Symbol of love: This secret lies behind the heart shape

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On February 14, thousands of heart emojis will be sent, paper hearts will be cut and heart-shaped chocolate boxes will be distributed. The symbol of love cannot be missing on the most romantic day of the year. So where does the shape actually come from?

The shape of the red heart with two arches and dots at the bottom has nothing to do with the human organ. The harmonious halves of the symbol roughly correspond to the two heart chambers. However, when the heart-shaped symbol was first used, no one thought of the human heart.

It started in ancient Greece: since ivy is evergreen and long-living, there ivy leaves were considered a sign of eternal love. Vases were painted with climbing plants, and at their weddings the bride and groom were given a sprig of ivy as a symbol of ongoing fidelity.

So leaves with a heart-shaped shape were associated with romance. However, at that time, the heart beating in the human chest was not yet seen as the center of the emotional world. On the contrary, ancient Egyptians believed that conscience and reason were stored here. And the blood-pumping organ had nothing to do with the shape of the ivy leaf. In contrast, Aristotle believed that the human heart looked like a pyramid or a pine cone.

The triangular relationship between the shape of the heart, love and the human organ emerged in the Middle Ages. The Dark Ages adopted the ancient ivy leaf as a symbol of love. Red is also accepted as the color of love. In other words, the ivy leaf in the pictures in love literature was colored accordingly; This is how the red heart we know today was created.

No later than the 13th century, Christianity introduced the connection between the symbolic heart and the part of the human body. The “Heart of Jesus” appears in church images: a flaming red heart shape that the Son of God wears on his chest, where the human heart beats. This place was established as the physical center of love. The Bible says, “You must love God with all your heart.”

Today, this once religious symbol once again represents romantic and erotic feelings in everyday life, just as the ivy leaf did in ancient times. And it’s especially popular in web images: A 2018 Twitter analysis by Brandwatch identified the red heart as the fourth most used emoji (the most popular being the face crying tears of joy). Purple heart and pink double heart ranked 6th and 7th.

The popular symbol of love is used to increase sales on Valentine’s Day. Suddenly everything turns out to be heart-shaped: from picture frames to keychains to napkins. Regina Ellmann, CMO of Geschenkidee.ch, confirms that the heart is an important symbol of the day of love for her business. One of the three most popular Valentine’s Day gifts this year is the heart-adorned “love box.”

The heart is the most universal symbol of love. It makes the organ that bears the name of each romantic rhythm faster. But in times like these, actions speak louder than symbolism.

Source : Blick