Love is a complex emotion that means different things to different people. For some, love may be associated with passion, romance, and attraction. For others, love encompasses caring, closeness, and commitment. Though people may define love differently, most would likely agree that pure love represents an ideal – the most authentic, altruistic form of love. But what exactly is the symbol of this kind of unconditional, sacrificial love? There are a few key symbols that have come to represent the purity and power of true love.
The Heart
One of the most ubiquitous symbols of love and affection is the heart shape. The iconic, symmetrical heart has come to represent love in many forms – romantic, platonic, familial, compassionate, spiritual, and so on. But why has the heart shape become so attached to the concept of love? The connection may originate with the ancient Greeks, who believed the heart was the source of human emotions. The philosopher Aristotle, for example, thought the heart was the seat of thoughts, emotions, and soul. Later on, the influential Roman physician Galen echoed these sentiments about the heart being responsible for love and emotions. Although we now know the brain is the seat of emotions, this early connection between the heart and love stuck.
The distinctive shape itself likely began as early attempts at drawing anatomical hearts, which don’t look much like the symbol. But the shape gradually became stylized into the familiar heart icon. In the Middle Ages, the heart shape began to be used in art and manuscripts to represent love and romance. By the 1500s, the symbol had become closely associated with the concept of true love, and Shakespeare even uses the heart icon to denote love in his plays. So while the anatomical heart doesn’t actually look much like the heart symbol, this distinctive shape emerged across cultures and eras to depict love – and in particular, pure, romantic love.
Cupid
Another famous symbol of love is Cupid – the cherubic angel-like being often depicted with a bow and arrows. In classical mythology, Cupid is the son of Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. According to legend, Cupid assaults his victims with gold-tipped arrows that fill them with uncontrollable desire and longing. Cupid imagery permeated Renaissance art and literature as a symbol of both divine and earthly love. But over time, the Cupid figure came to represent a more innocent, affectionate, and purer love associated with Valentine’s Day and pop culture. The image of Cupid aiming his frolicsome arrows at prospective lovers endures today as an allegory for the overwhelm and euphoria of new love.
While the Roman version of Cupid conveys love at first sight and passion, the ancient Greek counterpart Eros represents a cosmic, idealized love. According to Greek philosopher Plato, Eros embodies love in its purest form – a divine, ideal love that brings harmony and illuminates truth. The arrows of Eros represent a spiritual awakening and the shared desire to go beyond surface affection. Cupid and his arrows continue to symbolize pure love partially because they represent the overwhelming, mysterious experience of falling in love. The Cupid imagery captures both the excitement and fear of allowing yourself to be consumed by selfless devotion to another.
White Doves
Cupid iconography frequently includes two white doves, which have also become an independent symbol of pure, innocent love. Doves mate for life, so they represent fidelity, loyalty, and commitment in the context of relationships. Their gentle nature and white color evoke peace, gentleness, and affection. Doves appear in numerous biblical stories as messengers or symbols of devotion, sacrifice, and new beginnings. The presence of doves signifies the renewal of relationships or the dawn of true, meaningful connection with others. In many mythologies and spiritual traditions, doves convey the breath of life or divine feminine energy. Two doves together thus symbolize the sacred union between lovers, mind/body duality, and the essence of creation.
At weddings in particular, dove imagery highlights the purity of love and companionship the couple is committing to. Doves can be depicted entwined, inscribed with wedding rings, or simply framed together. Releasing doves following the ceremony represents the launch of a harmonious shared future, guided by gentleness, trust, and devotion. The dove motif remains a popular way to symbolize the innocence and potency of true love – both romantic and divine.
Roses
Throughout history, different colored roses have carried diverse symbolic meaning. But red roses in full bloom have become the quintessential symbol for romantic, passionate love. The red rose has accumulated cultural meaning as the definitive gift to express love and longing. Why? The vibrant red color indicates intense emotion and the bloom’s beauty epitomizes attraction. Greek myth claims the red rose sprung from the blood of Adonis, linking it with love unto death. “The rose speaks of love silently, in a language known only to the heart,” wrote early Lebanese-American poet Kahlil Gibran, capturing the ineffable romance the red rose conveys.
While red roses represent romantic love, the white rose symbolizes spiritual, innocent or heavenly love. As a bloom that can mean sincerity because of its delicate plainness, the white rose conveys purity of intentions or actions. In literature and art, white roses represent unity, virtue, and true love. The thornless white rose in particular stands for love at its highest level – unconditional and without obstacle. Both red and white roses appear in stories, songs, and artistic depictions of pure love throughout the ages.
Clasped Hands
One of the oldest graphic symbols of human connection, clasped hands represent agreement, unity, affection, love, and trust across many cultures. Handshake imagery appeared in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics and Greek/Roman art as a gesture of greeting, friendship, or marriage. The significance of two hands joined carries through to modern times in varied contexts. Hamsa amulets depicting symbolic hands convey protection and blessings, including for relationships and love. Irish Claddagh rings feature two clasped hands at the crown, symbolizing love, loyalty, and friendship. Similarly, two hands clasped over a heart is a popular romantic emoji denoting adoration and commitment.
The basic symbol of two hands joined speaks to the power of human relationships and the meaning shared touch can have. Specifically, the hands clasped motif represents the purity of intentions and connection found in selfless, unconditional love. Whether stamped on wedding bands or worn as an emblem of shared purpose, clasped hands remain one of the most poignant symbols of love’s ties that bind. Love infuses this ancient gesture with deeper relationship significance that transcends culture or era.
