Welcome to my home. I am Eros, twin brother of Anteros. Some call me Eros Prothogonos or Phanes, the First Born, others Eros Eleutherios, the Liberator, a name I share with Dionysos. In later times I joined the host of Aphrodite and even became her son. (We are Divine Beings, we can do that.) I was lonely and miserable, refused to grow and prosper, a Deathless One about to wither away. Aphrodite, or some say Nemesis, knew the right cure - one day Anteros, my twin brother showed up and I became whole at long last and matured rapidly from a little boy to man. (Again: We are Divine Beings, and can do such things effortlessly.) Ever since that day we know that lust, desire and love have to be requited in order to thrive.

Please understand that the romantic Eros, as I am perceived today, is a product of later Greek and Roman poets and has little or nothing to do with my origins. It is not so much myth than it is romantic fiction which culminated in stories like "The Golden Ass" by Apuleius. This is hardly in accordance with my preferences because...

"The Cyprian queen, a woman, hurls the fire that maddens men for women; but Eros himself sways the passion for males."
(Meleager, Mousa Paidiké, 86)

You see, I am principally the patron of Male Love, whereas Aphrodite takes it upon herself to deal with the relationships between males and females.

Consequently, most often my statue can be found in the palaestrae, one of the principal venues for men to associate with their beloveds, for example in the gymnasion of Elis, where a relief shows me and Anteros quarrelling over a golden palm leaf.

The Romans, who called me Amor or Cupid, ascribed yet another aspect to me, that of life after death; this is why you can often see my image painted upon sarcophagi.

Steven Saylor has written a short story named "Death by Eros" that should, by rights, be titled "Death by Anteros". It's about a beautiful boy who defies my gifts and curelly stomps upon the love, offered to him in abundance, until he finally meets my twin - in which disguise you can find out in Steven Saylor's book "A Gladiator dies only once".

Sources:
Museo Archeologico Nazionale in Naples, Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, me, and a free web graphics collection; all images were altered by me in form, size and colour.