Manga eros and cupid. God of love in Greek mythology

In Greek mythology, Eros was the primordial god of lust, love, and communication; he was also worshiped as a deity of abundance. In some myths, he was the son of the goddess Aphrodite. Like Dionysus, he was sometimes referred to as Eleutherios, the liberator. Its Roman equivalent was Cupid, desire. also known as cupid, love.

According to tradition, Eros was predominantly the patron of male love, while Aphrodite ruled the love between men and women. His statue could be found in palestras or in wrestling schools, one of the main meeting places for men to contact their lovers, and it was to him that the Spartans sacrificed before battle. Meleager records this role in a poem preserved in the Greek Anthology: a Cypriot queen, a woman, hurls fire that kindles men's passion for women; but Eros himself shakes his passion for men.

Throughout the traditions of the Greeks, there are two sides to the concept of Eros: in the first, he is a primitive deity who embodies not only the power of erotic love, but also the creative urge of nature, the first born Light, who is responsible for the emergence and order of all things in space ... In the Theogony of Hesiod, the most famous Greek creation myth, Eros arose from primordial Chaos along with Gaia, Earth, and Tartarus, the underworld; according to the play of Aristophanes the Bird, he is born from an egg laid at night by the Darkness. In other myths and sources, he was worshiped as the firstborn protogen.

Alternately, later in ancient times, Eros was the son of Aphrodite and Aresaille Porus and Singing, or sometimes Iris and Zephyr; this Eros was Aphrodite's companion, using the primordial power of love and directing it to mortals. In some myths, he is depicted as being playful, often troublesome to gods and mortals; in other sources, he uses the power he wields, sometimes refusing the requests of his mother and other gods to interfere with the lives of some mortals. In some versions, he had brothers named Anteros, the embodiment of rewarded love, and Himerus.

In art, Eros was usually depicted as a naked winged boy or infant (although this is more related to Cupid from the Roman religion; among the Greeks, he was portrayed as a young man or teenager), with his bow and arrow in hand. He had two types of arrows: each was golden with dove feathers, which caused instant love; others were with owl feathers, which caused indifference. The poet Sappho described him as bittersweet and cruel to his victims; he was also unscrupulous, mischievous, and charismatic. In his ancient identification with Protogen and Phanes, he was represented as a bull, a serpent, a lion, and with the heads of bulls. He is sometimes shown blind or blinded.

The cult of Eros was unusual in early Greece, but eventually became widespread. In modern times, Eros is observed on Eros Day, a holiday that celebrates love and human sexuality on January 22, the day that asteroid 433 Eros is closest to Earth.

Sources: www.filmivip.ru, films.imhonet.ru, pagandom.ru, forum.oculus.ru, www.gervic.ru

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Eros (Eros) - in Greek mythology, the god of love, understood as a special world deity and as an eternal companion and helper of Aphrodite. According to Hesiod, he is one of the five gods born of Chaos (Theogony, 116-122). According to the exposition of the mythographer of the 5th century BC. NS. Akusilaya, Eros was the grandson of Chaos, born to his children Nikta and Erebus.

The tradition of Greek classical poetry presents Eros as a son (Euripides, Hippolytus, 533), the offspring of Iris and Zephyr (Alkeus, Fragments, 80). In later legends, Eros is usually called the son of Aphrodite and Ares, so that he gradually takes on the features of a "golden-winged" god, marking a gradual transition to the graceful, light and capricious Eros of Hellenistic poetry.

He became, as noted by Apollonius of Rhodes, a wonderful wayward and cruel-hearted boy, full of cunning and cunning, a cruel tormentor of gods and people. He flies everywhere on his golden wings, mindlessly shooting arrows that arouse love not only between a man and a woman, but also a same-sex one. Eros dominates both external nature and the moral world of people and gods, controlling their heart and will. In relation to natural phenomena, he is a beneficent god of spring, fertilizing the earth and causing new life to be. He was represented as a handsome boy with wings, in more ancient times - with a flower and a lyre, later - with arrows of love or a flaming torch.

