Have you noticed how the heart we doodle looks nothing like the real one, not even on a foggy day?

If you look at a cartoon heart and then at a real one (the one thumping inside you), you’ll see they’re as similar as chalk and cheese. Basically, not at all.

A proper, organic heart is more like a fist with tubes, but the red symbol everyone draws is way more sleek and cute.

The funny thing is that this drawing didn’t come from painters who studied medicine, it came from century after century of people scribbling and refining the vibe.

Where does the heart shape come from?

No one knows for sure, but there are a few theories lurking around that we absolutely love. One says that thousands of years ago people drew ivy leaves, the kind that twist around and hug forest trees, to show that two people were bound together. Another theory says it comes from an ancient plant called silphium, whose seeds had that exact shape, and it was used so much to talk about love that it basically became love’s official logo. Over time, artists rounded the corners until we got the heart we know today: ❤️.

Why does everyone draw the simplified heart?

Picture this. You want to tell someone you love them with a quick drawing in the sand or on the fogged-up window of their ride. If you had to draw a real heart with all its veins and ventricles, you’d be there forever. The little heart icon won because it’s easy to repeat: two curves, a point downwards, and boom, message delivered. It’s like a secret code everyone understands in one second without having to be some big-time artist.

In the forests of Taramundi, we know the important thing isn’t that the drawing is perfect, it’s that when someone gets it they go, “yep, that hit me right in the heart”. Sometimes the simplest thing is what leaves the deepest mark.