Many divinities have been said to preside over affairs of the heart.  In ancient Greece, the most famous was Aphrodite.  Eros, her son, has much in common with Kama, the Hindu love god; in both West and East, love is an archer whose arrows will reach even the most resolute of hearts.

Aphrodite (Venus)  Aphrodite embodied all aspects of sexuality.  Her father, Uranos, was castrated in a fight for supremacy in heaven; she was born from the sea at the place where his genitals fell.  The Romans fused the goddess with their own Venus, a minor fertility deity.

William Bourgeaureau

Kama Kama is a vigorous youth.  He is an archer, as is Eros, and flies on a parrot or sparrow, accompanied by a honeybee, which  symbolizes the sweetness of love and its sting.
 
 

Flaming Heart  The burning heart represents sexual passion and love's benign radiance.  From China to ancient Mexico, the heart has been revered as the seat of the emotions.  However, as a love symbol it may be a stylized representation of the female genitalia.
 
 

Shooting Star  In Italy, anyone who sees a shooting star on St. Lawrence's Day, August 10th, will dream of their future beloved.

Myrtle Myrtle, an evergreen shrub bearing white flowers, was sacred to the love goddess Aphrodite.  In the Near East is was believed that if its leaves crackled when held in the hand, the one you loved would be yours forever.
 
 

Yin and Yang  The chinese thought that the Yin and Yang are opposing but interdependent forces that govern the universe.  Yin is passive and feminine, while Yang is active and masculine.

Sun and Moon  Just as the Moon in most cultures symbolizes female sexuality, the sun is seen as male.  In astrology, the sun represents desires of the heart.
 
 

HoneyAs well as being an aphrodisiac, honey was once said to impart fertility.  The Mother Bee was another name for Demeter, the ancient greek goddess of fertility.

Seafood The supposed aphrodisiac properties of seafood relate to its association with the sea-born Aphrodite.  Oysters symbolize female genitalia, while shrimp stand for the male sexual organs.
 
 

Beauty and the Beast  Tales of a maiden who falls in love with a monster show the value of true love.  The maiden overcomes her repulsion of the beast and learns to love him for himself.

Achilles and Penthesilea  At the siege of Troy, the Greek hero, Achilles slew Penthesilea, queen of the Amazons, a fierce race of women warriors.  At the precise moment of her death, he fell in love with her.

Echo and Narcissus  As the nymph Echo pined away to unrequited love for the beautiful Narcissus, she cursed him to fall in love with his own reflection.  He, too, pined away and was transformed at his death into the flower that now bears his name.