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For this Valentine's Day we have a love god that might just be the farthest outlier on the scope of love gods in the world.

The first aspect of Aizen-Myoo that we need to discuss is the several different iterations that he went through. Aizen-Myoo is the Japanese form of his name, and this is the last form of him to come into being. He original was Ragaraja, a Hindu deity. He then became adapted into Buddhism in India, which then traveled to China where he became Airan Mingwang. From there he was able to be picked by the Japanese Shinto religion, which then integrated more with Buddhism over time. When in Japan he became Aizen-Myoo, which is probably his more recognized form. Today he is mainly regarded as a Buddhism deity.

Most gods aren't able to travel through so many different places and religions without becoming a completely different deity by the end of it. That's not what happened with Aizen-Myoo. He managed to retain who he was through each place he was brought into as well as keeping the same role that he first came into being with. As well, Aizen-Myoo managed to keep the same form throughout his travels.

He is described as having red skin and usually six arms, though he is sometimes shown with two or four. Each of his arms holds a different item: a lotus flower, a bell, a bow, an arrow, a vajra (which is a thunderbolt/diamond), and something that he keeps enclosed in a fist that we can't see. He is said to have three eyes, the third in the middle of his forehead, and wears a lion's head mask atop his head. Also, he is often seen seated in the lotus position.

Aizen-Myoo is a love god, but not in the way one would think of a love god, which you probably realized from his physical decision. In the early years of Aizen-Myoo's life he was regarded as a regular love god, but he was eventually elevated to one of the five/eight Wisdom Kings this role changed greatly (the number of Wisdom kings differs depending on whether one is following Chinese Buddhism or Vajrayana Buddhism.) He was no longer just a god of love, but he evolved into a god of enlightenment. This is most often explained as Aizen-Myoo advocated for lustful love to turn towards enlightenment.

He may seem as far away from love as a love god could possibly be, but I don't think that's an accurate description of him. Aizen-Myoo has largely been worshiped by prostitutes, landlords, and homosexuals. While landlords are the the seemingly random worshipers here, they have their reasons for praying to this god as Aizen-Myoo is said to help create a well-functioning home and or business, both of which apply to landlords. Prostitutes make sense because most love gods are associated with them for obvious reasons. The same idea works for homosexuals, as most love gods are also connected to same sex relationships.

What's interesting, and rather comforting, about Aizen-Myoo is the type of love that he advocated for. He pushed for the removal of pure lust from a relationship and instead called for a true love, based on more than just physical attraction. And yes, he also wanted people to achieve enlightenment, but this was through having a great love for all things.

That's a fairly original thought concept when it comes to love gods, as most of them deal largely with physical and sexual attraction between people. But Aizen-Myoo is more focused on long term relationships, ones built on the pure affection and care that people have for one another. Of all the messages that could be sent out on a day that is meant for those in love, it's nice to know that there are gods out there that focus on love that last for lifetimes.