Thus may ye seen that wysdom ne richesse,
Beautee ne sleighte, strengthe ne hardynesse,
Ne may with Venus holde champartie,
For as hir list the world than may she gye.
Lo, alle thise folk so caught were in hir las,
Til they for wo ful ofte seyde "allas!"
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. Venus is portrayed at the all-powerful goddess of love, who shares power with no one and rules the world as she pleases. Those who get caught up in her snare inevitably suffer misfortune.