the god of the forge nor fashioned from Terra's beasts or trees. This bow traced back to his very birth when life was new and The Primordial Gods took root on Earth. Contrary to popular belief, Cupid’s true power didn’t reside in the bow itself. It sprang from his golden and lead arrows, which were fired with precision and flair from that remarkable bow. Blessed by Aphrodite, these arrows predated the goddess herself, creating a paradox wherein they existed before she emerged from the sea and were yet instrumental in perpetuating her worship. Cupid's Bow had the uncanny ability to hit any target in the universe. Its range seemed limitless, its accuracy preternatural, while remaining as light as a feather and a delight to fire. The archer who wielded it found it effortless to hit any target so long as they had a beat on their intended victim.

Raw Materials & Components

The bow itself, both limbs, the grip, the arrow rest, and the sight window, were all composed of the ancient and enigmatic mineral Orichalcum. This legendary substance, fused through a process lost to modern societies transformed into a gold-bronze-colored metal, gleaming with a mystical allure. The Orichalcum was then structured into long filaments of atoms, akin to carbon fiber, which reduced the bow's weight and likelihood of warping while ramping up its tensile strength. Despite its formidable draw strength, anyone who picked up Cupid's Bow could effortlessly pull back the string. The grip and bowstring were made from the organic material of an unidentified mythical beast, whose leather seemed impervious to wear or damage. Effective as a weapon in its own right, Cupid's Bow's true power lay in its enchanted material components. These mystical properties enhanced the bow's use for manipulating the minds and hearts of its targets, casting a spell of romance, whimsy, and comic misadventure over anyone in its crosshairs.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

Cupid’s Bow was not just any bow; it was a marvel of both mechanical ingenuity and magical mischief. Unlike the standard fare in Mycenaean Greece, this bow sported a recurved design. Recurved bows allowed even the shortest of bows to fire arrows with the power and speed of a thunderbolt, thanks to its shorter draw length. And the material? Not your run-of-the-mill wood, but Orichalcum, transformed from greenish-blue crystals into a dazzling gold or bronze-colored metal. It was woven with more precision than a designer handbag, resembling the carbon fiber bows of modern times. This kept Cupid’s Bow feather-light while maximizing the tensile strength and more stiffness for precise control. Orichalcum wasn’t just for the bling. This mineral had the magical je ne sais quoi to amplify enchantments affecting the heart and mind, such as Aphrodite’s golden and lead arrows. The divine enchantments were so potent, they could make even Zeus swoon for whomever Eros chose. After Eros’ rebirth, the other Olympians were, to say the least, a bit jittery. Eros had already forced 2 of Artemis’ favorite hunters, both of whom had taken a vow of celibacy, to fall in love with dire consequences and he used the bow to get revenge on Apollo for a quip while destroying the life of an innocent nymph. To keep things balanced, they had Themis, the Titan of Justice, tutor him on the finer points of morality and temperance.

History

Eros, born Nyx, Primordial goddess of the night, inside an Orphic egg, hatched with his golden bow in hand. In the early days of creation and life in the universe, he orchestrated many divine pairings: Set and Derketo, Erebus and Nyx, Hemera and Aether. Eros' early couplings, facilitated by his bow and timeless golden arrows, shaped the associations and cycles experienced by all living things. However, many blamed him for Ouranos' infatuation with his mother, Gaea, leading to the birth of the Cyclopes, Hecatonchires, and Titans. The drama of Zeus' ancestry, Ouranos and Cronus' castrations, and banishment to Tartarus, was a legendary soap opera. Despite the chaos, no records, golden arrows, or witnesses confirmed Eros' involvement, suggesting that Ouranos might have been bewitched by Philotes, sister of Apate, Nemesis, and Eris.

Antiquity


When The Titans returned to Terra to reclaim dominion, the Eros who hatched from Nyx's egg vanished and didn't reappear until after Zeus made his father, Cronus, vomit up his siblings, castrated him as Cronus had done to Ouranos, and sent most of the Titans into the belly of Tartarus. This precipitated Aphrodite and Ares’ first affair, much to the ire of Aphrodite's husband Hephaestus, and the birth of Eros in his second life. Eros soon reclaimed his golden bow and resumed his work promoting romantic love and pleasurable sex. Early in this life, Eros was fond of fresh honey and attempted to steal some from a beehive with his bare hands. The bees stung him, and Aphrodite asked how he thought others felt when stung by his arrows. In another fond childhood memory, Eros and Aphrodite tried to see who could pick more flowers in Elysium. Eros was winning until a nymph named Peristera delivered enough flowers to Aphrodite to win. In anger, Eros turned her into a dove. Later, Aphrodite grew angry that two of Artemis' hunting companions, sworn to celibacy, wouldn’t marry, and made Eros shoot them with golden arrows so they’d fall in love. As punishment for breaking their vows, Artemis turned the huntress into a fountain and left the hunter broken-hearted. In another instance, Apollo teased a young Eros, suggesting he should leave archery to the older Olympians. Eros struck Apollo with a love arrow, causing him to fall for the virginal nymph Daphne, whom he struck with a lead arrow to make her disgusted by romantic advances. Poor Daphne had to be turned into a tree to escape Apollo's affections. As Eros began to reach adulthood, the Titan of Justice, Themis, tutored Eros in hopes he would be less chaotic and spiteful with the application of his enchanted bow and his mother’s arrows.

