Symbol: Heart

Bob Docevski tells us that, "The heart shape is the universal symbol of romantic love, expressing the idea of the heart in its metaphorical or symbolic sense as the core of emotion, affection and love.
"Some theorize the heart symbol evolved from a now-extinct plant with birth control and medicinal properties used in ancient Greece and Rome; some believe it emerged during the Middle Ages as scientists tried to draw the ancient anatomical writings of Aristotle and Galen.
"Up until the late 1300s, the heart was shown upside-down in paintings, but in the first half of the 15th century, the dent started to appear at the bottom, small at first, and the heart began to be shown with the dent at the top, as we know it today. By the 1800s, it was used commonly on cards, candy and elsewhere, and has since become an integral part of worldwide visual communication." [thevintagenews.com]