Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

, Himeros (, lit. 'desire') is one of the seven

Erotes In Ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Erotes (; , ''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 a ...

, a group of winged love deities, and part of

Aphrodite Aphrodite (, ) is an Greek mythology, ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, procreation, and as her syncretism, syncretised Roman counterpart , desire, Sexual intercourse, sex, fertility, prosperity, and ...

's procession. Often described as "sweet", he is the

god In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

and personification of desire and

lust Lust is an intense desire for something. Lust can take any form such as the lust for sexuality (see libido), money, or power. It can take such mundane forms as the lust for food (see gluttony) as distinct from the need for food or lust for red ...

. In

Hesiod Hesiod ( or ; ''Hēsíodos''; ) was an ancient Greece, Greek poet generally thought to have been active between 750 and 650 BC, around the same time as Homer.M. L. West, ''Hesiod: Theogony'', Oxford University Press (1966), p. 40.Jasper Gr ...

's ''

Theogony The ''Theogony'' () is a poem by Hesiod (8th–7th century BC) describing the origins and genealogy, genealogies of the Greek gods, composed . It is written in the Homeric Greek, epic dialect of Ancient Greek and contains 1,022 lines. It is one ...

'',

Eros Eros (, ; ) is the Greek god of love and sex. The Romans referred to him as Cupid or Amor. In the earliest account, he is a primordial god, while in later accounts he is the child of Aphrodite. He is usually presented as a handsome young ma ...

and Himeros were present at Aphrodite's birth and escorted the goddess as she emerged out of the sea foam and joined the assembly of the gods. Earlier in Theogony, Himeros is mentioned as a resident of

Mount Olympus Mount Olympus (, , ) is an extensive massif near the Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea, located on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia (Greece), Macedonia, between the regional units of Larissa (regional unit), Larissa and Pieria (regional ...

, being a neighbor of the

Muses In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, the Muses (, ) were the Artistic inspiration, inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric p ...

and the

Charites In Greek mythology, the Charites (; ), singular Charis (), also called the Graces, are goddesses who personify beauty and grace. According to Hesiod, the Charites were Aglaia (Grace), Aglaea, Euphrosyne, and Thalia (Grace), Thalia, who were the ...

. Himeros (desire) and Philotes (affection) were bestowed upon the world by Aphrodite initiating sexual encounter; they spoke words of love and winning talk that affected the minds (''

nous ''Nous'' (, ), from , is a concept from classical philosophy, sometimes equated to intellect or intelligence, for the cognitive skill, faculty of the human mind necessary for understanding what is truth, true or reality, real. Alternative Eng ...

'') and hearts of mortals and gods alike. Himeros is closely associated with Pothos, the personification of passionate longing. In his dialogue ''

Cratylus Cratylus ( ; , ''Kratylos'') was an ancient Athenian philosopher from the mid-late 5th century BC, known mostly through his portrayal in Plato's dialogue '' Cratylus''. He was a radical proponent of Heraclitean philosophy and influenced the you ...

'',

Plato Plato ( ; Greek language, Greek: , ; born BC, died 348/347 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical Greece, Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the writte ...

points out the difference between the two concepts explaining that, in the case of Himeros, the object of desire is present and thus the desire is ready to be satisfied; whereas, in the case of Pothos, the individual longs for something that is absent or out of reach. Subsequently, Pothos is unfulfilled and potentially a suffering. Though Himeros is the standard term for erotic desire, it can also appear in different contexts carrying an alternative meaning, like desire for grieve (after a tragic event) or for food; e.g. the "''himeros'' for sweet food" that a laborer feels after a long day at work. Though these figures inspired artistic and poetic creations, they had no mythological stories or cults of their own. Dinos Painter - ARV 1152 8 - Dionysos and Himeros with maenads and satyrs - Wien KHM AS IV 1024 - 03

Dinos Painter - ARV 1152 8 - Dionysos and Himeros with maenads and satyrs - Wien KHM AS IV 1024 - 03

References

Sources

* * * * * {{Cite book , last=Breitenberger , first=Barbara , title=Aphrodite and Eros, The Development of Greek Erotic Mythology , publisher=Taylor & Francis , year=2013 , isbn=9781135883775 Erotes Greek love and lust gods Sexuality in ancient Greece Personifications in Greek mythology Olympian deities

See also

References

Sources