Eros - God of Love
EROS was the god of love in Greek mythology.
He was represented as one of the
primeval forces of nature, the son of Chaos, and the embodiment of the harmony
and creative power in the universe. Soon, however, he was thought of as
a
handsome and intense young man, attended by Pothos ("longing")
or Himeros
("desire"). Later mythology made him the constant attendant of
his mother,
Aphrodite, goddess of love.
In Greek art Eros was depicted as a winged
youth, slight but beautiful, often
with eyes covered to symbolize the blindness of love. Sometimes he carried
a
flower, but more commonly the silver bow and arrows, with which he shot
darts of
desire into the bosoms of gods and men.