Eros

Origin and nature

Eros is a fundamental power in Greek mythology, associated with attraction, desire, and the union of beings. His nature varies considerably depending on the tradition, making him one of the most complex figures in the Greek pantheon.

In the cosmogony presented by Hesiod, Eros appears at the very beginning of the universe, after Chaos, Gaia, and Tartarus. At this stage, he is not yet the winged god of later mythological imagery, but a primordial force that urges beings toward union and makes the generation of life possible. Through his influence, cosmic entities are able to come together, produce offspring, and gradually establish the structure of the cosmos.

In this archaic perspective, Eros is not a familial god with a defined genealogy. Rather, he represents a universal power acting upon both gods and mortals, capable of mastering hearts and inclining minds toward union.

Eros and Aphrodite

Later in the Theogony, at the birth of Aphrodite from the foam of the sea, Eros appears again alongside Himeros, the personification of ardent desire. The two powers accompany the goddess as she joins the assembly of the gods.

This passage gave rise to numerous interpretations in antiquity. Some authors understood that these divinities of desire were born together with Aphrodite or immediately after her, while others interpreted the scene as the appearance of already existing powers that naturally belong to the retinue of the goddess of love.

In later mythological tradition, this association becomes so strong that Eros is sometimes considered the son of Aphrodite, most often conceived with Ares. However, this filiation does not appear in the earliest versions of the myth.

Evolution of the figure

Over time, the representation of Eros evolves considerably. In archaic and classical art, he often appears as a young winged god accompanying Aphrodite, sometimes alongside other personifications of desire such as Himeros or Pothos.

During the Hellenistic and Roman periods, his image changes again and tends toward that of a playful and capricious winged child armed with a bow and arrows capable of inspiring love in both gods and mortals. This figure would later become the Roman Cupid.

Despite these transformations, Eros always retains the same fundamental function: he embodies the power of desire and attraction that binds beings together and sets the forces of life into motion.