Does anyone know where the Idea of the heart shape came from? Besides the human heart?

Question

Why is love asociated with the shape of a heart, when what you feel in love ususally comes from the groin or other places.

Answer 1

In European traditional art and folklore, the heart symbol is drawn in a stylized shape. This shape is typically colored red, suggesting both blood and, in many cultures, passion and strong emotion. It and diamonds are the two red suits in most playing card decks. The shape is particularly associated with romantic poetry; it is often seen on St. Valentine's Day cards, candy boxes, and similar popular culture artifacts as a symbol of romantic love.

What the traditional "heart shape" actually depicts is a matter of some controversy. It only vaguely resembles the human heart. Some people claim that it actually depicts the heart of a cow, a more readily available sight to most people in past centuries than an actual human heart. However, while beef hearts are more similar to the iconic heart shape, the resemblance is still slight. The shape does resemble that of the three-chambered heart of the turtle, and that of the human male prostate gland, but it is very unlikely that the image was patterned after either of these organs. The double humps atop a stylized heart vaguely recall a human penis head's shape, but a rounded rather than pointed tip would better have captured the likeness.

The "heart" shape could also be considered to depict features of the human female body, such as the female's pubic mound or spread vulva. A Sumerian cuneiform symbol for "woman" closely resembles the heart shape, and is believed to directly depict the pubic mound. Others maintain that the heart resembles the shape of the female breasts or the female buttocks.

Another possible origin can be seen on the coins of the ancient city of Cyrene, some of which depict the seeds or fruit of the now-extinct silphium plant. The seeds are distinctly heart-shaped. Since this plant was widely used as an ancient herbal contraceptive or abortifacient, this shape may have come to be associated with sexuality and love.

Answer 2

because a real heart would scare people!! imagine on valentines day - opening the present - there is a bloody, beating, bleeding heart!!

http://joshuakane.diaryland.com/older.html
http://www.oldpaths.com/Archive/Lockwood/Germaine/Charles/1930/Cosmos/ch05.html

Answer 3

great question, I look forward to reading other people's answers, I don't even have an educated guess!