Eros.
The force that draws life together
Eros: Greek God of Love, Cupid and the Story of Psycheis the Greek god of love and desire. He can appear as a first force of creation or as ’s winged companion: Greek literature preserves several ways of imagining the power that unsettles gods and mortals.
More than a myth.
Was Eros a primordial god?
In , appears near the beginning alongside , , and . He overcomes the judgment of gods and humans and makes sexual union part of the emerging cosmos. Hesiod does not name parents for him in this opening passage. Other poets imagine a younger Eros associated with ; the different should remain visible.
Eros, Aphrodite, and Cupid
The winged archer familiar from later art represents desire as something that strikes unexpectedly. Roman writers call him Cupid or Amor. The identification helps readers connect Greek and Latin stories, but it does not mean that every version of was originally an infant with a bow. His age, appearance, and ancestry change with the work in which he appears.
Eros and Psyche
The fullest surviving ancient narrative of his marriage to is told by the Roman author Apuleius using the name Cupid. A forbidden look separates the lovers, and Psyche must perform tasks imposed by , the Roman Aphrodite. Their eventual reunion and Psyche’s immortality belong to that novel’s tale, not to ’s creation .
Questions about Eros
Is Eros the son of Aphrodite?
In many later traditions, yes, although his father varies. In ’s opening creation account he is a primordial power with no parents specified. This profile uses that early arrangement while explaining the later accounts.
Are Eros and Cupid the same god?
Cupid is the usual Roman counterpart of . Apuleius’s Cupid and is commonly retold using the Greek name Eros; its surviving source is a Latin novel.
It’s a family affair.
Eros
Love & desireNo children represented in this edition.
The stories of Eros.
Before there was a world
An opening, an earth, and the first divine family.
The girl who became a laurel
Apollo’s pursuit ends with a transformation that gives the god his emblem.
The lamp that changed everything
An unseen husband. Four impossible tasks. A love brought into daylight.
Ancient voices.
Enduring stories.
Myths have many tellings. These are the ancient works behind this profile, linked to freely available English translations.
Theogony
Lines 116–122, 201–206
The Golden Ass (Metamorphoses)
Books 4.28–6.24 · Cupid and Psyche; William Adlington’s public-domain translation