The type of Eros received its artistic development under the chisel of the sculptors of the junior Attic school - Scopas, Praxiteles and Lysippos. Scopas owned a statue of Eros located in Megara; Praxiteles sculpted Eros for the Mysian city of Paria under the Hellespont and, a masterpiece of Greek sculpture, for Thespias, where there was also a statue of Eros by Lysippos.

The cult of Eros existed in Paria and mainly in Thespia, where initially a rough stone served as an image of a god. In Thespias, every four years, festivities were held in honor of Eros - Erotidia, accompanied by gymnastic and musical competitions.

In addition, Eros, as the god of love and friendship, connecting young men and men, was worshiped in gymnasiums, where his statues were placed next to images of Hermes and Hercules (Pausanias, IX 27, 1-3). The Spartans and Cretans usually sacrificed to Eros before the battle; the best Theban detachment of warriors had its patron and inspirer in Eros; The Sami dedicated the gymnasiums to Eros and celebrated their eleutheria in honor of him. The mutual love of youth found itself a symbolic image in the group of Eros and Anterot, which was in the Elean gymnasium: a relief with this group depicted Eros and Anterot, challenging each other's victory palm.

The emergence of the symbiosis of Eros and Psyche (Love and the Soul captivated by it) belongs to a later time. A similar symbolic and allegorical depiction of Eros is given by Apuleius in his Metamorphoses.

The original myth about Eros is not a deity, but a demon, a companion of Aphrodite, expressing the eternal striving for beauty, is given by Plato. With him, Eros is the son of Poverty and Wealth, conceived on the birthday of Aphrodite and inherited from his parents a thirst for possession, a craving for wandering, fortitude and courage. In Roman mythology, Eros corresponds to the Roman gods Cupid and Cupid.

EROS, the OVERCOMING GOD
(Excerpt from the tragedy "Antigone" - Sophocles)

Eros, the all-conquering god,
God of love, you're over the great
You triumph, and then,
Lulled, rest
On the cheeks of the dormant virgin,
You fly across the seas
You enter a wretched hut.
Not one in the mortal tribe,
Not one of the gods
Death of strangers, not saved,
But they suffer and go mad
Defeated by you.

* * *
The myth of EROS and PSYCHE

Somehow, Aphrodite was imbued with envy for the beauty of a mortal girl named Psyche. The goddess, seized with jealousy, ordered her son to pierce the girl's heart with a golden arrow so that she would fall in love with the most disgusting man in the world. Eros agreed to fulfill his mother's wish, but when he saw Psyche, he himself fell in love with her.

Beautiful Psyche became the wife of the invisible and mysterious Eros, who flew to her every day, however, only at night and in the dark, while warning her beloved that she should not bring fire into the bedroom and see him without the cover of night.

Psyche fell in love with Eros, despite the fact that she did not even see him. However, the jealous sisters tried in every possible way to convince the girl that she had married a terrible monster that was going to harm her. So they slowly led her to the idea of ​​killing her husband.

One fateful night, curiosity and fear prevailed, and Psyche decided to hide an oil lamp along with a knife in her bedroom. When Eros fell asleep, she lit a fire in the lamp, preparing to see the monster, but instead saw an unusually handsome youth sleeping on her bed.

At the sight of his beauty, Psyche was seized by a trembling shiver - so that a few drops of hot oil from the lamp fell on his skin. Eros woke up in pain and noticed a knife in the hands of his beloved. Seeing such a betrayal, he immediately flew away ... Psyche, in despair, went to look for her beloved all over the world.

Eros returned to his mother, who healed his wounds, but completely tormented poor Psyche. After several difficult tasks, Aphrodite ordered Psyche to go down to the Lower World to take a box with a particle of her beauty from Persephone. Psyche did not even know about the intentions of the goddess, who hoped that the girl simply could not stand such a dangerous path. However, in spite of everything, she managed to achieve her goal, thanks to the instructions of the talking tower, from which she wanted to throw herself down in order to end her life. After receiving the box from Persephone, Psyche opened it in hopes of regaining the love of Eros, but instead fell into a deep sleep, similar to death.

