Erotes

The Erotes were the winged gods of love, a multiplication of the god Eros.

Residence: Mount Olympus
Symbols: Bow, Arrows, Lyre, Candles, Hearts, Wings and Kisses
Parents: Ares and Aphrodite
Siblings: Harmonia, Phobus, Deimus and Adrestia
Roman equivalent: Cupids

Erotes riding birds. Roman mosaic from Utica. Bardo National Museum. (c) theoi.com

The Erotes are a group of winged gods in Classical mythology. They are associated with love and sexual desire, and form part of Aphrodite’s retinue. The individual Erotes are sometimes linked to particular aspects of love, and are often associated with same-sex desire. Sometimes the erotes are regarded as manifestations of a singular god, Eros.

Anterus: the god of requited love.

Eros: the god of love and intercourse.

Hedylogus: the god of sweet-talk and flattery.

Hermaphroditus: the god of hermaphrodites and of effeminate men.

Himerus: the god of desire and unrequited love.

Hymenaeus: the god of weddings, marriage, and the bridal hymen.

Pothus: the god of longing or yearning.

Aphrodite, Eros and the Erotes. Roman fresco from Pompeii. Naples National Archaeological Museum. (c) theoi.com
Eros. Attic red-figure bobbin, c. 470–450 BC.
Aphrodite and chariot of Erotes. Roman mosaic from Thuburbo Maius, 4th c AD. Bardo National Museum. (c) theoi.com

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