interpreted as Eros-Cupid, as a symbol of the sexual union between the goddess and Anchises, but perhaps alluding also the scene in the Aeneid when Dido holds Cupid disguised as Ascanius in her lap as she falls in love with Aeneas. ^ "Questia.com" . Questia.com . http://www.questia.com/library/encyclopedia/venus-in-roman-religion-and-mythology.jsp . Retrieved 2012-06-21 .