Khairete! Welcome to my home. I am Anteros, twin brother of Eros, and the patron of requited or mutual love. I also have a darker aspect as the avenger of unrequited love, the punisher of those who do not return the love they inspire in others.

I was created as brother-companion to Eros because love must be returned if it is to grow, and so I too am usually assumed to be the son of Aphrodite and Ares as he is. However, at least one Greek author rather remarkably believed me to be the son of Poseidon and the handsome young sea god Nerites who was his male lover and charioteer:

"Poseidon was the lover of Nerites [son of Nereus and Doris], and that Nerites returned his love, and that this was the origin of the celebrated Anteros (Mutual Love)."
~ Aelian, On Animals 14. 28, trans. Scholfield)

I am perhaps not as well-known as my brother, but then it is often rather hard to tell us apart (for example, the famous statue in London's Piccadilly Circus often called 'Eros' is a representation of me - Anteros). Despite such confusions though, we are not identical: Eros's wings are golden-feathered, and mine are the wings of a butterfly. His arrows are made of gold and fletched with white dove feathers, and mine are made of lead and fletched with the feathers of owls.

Before you dismiss us as just romantic and giddy love-gods, remember - we are also the Liberator and the Avenger, the children of the God of War, and we are armed and dangerous!

"Nemesis fashioned a winged Love contrary to winged Love, warding off bow with bow, that he may be done by as he did; and, bold and fearless before, he sheds tears, having tasted of the bitter arrows, and spits thrice into his low-girt bosom. Ah, most wonderful! one will burn with fire: Love has set Love aflame."
~ On a Relief of Eros and Anteros
(Greek Anthology Book I Chap IV Part IV XXXV)

CREDITS: Avatar image from Wikimedia Commons, released into the public domain by its copyright holder. Temple image by RCSJ, used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. Both photos colorised, framed and otherwise manipulated by me. Background image by me.