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Top 17 Symbols of Unconditional Love With Meanings

Top 17 Symbols of Unconditional Love With Meanings

When you talk about unconditional symbols, you likely think of contemporary symbols of love like chocolate, hearts, and dazzling jewelry from all over the globe. Although these items are lovely demonstrations of love and dedication, there are a plethora of additional unique symbols of unconditional love that have been used to depict love throughout history.

Love symbolism has existed for ages. There are many unique and beautiful love symbols from all around the globe and throughout history.

So, what does love represent?

Pages of ancient legends are devoted to lovers’ attempts to find and maintain their ideal partners. It’s no wonder that presents were offered as tokens of affection for one another during the time. Most of these emblems still persist, although others have fallen out of favor.

Here are the top 15 symbols of unconditional love:

1. Heart

A drawn heart.
A drawn heart
Image by kaboompics from Pixabay

Since it is the world’s most universal and well-known symbol of love, the heart has become a symbol of love. The flower is a lily, which represents the beginning of compassion, romantic love, and caring. For thousands of years, the heart has been the most well-known emblem of unconditional love.

2. The Harp 

A harp kept in a garden.
A harp kept in a garden
Image courtesy: pxhere.com

The harp is a sign of love within Celtic culture, serving as a link between earth and heaven.

The harp’s strings are said to resemble a ladder in Iceland and Norway, signifying the ascension to higher levels of love. Due to their delicate tones, harps have also been utilized in love ballads in the past.

In Christianity, the harp is regarded as a significant symbol. King David is supposed to have played the Harp before the Lord to proclaim his everlasting love and devotion.

3. Swans

White swans.
White swans
Image courtesy: pikrepo.com

These white birds have been used as symbols of love for a long time and are seen all over the globe, meaning love and dedication.

Swans mate for life and are often captured with their beaks together and their necks forming a heart shape. They are linked to the ancient Roman and Greek goddesses of love as a sign of love.

4. Rose Quartz 

Rose quartz.
Rose quartz
Image by xtinarson from Pixabay

Ancient Greek, Egyptian, and Chinese stories all mention rose quartz. Since 600 B.C., this pink stone has been a long-standing emblem of love, expressing adoration!

Rose quartz is supposed to build self-love while also attracting the type of romantic love and relationships you’re looking for when used in conjunction with meditation and intention work.

Some even suggest that wearing rose quartz would turn you into a “love magnet.”

Rose quartz is a gemstone that signifies tranquility and unconditional love. It aids in opening the heart, teaching the genuine meaning of love, and profound healing. People wear the stone to remind themselves to love themselves and practice acceptance so that they may attract the things they really want!

5. Claddagh 

Claddagh rings among purple hydrangeas.
Claddagh rings among purple hydrangeas
Mégane Percier via Pixabay

A crown, a heart, and two hands make up this Celtic love emblem from the Irish tradition.

The Claddagh ring is a traditional jewelry item that is usually worn as an engagement or wedding band, as well as a friendship ring.

A man called Richard is brought into slavery in the Claddagh narrative.  He stole a particle of gold every day throughout his captivity to build a ring for Margaret, his true love. He constructed the ring, fled, and handed it to Margaret once he had enough gold! (She stayed loyal during his absence and accepted his ring!)

6. Apples

Red apple.
Red apple
Photo by PIXNIO

Apples have been used as a sign of unconditional love in Greek and Norse mythology, as well as in ancient Chinese culture. Apples were thought to represent plenty and to help couples form lifelong relationships.

Swinging an apple at others in ancient Greece showed you loved them!

Epigram VII, Plato, says, “I throw the apple at you, and if you are willing to love me, take it and share your girlhood with me; but if your thoughts are what I pray they are not, even then take it, and consider how short-lived is beauty.

Although tossing an apple at your love may not sound very romantic these days, creating an apple pie for someone might be a wonderful contemporary take on an old custom.

7. Cupid

Cupid with a bow.
Cupid with a bow
Nita Knott via pixy.org

Cupid is often shown with an arrow or bow in ancient Roman and Greek art, which he employs to pierce people’s hearts and cause them to fall hopelessly in love.

He is also commonly shown blindfolded to symbolize the blindness of love.

8. The Infinity

The Infinity symbol.
The Infinity symbol
MarianSigler, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The infinite as a sign of love, like the Celtic love knot, is made up of loops that have no beginning or end.

