Eros (Primordial)
primordialIn Hesiod's Theogony, Eros was one of the first beings to emerge from Chaos — a primordial force of attraction that drove all creation.
The Myth
This primordial Eros is distinct from the later Olympian Eros (Cupid). In Hesiod, Eros emerged alongside Gaia and Tartarus as one of the fundamental forces. He represented the primal drive that caused beings to unite and create. Without Eros, nothing would have mated, nothing would have been born — he was the engine of all generation. Later philosophers treated him as the cosmic force of love binding the universe together.
Parents
Born from Chaos
Symbols
Fun Fact
The philosophical Eros — desire as a cosmic binding force — influenced Plato, Empedocles, and eventually Freud.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth:
Explore Further
Chaos
conceptThe first thing to exist — a vast, formless void from which all of creation emerged. Chaos was not...
Eros
conceptIn the oldest myths, Eros was a primordial force — one of the first beings to emerge from Chaos,...
Gaia
primordialGaia was the primordial Earth goddess, the first being to emerge after Chaos — mother of the...
Olympia
placeOlympia was the sanctuary in the Peloponnese where the ancient Olympic Games were held every four...
Tartarus
placeThe deepest abyss beneath the earth, as far below Hades as heaven is above earth. Tartarus was the...
Aether
primordialAether was the primordial god of the bright upper air that the gods breathed — distinct from the...