The Mermaid
An unlikely symbol of ideal love is the mythical mermaid – half woman, half fish. Mermaids originate in ancient folklore and represent danger, destruction, and temptation. However, by the 19th century, the mermaid figure underwent a sea change in Western culture. The alluring, watery siren became an object of wistful affection associated with magical realism, sacrifice, and eternal love. Mermaids turned up frequently in Victorian art and poetry to represent unrequited love, intense longing, and the dual nature of women. The dominant Christian viewpoint emphasized the mermaid’s positive, pure qualities like grace, generosity, and love. Hans Christian Andersen’s bittersweet tale The Little Mermaid further transformed the mermaid into a tragic dreamer willing to give up everything for love.
Today the mermaid remains an emblem of pure love and idealism. The fish half embodies fluidity, the subconscious, and feminine energy while the woman half is human longing and love. As a mythic creature willing to cross boundaries for devotion, the mermaid came to signify love, hope, and the soul’s journey. The mermaid represents the transformational power of love and the union of opposites – above and below, spirit and matter. Although still associated with danger, modern mermaid imagery emphasizes dreaming, trusting one’s inner voice, and believing in the possibility of pure love.
The Tree of Life
An ancient and universal symbol, the tree of life represents immortality, eternity, knowledge, power, and protection. Trees span from roots below to branches above, signifying the connection between heaven and earth. Many spiritual traditions incorporate trees of life that hold up the cosmos and provide divine knowledge. The branches reaching skyward convey the longing for transcendence associated with ideal love. As a source of nourishment and shelter, the tree offers a powerful metaphor for the refuge and meaning found in relationships. Trees change with the seasons but their roots remain steadfast – representing the lasting bonds between lovers.
The tree of life motif occurs across many cultures, including Egyptian, Chinese, Norse, and Kabbalah. Two trees entwined symbolize the sacred marriage between masculine and feminine energy. Trees planted near temples unite the earthly and divine. This union reflects the pure, spiritual love between partners or between humanity and the forces of creation. Trees represent the history of relationships as they grow, change, endure seasons, and provide renewal. Regardless of the specific culture, the tree of life stands as a symbol of the wisdom of patience, connection, and understanding found in unconditional love.
Rainbows
Both scientifically and symbolically, the rainbow bridges earth and sky. Rainbows only occur when sunshine and rain come together – representing the combination of opposites and the transformational power of love. In Greek mythology, the rainbow Goddess Iris links the human world with the realm of gods as a messenger. Many cultural traditions feature rainbows as bridges, messengers, or arrows showing direction and connection. For Hindus, rainbows represent the nadis, or channels crossing the body to connect energy centers. In Chinese mythology, the Rainbow Bridge unites heaven and earth. Most famous perhaps is the rainbow God sends Noah after the flood representing hope, promise, and protection.
Rainbows also represent beauty, dreams coming true, and mystery. When applied to relationships, rainbows signify the magic, creativity, and intimacy found in loving partnerships. Double rainbows convey completeness, fulfillment, and the wonder of pure love. Rainbows have become prominent symbols in LGBTQ+ communities as well, representing diversity, acceptance, and the spectrum of identity. Although rainbows fade quickly, they inspire joy and move through skies and cultures to bridge realities. For idealistic love, rainbows evoke the ephemeral, mystical beauty of true connections.
The Rose Cross
Many esoteric traditions incorporate the rose cross as a symbol of balance, wisdom, and transmutation. Also known as the rosy cross or rose croix, the symbol combines the rose – representing love and beauty – with the cross – representing sacrifice and selection. Together, the rose placed on the cross’s intersection points conveys purification and spirituality rising above desire. In the Western esoteric tradition, the rose cross represents the balance of faith and science, matter and spirit, body and soul. Alchemists adopted the symbol to represent raising base metals to the perfection found in gold.
By integrating the flash of human passion with the groundedness of spiritual devotion, the rose cross exemplifies the purity of sacred sexuality and eternal love. The cross bar signifies choice and sacrifice while the rose offers perfection, regeneration, and divine love. As a synthesis of opposites, the rose cross symbolizes the interdependence between human and divine. For relationships, the rose cross stands for the marriage between romance, friendship, spirituality, and meaning created when lovers choose spiritual growth together. The integrate wisdom of the rose cross thus epitomizes the purity and bliss attainable in ideal love.
Conclusion
Symbols represent complex concepts in simplified images that resonate across cultures. For the multifaceted experience of pure, unconditional love, many symbols attempt to capture its magic and meaning. Hearts represent the emotion, Cupid the intoxication, doves the harmony, roses the passion, hands the connection, mermaids the longing, trees the endurance, rainbows the awakening, and rose crosses the balance embodied in sacred love. While each symbol approaches love differently, together they provide a beautiful tapestry of meaning around love in its most ideal form. These symbols also shape how we experience and express true love – through gifts, art, language, and rituals. Love transforms from an abstract concept to a state of being through these cultural symbols, which help lovers crystallize devotion into keepsakes and customs for generations to come. Pure love may be difficult to define, but its diverse symbols help reflect and distill its essence down to uplifting iconography and tangible expressions. From mythical to anatomical, playful to passionate, the symbols of pure love collectively guide us toward living out this highest ideal.