Eros, already healed of his wounds, yearned for his beloved and began to look for her everywhere. Having found Psyche, he woke her up with a prick of his arrow and immediately flew to Zeus to ask the Father of people and gods to side with him in a dispute with an angry Aphrodite. In the end, Aphrodite managed to pacify, and Zeus, blessing Psyche and Eros, turned the girl into a goddess, giving her immortality.

Cupid (Eros, Eros, Cupid)

Cupid (Chodet Antoine Denis)

Material from Wikipedia

Eros(Eros, ancient Greek. Ἔρως , also Eros, Cupid, among the Romans, Cupid) - the god of love in ancient Greek mythology, an eternal companion and assistant of Aphrodite, the personification of a love attraction that ensures the continuation of life on Earth.

Origin

Lorenzo Lotto - Cupid

There were many options for the origin of Eros:

* Hesiod considers him to be a spontaneous deity after Chaos, Gaia and Tartarus, one of the most ancient gods.
* Alkeus, son of Zephyr and Iris.
* According to Sappho, son of Aphrodite and Uranus.
* According to Simonides, the son of Ares and Aphrodite.
* According to Akusilai, the son of Erebus and Nikta.
* According to Orphic cosmogony, he was born from an egg laid by the Night or created by Chronos. It is called a great daimon.
* According to Pherekid, Zeus became Eros as a demiurge.
* According to Parmenides, the creation of Aphrodite.
* According to Euripides, the son of Zeus, or Zeus and Aphrodite.
* According to Pausanias, the son of Eilithiah.
* Plato has the son of Poros and Singing.
* Son of Chaos.
* According to some version, the son of Gaia.
* His father was also called Kronos, Orpheus, etc.

Diana disarming Cupid
(Pompeo Batoni, Metropolitan Museum)

According to Cotta's speech, there were three:

* Son of Hermes and the first Artemis.
* Son of Hermes and the second Aphrodite.
* Son of Ares and the third Aphrodite, aka Anteros.

According to Nonnu, he was born near the city of Beroi.

Major myths

All obeys love (Cupid)
Caravaggio, 1602 (Amor Vincit Omnia)

Eros- the world deity, uniting the gods in marriage pairs, was considered a product of Chaos (dark night) and a bright day or Heaven and Earth. He dominates both external nature and the moral world of people and gods, governing their heart and will. In relation to natural phenomena, he is a beneficent god of spring, fertilizing the earth and causing new life to be. He was represented as a handsome boy with wings, in more ancient times - with a flower and a lyre, later with arrows of love or a flaming torch.
In Thespiae, every four years, a celebration was held in honor of Eros - Erotidia, accompanied by gymnastic and musical competitions.

Young girl defending herself from Eros
(Adolphe William Bouguereau, 1880)

In addition, Eros, as the god of love and friendship that united boys and girls, was venerated in gymnasiums, where the statues of Eros were placed next to the images of Hermes and Hercules. The Spartans and Cretans usually sacrificed to Eros before the battle. His altar stood at the entrance to the Academy.

Erostasia. Aphrodite and Hermes Weigh Love (Eros and Anteros)
on the golden scales of fate

The mutual love of youth found itself a symbolic image in the group of Eros and Anterot (aka Anterot, Anteros), which was in the Eleian gymnasium: the relief with this group depicted Eros and Anterot, challenging each other's victory palm. Ovid mentions "both Eros". The nurses of Eros Kharita went to Delphi to Themis with a question about his small stature.

In art

Cupid as a child
(slave. Etienne Maurice Falconet, after 1757, Hermitage)

Eros served as one of the favorite subjects for philosophers, poets and artists, being for them an eternally living image of both a serious world-governing force and a personal heartfelt feeling that enslaves gods and people. The LVIII Orphic hymn is dedicated to him. The emergence of the group of Eros and Psyche (that is, Love and the Soul captivated by it) and the famous folk tale that developed from this representation belongs to a later time.
The image of Cupid in the form of a naked child is used when painting ceilings, and furniture is rarely decorated with Cupid's image.

