May, the Month of Love and Kisses

May, the month of love. A time when nature's life force is in full swing, everything is courting, and passions are running high. Karel Hynek Mácha earned immortality in school textbooks thanks to this season, even if his aura as a romantic lover is slightly tarnished by all the pornographic filth he wrote in his secret encrypted diary. But that's part of May, too. Love drives many events and stories, including those in the worlds of sci-fi and fantasy. In the end, it doesn't matter if it's love for a princess, a hero, or a precious little ring-bearer.

Such love often begins subtly. But when things go well, you soon reach the first base – the kiss. For most cultures, that's the last thing a hungry reader or viewer gets to see. Heroes keep the rest private, or show it elsewhere in adult content. We've found a few iconic kisses that shook the world.

The Spider-Man Kiss

Peter Parker may be a capable and confident hero who swings through New York, hunts criminals, and makes a mess everywhere with his webs, but in real life, he's a shy nerd who struggles with social interactions. It's no wonder it took Peter a long time to even get his true love, Mary Jane Watson, to notice him. Patience paid off, and eventually, they shared their iconic, artistic kiss.

You don't need to get bitten by a radioactive spider to pull that off. A Spider-Man kiss can be done right from your couch. The person being kissed (or the one standing on the ground) just needs to be careful not to drip too much into their partner's nose…

The Wizard Kiss

I always thought Hermione would end up with Harry. Even J. K. Rowling herself wasn't a huge fan of her relationship with Ron. Still, it was fun watching those two gradually fall for each other, moving from reluctant friends through all those cute blunders and misunderstandings. They say opposites attract for a reason.

It took them long enough! Eager readers and viewers had to wait until the second half of The Deathly Hallows before both youngsters found the courage to swap spit. But it was worth it!

The Puppy Kiss

One of the most famous kisses in cinema history surprisingly comes from the 1955 animated classic Lady and the Tramp. The famous spaghetti scene almost didn't make it into the Disney film at all. It's a classic story where a young, rebellious lady from high society falls for an outcast and tries to change him. Who hasn't been there!

It's quite a paradox that this kissing scene became so iconic, even though it's two cartoon dogs… But whatever. If you don't love it, you have no heart! Personally, though, I'm not a fan. Just like Joey from Friends, I don't like sharing my food. Let alone having my beloved stick her snout into my lunch!

The Elf Kiss

It seems that for Tolkien, friendship was more important and powerful than love. Let's not speculate about what Legolas and Gimli were doing when no one was looking… Few people got to enjoy romance during the War of the Ring. Even poor Éowyn got rejected by Aragorn and had to settle for the eternal runner-up, Faramir. Even Sam was motivated more by his love for Frodo than for Rosie Cotton.

Without a doubt, Aragorn enjoyed the most romance, driven by his immortal love for the elf Arwen. It's a reincarnation of another Middle-earth couple, Beren and Lúthien. Elves can mingle with mortal men. After all, that's how the most famous houses that ruled Middle-earth were born. They often pay a high price for it, though, and must give up their immortality. Now that's what I call a fated love!

The Awkward Kiss

Just imagine it: you're stuck in the desert your whole life, your only friend is a chatty robot, and there's nothing but sand and weird aliens everywhere. What's a young guy to do when he starts discovering his body and wants to do all those fun things, ideally with someone of the same species and, if things go well, the opposite sex? Luke Skywalker definitely had the worst luck; he manages to get out of that desolate hole called Tatooine, but the first woman he kisses turns out to be his own sister! That's a bummer.

And what's more, she only kisses him to spite another guy, some smuggler named Han. Imagine the embarrassment. No wonder Luke tried to do something that would make this unfortunate event be forgotten. He'd rather go destroy the Death Star than risk the galaxy far, far away remembering him as the guy who kissed his sister.

author Karel Krajča