The inconsiderate monster Typhon snuck into Olympus while Zeus was entangled with the Titan Plouto and held the kidnapped Europa prisoner. Typhon stole Zeus' weapons and set out to conquer or destroy the world. Europa's grandfather demanded that her brother Cadmus, the Titan Pan, and the Olympian Eros find her and bring her back. They arrived when Zeus had switched his affections to Europa, even as he became aware of the chaos caused by Typhon. Zeus demanded that the trio return his lightning. So, Eros used his golden bow to shoot Typhon with an arrow, making him fall in love with Cadmus. Cadmus serenaded Typhon with a pastoral song from Pan about Typhon's impending defeat at the hands of Zeus. Bromance achieved. Typhon, charmed, offered the conspirators whatever they wanted while Zeus slyly retrieved his weapons. Upon realizing their betrayal, Typhon poisoned the atmosphere and waters. Zeus, convinced by Nike, Olympian of Victory, finally killed Typhon. He then promised Cadmus a marriage to Ares and Aphrodite's daughter Harmonia and bid him to build Thebes. With his golden bow in hand, Eros exited the scene with Pan, leaving Europa with Zeus, because all’s well that ends well.

Eros returned to matchmaking via archery, while Zeus’ infidelity spiraled out of control. Learning that Demeter had a beautiful daughter named Persephone, Zeus couldn’t resist. Demeter, fearing Zeus' intentions, consulted the Oracle of Delphi, who confirmed her fears. Zeus fathered Dionysus with Persephone, but the Titans murdered Dionysus out of revenge for being confined to Tartarus. Filled with grief and rage, Zeus flooded the world, making life miserable for mortals. Aion, noticing the Greeks' neglect of annual festivals, asked Zeus to make life better for the mortals. Zeus suggested that the birth of Dionysus would solve their woes. Aion went to Aphrodite, demanding that she have Eros make Zeus fall in love again. Aphrodite chose Europa's daughter, and Eros shot Zeus with a golden arrow from his bow at his mother’s demands. Zeus fathered Dionysus with Europa's daughter, cheering up everyone in Greece, why wouldn't it? Unfortunately, Zeus' infidelity angered Hera, who set Europa's daughter on fire while still carrying Dionysus. Zeus had to make her a lesser goddess to save her and stitch Dionysus to his thigh until he could survive on his own. All of this was completely reasonable.

When Jason, Herakles, and their crew arrived at Colchis aboard The Argo seeking The Golden Fleece, they found themselves at an impasse. Even the grandsons of the King, born from his exiled son, couldn't sway him to part with his prized fleece. Hera and Athena, always resourceful, decided that only romance could solve this conundrum. Obviously. They approached Aphrodite, urging her son, the newly reborn Eros, to shoot the King's youngest daughter, Medea, the witch-priestess of Hecate, with a golden arrow from his bow. Bribed with a bejeweled, golden ball, the ultimate treasure for any young man, Eros complied. Medea, smitten by the arrow's magic, provided Jason, Herakles, and their crew with potions and charms to help them through her father's trials. She then fled with Jason, Herakles, their crew, and her maidens-in-waiting, tricking her pursuing brother, who commanded three ships, so Jason could kill and dismember him. But Zeus decided he’d had enough and blew them off course to land near Libya. After losing most of the Argonauts by carrying their ship across the desert to a distant lake, they were shown the way home by Triton. Naturally, they held a competition to see who could fetch water the best. A point of pride among all men.

Shortly thereafter, at least for a god, Jason found himself breaking his vows to Medea to marry for political advancement. Medea, still the cunning witch, killed his sons and fled to Athens to marry Aegeus. The shenanigans caused by Aphrodite, ordering Eros to shoot others with arrows of love, were far from over. Within the next generation, she had her son fire his bow at Helen, making her fall madly in love with Paris, the son of the King of Troy. This was Paris' reward for choosing Aphrodite as the prettier goddess over Hera and Athena, the love of the most beautiful woman in all of Greece, and a ten-year siege of his homeland that would see his culture lost to myth. What luck! Aphrodite continued her antics throughout the Trojan War, but Eros mostly stayed clear of the conflict. Aegeus wouldn't live to see the Trojan War, though. Medea had his son Theseus sent away, leading Aegeus to believe he was dead until Theseus returned as a young man. After Medea demanded that Theseus prove his heritage by undergoing six labors, Aegeus discovered her treachery and banished her and her daughters. Theseus had already left to kill The Minotaur of Crete, and Aegeus had instructed him to fly white sails if he succeeded. He forgot, silly Theseus, and Aegeus, in his grief, jumped off a cliff, thinking his son had been killed.