Eros (Cupid, Cupid)

Eros (Musei Capitolini)

This god of love ("Eros" - love) is usually depicted as a playful, playful little boy, armed with a bow and arrow. The wounds inflicted on them are not fatal, but can be painful, painful, although they often cause a sweet feeling or bliss of satisfied passion.

Venus, Cupid and Satyr (Bronzino)

The ancient Greeks considered Eros as a god not born, but eternal, on a par with Chaos, Gaia and Tartarus. He personified a powerful force that attracts one living being to another, giving pleasure, without which they cannot exist and copulate, giving rise to all new individuals, neither gods, nor people, nor animals. Eros is the great force of attraction of the two sexes, the force of the universal gravity of love.

But there was also another version of its origin, a later one. According to this version, Eros is the son of Aphrodite and Hermes or Ares, or even Zeus himself. There were other assumptions about Eros's parents. At the same time, the poets agreed on one thing: the god of love always remains a child and sends his golden striking arrows willfully, regardless of the arguments of reason.

Hesiod wrote:

And, among all the gods, the most beautiful is Eros. Sweetheart - in all the gods and people of the earth-born he conquers the Soul in the chest and deprives everyone of reasoning.
Philosophers did not limit the domain of Eros's dominion to gods, humans and animals. The ancient Greek thinker Empe-Dokl believed that in nature, either Love or Enmity wins in turn, and the former brings everything into unity, conquering Enmity. Thus, Eros becomes the personification of the cosmic forces of unity, striving for fusion. Thanks to him, the fabric of life is not interrupted and the unity of the universe is preserved.
However, in ancient texts, Eros often appears as a force that awakens primitive "animal" passion. According to Plato, Eros “is always poor and, contrary to popular belief, is not at all beautiful and not gentle, but rude, unkempt, not booty and homeless; he is lying on the bare ground in the open sky, at the door, in the street ... ”However, further a disclaimer follows: it turns out that Eros is drawn to the beautiful and perfect, brave and strong; he is a sage and an ignoramus, a rich man and a poor man.
According to the testimony of Diogenes Laertius, the Stoics argued: "Lust is an unreasonable desire ... Love is lust that is not appropriate for worthy people, because it is an intention to get close to someone because of the conspicuous beauty." And Epicurus clearly divided: “When we say that pleasure is the ultimate goal, then we do not mean pleasure, which consists in sensual pleasure ... but we mean freedom from bodily suffering and mental anxiety. No, not continuous drinking and revelry, not delighting boys and women ... give birth to a pleasant life, but sober reasoning, exploring the reasons for any choice ... and banishing [false] opinions that create the greatest confusion in the soul. "

Cupid and Psyche

In ancient rome Eros (Cupid) got a name Cupid ("Love") and became especially popular. Apuleius created a legend that tells about the aspiration of the human soul in the form of Psyche ("psyche" - the soul) to find Love. “With the help of Zephyr,” writes A.F. Losev, retelling the legend, - Cupid got the royal daughter Psyche as his wife. However, Psyche violated the prohibition never to see the face of her mysterious husband. At night, burning with curiosity, she lights a lamp and admires the young god, not noticing the hot drop of oil that has fallen on Cupid's delicate skin. Cupid disappears, and Psyche must return him to herself, having gone through many tests. Having overcome them and even descended into Hades for living water, Psyche, after painful suffering, regains Cupid, who asks Zeus for permission to marry his beloved and reconciles with Aphrodite, who viciously persecuted Psyche. "

What is the hidden meaning of this story? It can be assumed that it tells about the "blindness" of the initial love attraction, caused by unconscious emotions. An attempt by reason to understand the essence of love leads to the fact that it disappears. Painful doubts, experiences, conflicts arise: this is how feelings take revenge on the mind for invading their kingdom. But true love overcomes these obstacles and triumphs - already forever.

