Matters of the Heart

There is a universal symbol recognizable in every country throughout the world that transcends any language barriers or cultural differences.  It can easily be typed, tweeted, blogged, or added to finish a Facebook status, and can change the meaning of even the most mundane of sentences.  Yes, we are talking about the <3 symbol.


How did this simple little symbol take on such a powerful meaning?  There are three theories (and probably countless more) all of which could very possibly be true:


The first theory stems from the ancient belief that all emotions, especially love, originated from the organ of the heart, and that the modern day heart shape was a (very) rudimentary sketch of such organ.  Because it was much easier to view the heart of a cow in those times, rather than that of a human, there seems to be a bit stronger resemblence to a cattle heart, as seen here:

The second theory is based on the belief that the modern day hear symbol was drawn to represent the anatomy of a woman's body, and therefore to represent fertility.  Women are the ones who give birth, thus the curves of a woman's breasts or hips (and of the heart symbol) in a way symbolize the love between man and woman, and ultimately within a family. 

The third theory is that the heart shape represents the seed and leaf of the Silphium plant, which in ancient times was used as a spice, as well as to treat fertility issues.  Because of its role as a fertility drug, the shape initially represented physical love and intimacy, and eventually emotional love as well.  The sad part about this theory, though, is that the Silphium plant is now extinct, and has been for decades.

It's interesting to think about how the heart shape evolved throughout time, to eventually represent such a heart-pounding, sweaty-palm, war-inducing, poetry-inspiring emotion as it does today.  The heart shape can be found on everything from greeting cards, to jewelry like our Swarovski Crystal heart shaped charms:

This one small symbol, is truly powerful and is readily recognized by virtually every race, culture, and religion all over the world, yet we aren't even sure of its origins.  Whether this cute little character came from the chest of a cow, the breast of a woman, or the seed of a plant, we may never know, but we hope it never disappears because regardless of its origin LoveNyla loves all matters of the heart.