The Lion and I discussed where the symbol for the heart came from. She was told it was modeled after a frog heart . . . Here's what I found.



coinage of Cyrene, which features a seed pod of the revered plant

Perhaps the first known use of the heart shape comes from the 7thcentury BC, in Cyrene. In that city, at that time, Silphium was a plant so highly prized for it's use as birth control that it became extinct. The seeds of Silphium were shaped like hearts, however, making historians believe that the heart shape we know today was based upon this early form of birth control.

Much later, heart symbols show up in stained glass windows, symbolizing the soul or love of Jesus. (Perhaps because the roman soldier who pierced Jesus' heart at the time of the crucifixion saw blood and water flow from Christ's heart.) Later still, the Catholic Church claimed the symbol of the heart originated with St. Margaret Marie Alacoque, who had a vision in the 17th century where she saw a heart shape surrounded by a crown of thorns.

In the Middle Ages, the heart sign was associated with signs for union, togetherness, fire, and flight. More recently, in Sweden, the symbol was used to denote a coed toilet. On an ancient Greek amphora, hearts represented leaves on Dionysus' wreath, although later, the heart's association with Eros, god of sexual love, and Cupid, his Roman counterpart, prevailed. Apparently Aztecs, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, Celts, and Taoists all use this fortuitous symbol.