A little more than two millennia ago, the Roman poet Publius Ovid Nazon described Cupid's triumph as follows:

Oh why does the bed feel so hard to me
And my bedspread does not lie well on the sofa?
And why did I sleep so long a night,
And, restlessly spinning, the body is tired, hurts?
I would feel, I think, if I were tormented by Cupid,
Or has a cunning man crept up, harming with hidden art?
Yes it is. Already in the heart there are fine-pointed arrows;
Having conquered my soul, the fierce one torments Cupid ...
Yes, I admit, Cupid, I've become your new prey
I am defeated and I betray myself to your power.
The battle is not necessary at all. Mercy, peace, I ask.
You have nothing to boast about; I, unarmed, broken ...
Your fresh catch - I, having received a recent wound,
In a captive soul I will carry the burden of unfamiliar shackles
A sane mind behind with hands in chains will lead you,
Shame, and all that harm will become mighty Love ...
Companions will be your Madness, Caress and Passion;
They will all follow you stubbornly in a crowd.
With this army of people and gods you constantly humble,
Having lost this support, you will become powerless and naked ...

Cupid (Cupid, Eros) was sung by poets at all times; philosophers talked about it. It turned out that this deity has not one or two, but many guises, although high Eros, like any peak, is not accessible to everyone: one must be worthy of him.

A series of messages "":
Part 1 - Myths and Legends * Cupid (Eros, Eros, Cupid)

Unfortunately, today his appearance is greatly distorted by the influence of Roman culture, which is why many people imagine him as a little boy. However, the true Eros differs from this image both externally and internally.

The first mention of the great god

Naturally, such rumors infuriated Aphrodite. In a fit of anger, she asks her son to shoot an arrow in her heart so that she makes her fall in love with the ugliest man. God Eros obediently listened to the words of his mother and went to the house where Psyche lived. But when he saw a beautiful woman, he fell in love with her unconditionally.

The trouble was that the laws of Olympus forbade mortals to see Eros. Therefore, he began to come to Psyche only under the cover of night, so that she would not see his face. But the girl still fell in love with the young god with all her heart. Soon they got married, but even after that, Eros came to his wife only on dark nights.

And everything would be fine if it were not for the envious sisters of Psyche. After the wedding, they began to slander Eros, convincing the young wife that her chosen one was a real monster. Alas, poor Psyche believed their words and decided to break the vow made to her husband. She carried a candle and a knife into the bedroom in order to see the true appearance of Eros, and if necessary, kill him.

However, it was not a monster that appeared to her, but a beautiful youth. From this, her hands trembled and drops of wax flew straight onto the body of her beloved. Opening his eyes, Eros saw his wife holding a knife in her hand, and, shocked by such a betrayal, flew away from her.

The end of the story

God Eros was very offended by the girl and for a long time did not appear in front of her. Separation tore Psyche's heart to pieces, so she decided to find her lover herself. And then Aphrodite came into play. Driven by her thirst for revenge, she tricked the girl into going down to the Underworld and finding Persephone's box there.

Psyche coped with all the tasks of Aphrodite, but, having opened the ill-fated box, fell asleep in death. Fortunately, Eros learned about this and saved her by stabbing her with an arrow. After that, he turned to Zeus himself for help. The Supreme God was in a good mood and agreed to reconcile the mother with the daughter-in-law. Subsequently, he gave Psyche his blessing and made one of the immortal goddesses of Olympus.

Quote post by Alexandra-Victoria

God of Love - Eros (Cupid, Cupid) ... Rene Menard "Myths of ancient Greece in art" (part-1)

"I love", - I said not loving - Suddenly winged Cupid flew in And taking his hand like a counselor, I was dragged after you ...

Love has come into the world ...

