2/28/07

Calon Lân - Heart Symbol

Mae pob Llwy Garu yn cynnwys nifer o symbolau sydd yn rhoi ystyr unigryw iddi. Un o'r symbolau mwyaf cyson i'w weld yw'r galon (♥). Rydym wedi gwneud peth ymchwil i darddiad y symbol ei hunan, a'i gysylltiad gyda cariad neu Serch, a dyma'r canlyniad...

Every Welsh love Spoon features many symbols, that give the spoon an unique meaning. One of the most consistent symbols featured on the Lovespoon, is the heart
(♥). We have researched the origin of the heart symbol, and its connections with Love and affection. Here are our findings...

Press here to view our full collection of Celtic Love Spoons.
The symbol of the heart is an ancient one, and difficult to trace.

It certainly makes sense that the heart was thought to be the centre of emotions; haven't we all felt pangs in our heart when we're sad and skips in the heart when we're excited? But why was the heart shape chosen to represent the organ, when certainly even the ancients knew better?

Perhaps the first known use of the heart shape comes from the 7th century BC, in the North African city-state of 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 making historians believe that the heart shape we know today was based upon this early form of birth control.

Some historians have tried to argue that the heart shape originated with the Ancient Egyptian concept of the 'soul' or ab, "the heart... the source of good and evil within a person, the moral awareness and centre of thought that could leave the body at will, and live with the gods after death, or be eaten by Ammut as the final death if it failed to weigh equally against Ma'at."

Much later, heart symbols show up in stained glass windows, symbolizing the soul or love of Jesus - perhaps because the Roman Centurion 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.

For further information on the heart symbol, please visit the wikipedia 'Heart Symbol' page.