1. Eros
God of Love

2. Contents Slide 3 – About Eros Slide 4 – Eros and Psyche
Slide 5 – A meaningful name
Slide 6 – Eros and his many names
Slide 7 – Masterpiece of Eros discovering Psyche
Slide 8 – Quick facts on Eros
Slide 9 – The many forms of Eros
Slide 10 – A modern perspective

3. Quick facts on Eros
Eros was depicted as a small winged boy, but in earlier pictures he was shown as a fully grown man.
Eros was always associated with his bow and arrow and he was sometimes depicted riding a Dolphin or a Lion.
Eros was said to be a very inspiring god and was easy to love.
Eros was the son of the goddess of love Aphrodite and Ares the god of War. Eros was said to have been the creator of Okeanos and Tethys who were early Greek deities.
Eros was often referred to as Cupid by Roman writers and translators.

4. Eros and Psyche
Some say there are two Eros’s, the elder who is the early god, and the other who is the eternally young son of Aphrodite. The "elder" Eros was the cause of the birth of the race of immortal gods and goddesses. The "younger" Eros is the one depicted as a winged boy, the son of Aphrodite, considered to be both the most beautiful and the youngest of the gods.
But even in this form, kids grow up. Problems ensue when Eros (called Cupid in this story) falls in love with Psyche. His radiance is such that for her own safety, he insists that she must never look upon his face, and he only visits her at night. At first, she is ok with this, but her sisters and family insist that her husband must be a grotesque and dangerous monster. Finally, tired of their arguing, one night she lights a lamp and sees his glorious beauty, which doesn't blast her but does make her tremble so hard she shakes the lamp. A few drops of hot oil dribble on her beloved, burning him, and he flies away from her in physical pain compounded by the pain of knowing she doubted him.
His mother, Aphrodite, is angry over the injury and over the concealed relationship. While Cupid recovers, Aphrodite hopes to get Psyche out of the way permanently by making life extraordinarily difficult for her daughter-in-law. This takes the form of various potentially deadly tasks such as dropping by to get some beauty lotion from Persephone in the Underworld, and, while you're out, Psyche, could you pick up some bottled water from the River of the Dead.
But Cupid eventually recovers, comes to her rescue, and they marry. As is appropriate, the God of Love gets a happy-ever-after.

5. Psyche discovers Eros

6. A meaningful Name
The word ‘Erotic’, meaning ‘sexual love’, comes from the name of Eros. However, in ancient times his quality of love was thought to be spiritual as well as physical, and generally believed to be the deity who caused the love of beauty, healing, freedom and many other good things as well as the love between people.

7. Eros and his many names
The Romans borrowed Eros from the Greeks and named him Cupid (Latin cupido meaning desire). Eros has been depicted in art in many ways. The Romans regarded him as a symbol of life after death and decorated sarcophagi with his image. The Greeks regarded him as most beautiful and handsome, the most loved and the most loving. They placed statues of him in gymnasiums (as most athletes were thought to be beautiful). Eros was known also by the names of Erotes and Himeros. He was depicted on every form of utensil, from drinking vessels to oil flasks, usually showing him ready to fire an arrow into the heart of an unsuspecting victim.

8. Was Eros really the son of Aphrodite?
Eros only gradually became a separate god. In Homer he's just the lust which drives men and gods to have sex. Hesiod promotes him to one of the oldest of the gods, responsible for the "coming together" of everything. He is almost a First Principle of the Universe, as old as Earth and Tartarus - with total power over gods and men. Obviously nothing could have been born without him. Nor could he have had parents. Far from being the son of the goddess of Love (as Cupid became), there's a relief which shows Eros assisting at the birth of Aphrodite.

9. Eros
Eros’ arrows come in two sets: golden arrows with dove feathers for love, and leaden arrows with owl feathers for indifference. Eros' brother is Anteros ("returner of love") and Eros also has his wife the mortal Psyche. In the Dionysian Mysteries, Eros is the most ancient deity and referred to as Protagonus (the first-born) who emerged from the cosmic egg of Nyx, the goddess of night. According to Plato, Eros is the striving of mankind to the pure, the good, the beautiful. Eros' Roman counterpart is Amor / Cupid.

10. The many forms of Eros

11. A modern perspective
Ever since the ancient days when the Greek worshiped the Deity’s, Eros was and is still a very popular god. Today, Eros is referred to by his second name ‘Cupid’ and is nationally recognised by people by his trademark bow and arrow and his little angel wings ready to string at an unsuspecting victim.

12. Was Eros the only god of love?
The poet Hesiod first represents him as a cosmic who emerged self-born at the beginning of time to spur procreation. The same poet later describes two love-gods, Eros and Himeros (Desire), accompanying Aphrodite at her birth from the sea-foam. Some classical authors interpreted this to mean they were born of the goddess at her birth, or alongside her in the sea-foam. The scene was particular popular in art, where the pair flutter around the goddess seated in her floating conch shell.

13. Bibliography www.pantheon.org www.theoi.com www.godchecker.com
By Zane Small