The Classical Age


Over a century after the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, Aphrodite grew jealous of a mortal woman whose beauty caused her worshippers to abandon her altars. This woman was Psyche, and Aphrodite ordered Eros to make Psyche fall in love with the ugliest creature on Terra. Eros complied, but as he reached for a golden arrow from his quiver, one of those enchanted arrows nicked his flesh, causing him to fall hopelessly in love with Psyche instead. Eros and Psyche's love affair was a rollercoaster of emotions. Despite Eros wooing Psyche, Aphrodite demanded he return to Olympus. Psyche, in her desperation, lept from a mountaintop, only to be carried to Eros by Zephyr, the Primordial god of the West Wind. Eros built them a palace near her family, but her jealous sisters convinced Psyche to verify his divine nature. Upon discovering her doubt, Eros returned to Olympus, taking the palace with him. Psyche’s sisters, thinking they could replicate her leap and be carried to Eros, were instead left to fall by Zephyr, who saw through their deceit. Psyche, persistent in her love, begged Aphrodite for help. After completing a series of labors given by Eros’ mother, Psyche was made an immortal Olympian with butterfly wings, allowing her and Eros to stay together for eternity.

Cold War Era


Eros found himself in a peculiar predicament. Tasked with keeping the notorious philanderer, Zeus, in check, Eros wielded Cupid's Bow like a pro. His arrows flew with both golden love and lead indifference, aimed to keep Zeus enamored with Hera and Europa while ensuring the fierce Amazons of Themyscira remained blissfully uninterested in romantic escapades. Princess Diana’s heroic feats and godly trials made it increasingly difficult for Eros to maintain the charade. It was less about helping Zeus and more about protecting The Amazons from Hera’s fiery jealousy. Things shifted when Aphrodite had Eros take the form of Steve Trevor to test Diana’s wisdom and resolve. Diana’s triumphs led to an unexpected plea from Queen Hippolyta, Diana’s mother, to spare Steve Trevor’s life. Aphrodite agreed, trapping Eros in Steve’s form for decades. Zeus, ever the lecher, tried his charms on the Amazons, Hera unleashed her wrath in fits of jealousy, and romance throughout the universe became the stuff of fairy tales until Diana finally discovered the truth. Eros was returned to his former self and the exiled Princess of Themyscira was heartbroken once more.

Eros just couldn't catch a break with his matchmaking mojo because, drumroll please, his trusty bow had been filched by the notorious femme fatale, Clarissa Van Dom, who later rebranded herself as Countess Crey. Van Dom hired some mercenaries to nab the bow, but she didn’t quite have the cash when it came time to pay up, yet. Using her natural charm and a promise of future riches, she convinced those dim-witted henchmen to stick around. Armed with one of Eros' golden arrows, Van Dom set her sights on Count Alphonse Crey. One bullseye from Cupid’s Bow later, and the Count was head-over-heels for the first person he laid eyes on. Her. They were quickly wed, and Crey BioTech was born. But the plot thickened when the Count mysteriously slipped into a coma, leaving Van Dom, now Countess Crey, as the CEO of a burgeoning super-corporation. Meanwhile, poor Eros was stuck trying to keep the love alive with a knock-off bow. His matchmaking mishaps reached a peak when he tried to pair She-Hulk with a super-strong, high-tech warrior from the future. The warrior snatched the golden arrow mid-air and swooped She-Hulk away, intent on turning their meet-cute into a fight to the death.

Rarity

Cupid's Bow sprang into being in every reality as soon as Eros did. There was only one true bow born into each world. However, the bow had gone missing in some realities. This meant that Cupid's Bow from other Earths could pop up anywhere, even at the most inconvenient times. The bow wasn't indestructible. It could be shattered, lost to the annals of history, leaving many yearning souls without their destined arrows of love.

Significance

Cupid's Bow had a particular significance during the early universe that seemed to evolve as reality did, and its inhabitants became more complex. As the universe took form, Eros used his bow and golden arrows to match the sun and the day, the moon and the night, and all of the early pairings that created the perceptible cycles of time for primitive peoples. As life for the average being in the universe became less about survival and more about personal growth and scientific advancement, Eros was reborn to Ares and Aphrodite and reclaimed his bow as if to signify the new significance of his role among the Olympians. The power of Cupid's Bow matched with the arrows of gold and lead enchanted by Aphrodite was unrivaled, and could even bewitch gods, Celestials, and Cosmic Beings. Eros employed the bow from that point forward to create matches among legendary lovers or to prevent matches that would be catastrophic on a cosmic scale unless Aphrodite interfered and then calamity of all sorts seemed to erupt including the Trojan War.





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Aliases:

  • Eros' Bow
  • The Lover's Bow

Item Specifics

Item type
Weapon, Ranged
Creation Date
circa 3 Billion BCE
Weight
3 lbs. (1.36 kg)
Dimensions
48" long (122cm)

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