In Ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Erotes (/əˈroʊtiːz/; Ancient Greek: ἔρωτες, érōtes) are a collective of winged gods associated with love and sexual intercourse. They are part of Aphrodite's retinue. Erotes is the plural of Eros ("Love, Desire"), who as a singular deity has a more complex mythology.
Other named Erotes are Anteros ("Love Returned"),[1] Hedylogos ("Sweet-talk"), Hermaphroditus ("Hermaphrodite" or "Effeminate"), Himeros ("Impetuous Love" or "Pressing Desire"), Hymenaios ("Bridal-Hymn"), and Pothos ("Desire, Longing", especially for one who is absent).[2]
The Erotes became a motif of Hellenistic art, and may appear in Roman art in the alternate form of multiple Cupids or Cupids and Psyches. In the later tradition of Western art, Erotes become indistinguishable from figures also known as Cupids, amorini, or amoretti.[3][4]
- ^ Stafford, Emma (2013). "From the gymnasium to the wedding: Eros in Athenian art and cult". Erôs in Ancient Greece. Oxford University Press. p. 196.
- ^ Calame, Claude (1999) [1992]. The Poetics of Eros in Ancient Greece. Princeton University Press. pp. 30–32.
Original in Italian
- ^ Ferguson, John (1970). The Religions of the Roman Empire. Cornell University Press. p. 145. ISBN 9780801405679.
- ^ Barkan, Leonard (1999). Unearthing the Past: Archaeology and aesthetics in the making of Renaissance culture. Yale University Press. p. 138.