Ancient Greece, India, Rome, and Tibet used infinity as a love symbol.

9. Roses

Red rose.
Red rose
Image courtesy: pxhere.com

Red roses are a contemporary symbol of marriage and love all over the globe, but they were originally used to symbolize devotion in ancient times.

Red roses are often associated with lovely goddesses in Roman and Greek mythology.

Each hue of rose has its meaning:

  • Yellow denotes joyous affection.
  • Red denotes ardent affection.
  • Pink is the color of real love.
  • White symbolizes purity and innocence.

10. Seashells

Seashells.
Seashells
Desarashimi1CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Shells were used as a sign of love in ancient Greece, Rome, and India.

The Greek, Roman, and Hindu deities of love, Aphrodite, Venus, and Lakshmi, are all represented with shells. The strong casing of the shells indicates love’s protectiveness.

11. Maple Leaf

Maple leaf.
Maple leaf
Image by Nick115 from Pixabay

The maple leaf may be the most versatile of all the love symbols!

Maple branches are used by storks in their nests, making the leaf a sign of fertility and the joy of having a new baby.

In Japan and China, the maple leaf is considered one of the most beautiful and sincere love symbols.

To ward off devils and increase sexual pleasure, North American immigrants would arrange the leaves at the footbeds.

The maple leaf is said to signify the wonder and sweetness of love, similar to the sweetness of maple syrup.

12. Ankh

The Egyptian Ankh or the Key of Life.
The Egyptian Ankh or the Key of Life
Devanath via Pixabay

As a protective sign, the Ankh is a popular choice for body art and tattoos. The Ankh, often known as the Cross of Life, Crux Ansata, or the Key to Life, was and continues to be the most well-known love emblem in ancient Egypt.

Due to the loop on top, it mimics a Christian cross. It is a symbol of both immortality and life since it symbolizes both.

13. Kokopelli

Kokopelli.
Kokopelli
Booyabazooka Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

In North America, it is Hopi symbolism. The Kokopelli emblem, known as máhu, depicts insect-like spirits. The spirit-being is depicted as a clumsy grasshopper carrying a wooden flute in the artwork.

Music has a physical and spiritual healing effect that may be felt. Males used love flutes to entice women in Hopi marriage customs. They used it to burn the flutes after getting married, never to play them again.

14. The Love Knot by Triskeles

A classic Celtic love knot.
A classic Celtic love knot
AnonMoos ; Erin Silversmith, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The “Celtic love knot” is another name for the Triskeles, among the earliest Celtic emblems. The three sides represent the elements of water, earth, and fire.

Oneness, love, and endless existence are symbolized by the continuous line. The three sides’ significance is uncertain. However, some symbologists believe they represent movement, motion, or energy.

15. Menat in Afro-Egyptian Culture

Menat Counterpoise.
Menat Counterpoise
Metropolitan Museum of Art, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Afro-Egyptian Menat Hathor‘s goddess name is Menat, known as the Sky-goddess. She is a well-known goddess as well as a sky deity.

She is revered as a patroness of dancing, music, maternal care, and joy for her generosity. In ancient Egypt, women were referred to as Menat. In the afterlife, she acts as a guide, guiding the souls of the departed in their transition.

16. Padme Lotus –Ashtamangala Asia

Padme Lotus / Om Mani Padme Hum Hri.
Padme Lotus / Om Mani Padme Hum Hri
© Christopher J. Fynn / Wikimedia Commons

The Padme flower, often known as the Lotus flower, has many different meanings. Harmony is symbolized by an eight-petal lotus, whereas a 1,000-petal lotus symbolizes enlightenment.

A lotus bloom or seed is a symbol of possibility. “Om Mane Padme” is a Buddhist mantra that means “the diamond in the lotus.” Everyone has the ability to become enlightened.

The Padme’s color and how it is used may alter its significance. White is a color that symbolizes purity and perfection.

17. Asian Chakras -Anahata Heart Chakra

Anahata chakra
Atarax42, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

The word “unstuck” is Anahata, which is positioned in the center. Buddhists refer to it as the Dharma. It’s a symbol of harmony, well-being, compassion, and caring. 

The green lotus flower featuring the twelve petals appears in the emblem. It has a “yantra” – two crossing triangles – that represents men and women coming together.

Summary

These 17 symbols of unconditional love represent a bond like no other! 

Header image courtesy: pxhere.com