The birth of the god Eros (Cupid)

Hover over to see the title

A little more than two millennia ago, the Roman poet Publius Ovid Nazon described Cupid's triumph as follows:

Oh why does the bed feel so hard to me
And my bedspread does not lie well on the sofa?
And why did I sleep so long
And, restlessly spinning, the body is tired, hurts?
I would feel, I think, if I were tormented by Cupid,
Or has a cunning man crept up, harming with hidden art?
Yes it is. Already in the heart there are fine-pointed arrows;
Having conquered my soul, the fierce one torments Cupid ...
Yes, I admit, Cupid, I've become your new prey
I am defeated and I betray myself to your power.
The battle is not needed at all. Mercy, peace, I ask.
You have nothing to boast about; I, unarmed, broken ...
Your fresh catch - I, having received a recent wound,
In a captive soul I will carry the burden of unfamiliar shackles
A sane mind behind with hands in chains will lead you,
Shame, and all that harm will become mighty Love ...
Companions will be your Madness, Caress and Passion;
They will all follow you stubbornly in a crowd.
With this army of people and gods you constantly humble,
Having lost this support, you will become powerless and naked ...

The cult of Eros, the god of love, already existed in ancient times among the Greeks. Eros was considered one of the oldest gods. God Eros (in Roman mythology - the god Cupid) personifies that powerful force that attracts one living being to another and thanks to which all living is born and the human race continues.

Eros is not only the god of love between different sexes, but Eros and the god of friendship between men and boys. In many Greek men's gymnasiums (wrestling schools), the image of the god Eros (Cupid) stood next to the statues of the god Hermes (Mercury) and the demigod Hercules (Hercules).

Cupid Shooting a Bow, 1761, St. Petersburg, Pavlovsk Palace (Charles-André van Loo)

There were many options for the origin of Eros:

Hesiod has one of the first four cosmogonic potencies (according to A.F. Losev, along with Chaos, Gaia and Tartarus: “between all eternal gods, the most beautiful is Eros. "(" Theogony ", 120-122) (translated by V.V. Veresaev).
Alcaeus, son of Zephyr and Iris.
According to Sappho, son of Aphrodite and Uranus.
According to Simonides, the son of Ares and Aphrodite.
According to Akusilai, Eros, Ether and Metis are the children of Erebus and Nyukta, who in turn came from Chaos.

According to Orphic cosmogony, he was born from an egg laid by Night or created by Chronos. It is called a great daimon.
Following the Orphic, the Pythagoreans believed that the soul of every person is bisexual and there is a male and female half in it, which are called Eros and Psyche.
According to Ferekid, “Zeus, intending to be a demiurge, turned into Eros: having created a cosmos from opposites, he brought it to harmony and love and sowed identity and unity in everything, permeating the universe.
According to Parmenides - the creation of Aphrodite, in his cosmogony he writes that she created him "the first of all the gods."

Portrait of I. Ya. Yakimov, the illegitimate son of N.P. Sheremetyev in the costume of Cupid. Timing 1790

According to Euripides, the son of Zeus, or Zeus and Aphrodite.
According to Pausanias, the son of Eilithiah.
Plato has the son of Poros-wealth and Singing-poverty ("Feast" 203b, hereinafter - according to Diotima), which is why his dual nature predestines him to be a medium, a mediator for people in the pursuit of good and for the gods in descent to people.
Son of Chaos.
According to some version, the son of Gaia.
Kronos, Orpheus and others were also called his father.
According to Evreus, the son of Hephaestus and Aphrodite.
According to Cotta's speech, there were three:

Son of Hermes and the first Artemis.
Son of Hermes and the second Aphrodite.
The son of Ares and the third Aphrodite, aka Anteros.
According to Nonnu, was born near the town of Beroi

According to the myths of ancient Greece, the origin of the god Eros is unknown, and no one knows who his father is, but late antique poets and artists began to recognize the goddess Aphrodite (Venus) and the god Ares (Mars) as the parents of the god Eros.

The birth of the god Eros-Cupid

The birth of the god Eros-Cupid [in the Russian tradition, this ancient god is also called Cupid] served as a subject for many paintings. Of these, one of the best is considered to be a painting by Lesueres, depicting the goddess Venus surrounded by three Graces. One of the Graces gives Venus an adorable child - the god Cupid.

