Eros was far more than the playful god of romantic love. In Hesiod’s Theogony, he appears among the first beings born at the beginning of creation a primordial force that brings separate things together and makes life and generation possible. In later Greek tradition, he became the son or companion of Aphrodite, represented as a beautiful winged youth whose arrows could overpower the minds of both mortals and gods. Over time, his image gradually changed from a mysterious cosmic power into the mischievous child known in Roman mythology as Cupid. Yet Eros always retained a dangerous aspect: love was understood as an irresistible force capable of bringing ecstasy, suffering, transformation, and loss of self-control.
