Eros (deity)
Eros is a significant deity in ancient Greek mythology, best known as the personification of romantic love, passion, and sexual desire. Often depicted as a handsome youth or cherubic figure with a bow and arrow, he is said to use these tools to induce uncontrollable love in his targets. Eros’s mythology is rich, with tales illustrating his mischievous nature and the chaos he can create through love's influence. He is commonly identified as the son of Aphrodite (the goddess of love) and Ares (the god of war), though different myths suggest various parentage, including Hermes or Zeus.
In addition to his role as a bringer of desire, Eros is part of a group known as the Erotes, which includes his siblings Anteros, Himeros, and Pothos, each representing different aspects of love. Notably, Eros features prominently in the myth of Eros and Psyche, where he falls in love with a mortal, leading to a series of trials that ultimately unite them. Eros was also recognized in Roman culture as Cupid, retaining similar attributes and symbolism. His imagery and stories have influenced art, literature, and modern celebrations, such as Valentine's Day, where he continues to symbolize love and affection.
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Subject Terms
Eros (deity)
Symbol: Bow; arrows; candles; hearts; wings; kisses
Culture: Greco-Roman
Mother: Aphrodite
Father: Ares
Siblings: Adrestia; Anteros; Deimos; Harmonia/Concordia; Himeros; Phobos; Pothos
Children: Hedone/Voluptas
Eros is a god from ancient Greek mythology. He is the personification of romantic love, including passion and sexual desire. He also is related to fertility and procreation. Typically, his tools are a bow and arrow, and he uses them make people fall in love. His chooses a target and shoots an arrow into his or her heart. Instantly, the person falls in love with whoever is close at hand. The sensation of desire is beyond the person’s control. In some myths, Eros uses a flaming torch in place of an arrow to light a heart afire. Often, he is portrayed as mischievous, careless, or unsympathetic, causing frenzy with his arrows without a care for the consequences.
In most versions, Eros is the son of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, and Ares, the god of war. Hermes, Zeus, and Chaos also have been named as his father in other tales. The Romans called Eros Cupid or Amor. In their legends, he was the son of Venus, the goddess of love, and Mars, the god of war. Mercury, the winged messenger, sometimes is named as Cupid’s father.
Eros’s chief associates are Pothos, who represents longing, and Himeros, who represents desire. One of his siblings, Anteros, is the god of requited love. In some stories, he serves as the opponent to Eros, who could create unrequited love with his bow and arrows. Together, Eros, Anteros, Pothos, and Himeros make up the Erotes, winged gods who symbolize the different forms of love. In Roman mythology, they are known as the Cupids, amorini, or amoretti.
In Mythology
Eros often appears as a character in several Greek myths, such as the story of Apollo and Daphne. In this tale, Eros makes the god fall in love with a nymph. Typically, Eros shoots an arrow, creates chaos and confusion, and sets a plot in motion. However, he does feature in his own myth, the tale of Eros and Psyche.
According to Greek mythology, Psyche was a human princess. Her great beauty inspired men to worship Psyche, making Aphrodite jealous. To seek revenge, the goddess instructed her son Eros to make Psyche fall in love with a hideous beast. However, Eros became mesmerized by the girl’s beauty and fell in love with Psyche himself. He became determined to protect her and carried her away to a secret palace, far from Aphrodite. There, Eros hid his true identity and forbade her from ever gazing upon his face. She vowed to honor his wish.
Eros and Psyche lived in harmony for a time as lovers, until she requested to visit with her sisters. Jealous of Psyche’s good fortune, they decided to trick her. They warned that her lover could be a horrible creature and demanded that she uncover his identity. Psyche complied by sneaking a glance at his face that night while he was sleeping. She was shocked to discover he was a handsome god. Awaking suddenly, Eros learned Psyche had broken her vow. He became enraged and flew off, abandoning her in the palace.
Psyche, who had fallen in love with Eros, was desperate to win him back. She searched the world for him, and her quest led her to Aphrodite. The goddess demanded the girl perform a series of difficult and dangerous tasks. First, she had to sort through an enormous pile of grains. Ants helped her complete the job. Next, Aphrodite demanded that she collect wool from a dangerous, golden sheep. Psyche completed this task by gathering wool that had snagged on thorn bushes. For the third task, the girl had to gather water from a cliff too high for humans to reach. However, an eagle completed the assignment on her behalf.
For the final task, Aphrodite demanded that Psyche retrieve a box that held the elixir of beauty from Proserpina, the queen of the underworld. To travel there, Psyche had to kill herself. Eros rescued the girl from death and promised to never leave her again. Psyche was granted immortality by Zeus, and she became the personification of the human soul. Eros married her in a ceremony attended by the gods.
Origins & Cults
In Theogony, the ancient Greek poet Hesiod wrote that Eros was a primeval god, and along with Chaos and Gaia he was responsible for the creation of Earth. This is one of Eros’s earliest appearances in ancient Greek mythology. In this version of the myth, Eros represents universal love rather than romantic love. His role was to establish order and harmony in the newly created world. A pre-classical Greek cult of Eros also existed. However, it had little importance in comparison to the cult of Aphrodite.
On ancient vase paintings, Eros appears as an adult or adolescent male. He usually is slender and handsome, and holding a bow and arrow. Typically, Eros is depicted as naked or nearly naked with broad, golden wings. He often wears a crown of roses, a flower frequently associated with this god. Over time, he was depicted as a younger and younger youth. By the Hellenistic period, Eros was shown as a cherub with plump, childlike features. This matches the Roman version, Cupid, who is depicted as a winged infant. In modern times, Cupid often is associated with Valentine’s Day and appears on greeting cards, advertisements, or other materials related to this holiday. Eros also has been shown as part of the Erotes, with his brothers Anteros, Pothos, and Himeros. They appear together in different forms of both Hellenistic and Roman art.
Eros has been portrayed in literature as well. The story of Eros and Psyche appears in the ancient Roman novel, The Golden Ass, which was published late in the second century. In this tale, Eros and Aphrodite are called by their Roman names. However, Psyche retains her Greek name. Different versions of Eros and Cupid have appeared in many other stories from both the past and the present, including movies and television shows.
Bibliography
Bullfinch, Thomas. Bullfinch’s Mythology. New York: Sterling, 1913. Print.
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"Eros." Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2016. Web. 18 Feb 2016. <http://www.britannica.com/topic/Eros-Greek-god>.
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"Eros." Theoi. Theoi Project, 2015. Web. 18 Feb 2016. <http://www.theoi.com/Ouranios/Eros.html>.
"The Myth of Psyche and Eros." Greek Myths and Greek Mythology. Greek Myths and Greek Mythology, 2016. Web. 18 Feb 2016. <http://www.greekmyths-greekmythology.com/psyche-and-eros-myth/>.