God Eros has always been portrayed as a boy who has barely reached adolescence. The goddess Aphrodite (Venus), seeing that her son was hardly growing, asked the goddess Thetis what the reason was. Thetis replied that the child Eros will grow up when he has a companion who will love him.

Eros and Anteros

Eros and Anteros

Aphrodite then gave Eros Anterota as a comrade (translated from the ancient Greek language - "divided, mutual love").
Anteros (Anterot, Anterot, ancient Greek. Ἀντέρως) is the god of mutual ("reciprocal") love, as well as a god who takes revenge on those who do not reciprocate love or mock those who experience feelings.

According to the beliefs of the ancient Greeks, at first there was dark Chaos, then at the same time Chronos (Kronos - Time), passionate Eros (Eros - Love) and cold-blooded, rational Anteros (Anterot - Denial of love) arose from Chaos. Sometimes Eros and Anteros are considered twin brothers and their simultaneous birth in Ancient Greece was considered almost sacred.

The most terrible curse in ancient Greece was considered hatred generated by love. It was this hatred that Anteros patronized. He generated a passionate desire to destroy the object of love. People unable to love were considered possessed by Anteros. God Apollo eternally ridiculed Eros, for which his beloved women were possessed by Anteros (nymph Daphne, Cassandra).

In Efremov's novel Thais of Athens, there is an episode in which Thais is horrified at the sight of the altar of Anteros, believing it to be the god of anti-love.

When they are together, the god Eros grows, but becomes small again, as soon as Anteros leaves him. The meaning of this ancient allegory is that love or friendship must be shared by another person in order to grow and develop.

Erostasia. Aphrodite and Hermes Weigh Love (Eros and Anteros)

Education of Eros

The upbringing of the god Eros by the goddess Aphrodite (Venus) was very often depicted in antiquity on cameos and engraved stones. Mother Aphrodite plays with Eros, takes away his bow or arrows, teases Eros and frolics with him. But the playful child Eros does not remain in debt to his mother, and the goddess Aphrodite more than once experiences the action of the arrows of the god Eros.

Cupid's training


Cupid's training


Cupid's training

Eros, according to ancient mythology, is a civilizer who managed to soften the roughness of primitive manners. Ancient art took advantage of this idea and, wishing to show the irresistible power of the god Eros (Cupid), began to depict Eros as a tamer of wild and ferocious beasts.

On many cameos and engraved stones of antiquity, the god Eros is depicted riding a lion, which he tamed and turned into a tame beast. Eros is often depicted on a chariot, harnessed by wild animals.

God Eros (Cupid) is terrible not only for people, but also for the gods. Zeus (Jupiter), foreseeing all the troubles that he would do just before the birth of Eros, ordered the goddess Aphrodite (Venus) to kill Eros, but Aphrodite hid her son in the forest, where wild animals fed him.

Ancient poets and writers constantly repeat about the cruelty of the god Eros, that Eros knows no pity, that Eros inflicts incurable wounds, forces people to commit the most reckless acts and leads to crime.

Cupid's wing cutoff time

The ancient Greek poet Anakreon has several lovely poems on this subject. Here is one of them:

“In the middle of the night, at the hour when all mortals are deeply asleep, the god Eros appears and knocks on my door. “Who's knocking there? I exclaim. "Who interrupts my dreams full of charm?" - “Open it! - God Eros answers me. - Do not be afraid, I am small, I am all wet from the rain, the moon disappeared somewhere, and I lost my way in the darkness of the night. Hearing the words of Eros, I feel sorry for the poor fellow, I light my lamp, open the door and see a child in front of me; he has wings, a bow, a quiver and arrows; I bring him to my hearth, warm his cold fingers in my hands, and dry his wet hair. But barely had the god Eros recover a little, as he takes up his bow and arrows. "I want," says Eros, "to see if the bowstring is damp." God Eros pulls it on, pierces my heart with an arrow and says to me, bursting into ringing laughter: “My hospitable host, rejoice; my bow is completely healthy, but your heart is sick. "

Type and distinctive features of the god Eros

In art, the god Eros has two completely different types: Eros is portrayed either under the guise of a lovely winged child playing with his mother, then under the guise of a young man.

