Erotes

The Erotes (/əˈroʊtiːz/) are a collective of winged gods associated with love and sex in Greek mythology. They are part of Aphrodite's retinue. Erotes (Greek ἔρωτες) is the plural of Eros ("Love, Desire"), who as a singular deity has a more complex mythology.

Other named Erotes are Anteros ("Love Returned"), Himeros ("Impetuous Love" or "Pressing Desire") and Pothos ("Desire, Longing," especially for one who is absent). In some traditions, erotes have an especial influence over homoerotic love.

The Erotes became a motif of Hellenistic art, and may appear in Roman art in the alternate form of multiple Cupids or Cupids and Psyches. In the later tradition of Western art, erotes become indistinguishable from figures also known as Cupids, amorini, or amoretti.

General role and attributes

The erotes are a group of winged gods in Classical mythology. They are associated with love and sexual desire, and form part of Aphrodite's retinue. The individual erotes are sometimes linked to particular aspects of love, and are often associated with same-sex desire. Sometimes the erotes are regarded as manifestations of a singular god, Eros.

Amores (Lucian)

The Erōtes or Amores (Greek: Ἔρωτες; "Loves", or "The two kinds of love") is a Greek dialogue written in the Roman Empire. It is an example of contest literature, comparing the love of women and the love of boys, and concluding that the latter was preferable. The dialogue was transmitted among the works of Lucian. Most modern scholars believe that the style of the dialogue puts into question its authorship. The work is normally cited under the name of Pseudo-Lucian. The Erōtes is also famous for its vivid description of the Cnidian Aphrodite of Praxiteles.

The same subject is treated in the Amatorius of Plutarch and Leucippe and Clitophon by Achilles Tatius, but with the opposite conclusion. In terms of structure, the dialogue may be considered similar to Plato's works, in which Socrates is often in contest with another man.

The title has also been translated as "Affairs of the Heart".

Summary

The Amores begins as a dialogue between Lycinus and Theomnestus.

The second dialogue consists of a contest between Callicratidas and Charicles to decide which is the more desirable: the love for boys or the love for women (respectively).