God of Love
Eros wields a bow whose golden arrows ignite irresistible love and whose lead arrows cause revulsion.
The Meaning of God of Love
In the oldest tradition, Eros was a primordial force born from Chaos at the dawn of creation, responsible for drawing all things together. Later poets reimagined him as the winged son of Aphrodite and Ares — a mischievous boy whose arrows could make any being fall helplessly in love. His most celebrated myth involves the mortal princess Psyche: Aphrodite, jealous of Psyche's beauty, sent Eros to make her fall for a monster, but Eros pricked himself on his own arrow and fell in love with her instead. He visited her only in darkness, forbidding her to see his face. When Psyche lit a lamp and saw his beauty, a drop of hot oil woke him and he fled. After many trials set by Aphrodite, Psyche proved her devotion, and Zeus granted her immortality so the lovers could be reunited forever.
Children
Hedone (Pleasure)
Symbols
Fun Fact
Eros carried two types of arrow: gold-tipped ones that sparked love and lead-tipped ones that caused active repulsion.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Eros
💭 conceptPrimordial god of love and desire
In the oldest myths, Eros was a primordial force — one of the first beings to emerge from Chaos, the power that draws all things together. Later reimagined as Aphrodite's mischievous son.
Eros
⚡ godGod of love and desire
The Olympian Eros was the mischievous winged god of love — son of Aphrodite, whose golden arrows caused irresistible desire and whose lead arrows caused revulsion.
Eros and Psyche
💭 conceptNarrative
The love story between the god of desire and a mortal princess that became an allegory of the soul's journey
Bow of Odysseus
💭 conceptArtefact
The great composite bow that only Odysseus could string, the instrument of his revenge upon the suitors
Goddess of Love
💭 conceptLove, beauty, desire, fertility
Aphrodite governs romantic love and physical beauty, wielding an influence that even Zeus cannot resist.
Hippolytus and Phaedra
💭 conceptNarrative
A tragedy of forbidden desire, false accusation, and divine cruelty destroying an innocent young prince
Erotic
💭 conceptDesire, sensuality, romantic passion
Relating to sexual love or desire, from Eros, the god of love and attraction.
Apollo and Daphne
💭 conceptNarrative
The god's relentless pursuit of a nymph who chose transformation into a laurel tree over submission
Meleager and Atalanta
💭 conceptNarrative
The bond between the prince and the huntress during the great boar hunt that ended in family bloodshed
Bow of Apollo
💭 conceptArtefact
The silver bow of the god Apollo, bringer of both plague and healing through its far-reaching arrows
Perseus and Medusa
💭 conceptNarrative
The hero's quest to slay the mortal Gorgon and his ingenious use of divine gifts to accomplish the impossible
Metamorphoses
💭 conceptTransformation, punishment, mercy
Stories of mortals and gods reshaped into new forms — by love, divine punishment, or compassion — central to how Greeks explained the natural world.