In the Pio-Clementine museum there is a beautiful type of Eros the youth. Unfortunately, only the head and shoulders have survived.

The ancient Greek sculptor Praxitel was the first to give the ideal type of the god Eros, which served as the prototype for all subsequent statues of this god.

Praxitel was a great admirer of the beautiful hetaira Phryne, who asked Praxitel to give her the best of his works. Praxitel agreed to fulfill the request of the hetera Phryne, but he could not dare to indicate which of his statues he considered the best. Then hetera Phryne resorted to the following trick. Phryne told one of her slaves to come and tell Praxiteles that his workshop was in flames; the alarmed artist rushed to the door, shouting that all the fruits of his long-term labors were lost if the flame did not spare his two statues - Satyr and the god Eros. Hetera Phryne reassured Praxiteles, saying that it was only a test and that now she knows which works Praxiteles considers the best. Phryne chose a statue of Eros for herself.

Angelica Kaufman, Praxitel gives. Phryne statue of Eros


Statues of Aphrodite of Cnidus (copies), depicting the image of the hetera Phryne - the muse of the sculptor Praxiteles

Hetera Phryne presented a statue of the god Eros by Praxiteles to her native city of Thespia, which had just been devastated by Alexander the Great. The statue of Eros was placed in a temple dedicated to the god of love, and people began to come there from different countries just to admire this great work of art. “Thespia,” says Cicero on this occasion, “is now turned into nothing by Alexander, but the god Cupid Praxiteles has appeared in her, and there is no traveler who would not have turned to this city to look at this beautiful statue.”

"Eros drawing the bow" Marble. Roman work of the 2nd century. n. NS. after a Greek original (Hermitage)

The Roman emperor Caligula transferred the statue of Eros Praxiteles to Rome, and the emperor Claudius returned it to the Thespians, the emperor Nero took it away again, and she died in a fire that destroyed most of Rome.

The famous Greek sculptor Lysippos also sculpted a statue of the god Eros. The statue of Eros by Lysippos was placed in the same temple where the work of Praxiteles was located.

In the temple of the goddess Aphrodite in Athens, there was the famous painting of Zeuxis, depicting the god of love Eros, crowned with roses.

Until the Roman rule, the god Eros continued to portray young men, stately and graceful in shape. Only in this era does the god Eros appear on the monuments of ancient art in the form of a winged and healthy child. The distinctive features of Eros the child are wings, a bow, a quiver with arrows.

Attributed to Michelangelo Maestri (Italian, d. 1812) christies auction

The newest art very often depicted the god Cupid. In one of the rooms of the Vatican, Raphael painted Cupid on a chariot carried by butterflies and swans. Almost all museums have paintings by Raphael depicting the little god of love and the goddess Venus.

Cupid steals honey. Albrecht Durer, 1514 God Cupid runs from a swarm of bees to his mother, the goddess Venus.

Correggio and Titian painted the god Cupid in various poses and forms, but no one portrayed the god of love as often as Rubens: in almost all art galleries you can find his plump, ruddy and cheerful Cupids.

In the French school, Poussin, Lesueur, and especially Boucher, are artists - specialists of Cupids, charming and cheerful, but in no way reminiscent of the ideal type of Praxiteles.

Hans Zatzka

The artist Vienne painted an interesting picture, the plot of which was borrowed from an antique picture - it is called "The Amur Merchant".

Prudhon also left many paintings, the subjects for which were the various adventures of the god Cupid. This god often at random, like a blind man who does not see the goal, shoots his arrows, and that is why poets call love blind. Correggio and Titian, wishing to embody this idea, depicted the goddess Venus, putting on a blindfold over the eyes of her son.

Cartoon for adults, which is based on a version of the ancient Greek myth from Simonides about the birth of the God of Love from Aphodite and Ares. Despite the resistance of the Olympian gods, Love came into the world. Eros is destined to transform the world, to give new meaning and meaning to human relationships.

Venus and Cupid