# heart of the matter **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 5, 2010, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heart-of-the-matter/552681 "2010-09-05T11:03:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jponton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/91b2a8/32.png) [@jponton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jponton)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heart-of-the-matter/552681/1 "2010-09-05T11:03:28Z")
What is the origin of the iconic representation of the heart (such as on a playing card)? ---
**Author:** ![ramel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb8c5e/32.png) [@ramel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ramel)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heart-of-the-matter/552681/2 "2010-09-05T11:26:44Z")
I don’t think that anyone knows for sure. My own pet theory based on the medieval heart shape before it evolved into the fatter modern version, is that it was originally based on the shape of female genitalia. ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heart-of-the-matter/552681/3 "2010-09-05T15:46:09Z")
I’ve always thought that it was based on the shape of leaves that prisoners used to scratch out messages on. I have no idea why I believe this. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heart-of-the-matter/552681/4 "2010-09-05T16:17:26Z")
From [Heart symbol - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_(symbol))]Wikipedia > [@](#): > > In European traditional art and folklore, the heart symbol is drawn in a stylized shape. This shape is typically coloured red, suggesting both blood and, in many cultures, passion and strong emotion. The hearts have constituted, since the 15th century, one of the red suits in most playing card decks. The shape is particularly associated with romantic love; 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.[3] It only vaguely resembles the human heart. The seed of the silphium plant, used in ancient times as an herbal contraceptive,[4] has been suggested as the source of the heart symbol.[3][5] > > The heart symbol could also be considered to depict features of the human female body, such as the female’s buttocks, pubic mound, or spread vulva. The tantric symbol of the “Yoni” is another example of a heart-shaped abstraction of a woman’s vulva. > > Inverted heart symbols have been used in heraldry as stylized testicles (coglioni in Italian) as in the canting arms of the Colleonis of Milan.[6] ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heart-of-the-matter/552681/5 "2010-09-05T16:19:43Z")
Real hearts are have two lobes, are tapered at the bottom, and are rounded at the top. (Take a look at images of pig or cow hearts, for example – something that people would have been much more familiar with than human hearts.) The “heart” shape is an iconic representation of this. I don’t see why you need to go looking for an alternate explanation. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heart-of-the-matter/552681/6 "2010-09-07T02:09:22Z")
Cecil’s brief response to the question: [How come valentine hearts don’t look anything like real hearts? - The Straight Dope](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/433/how-come-valentine-hearts-dont-look-anything-like-real-hearts)