EROTES

THE EROTES were the winged gods of love, a multiplication of the primal Eros. Their number was varied. Hesiod describes a pair, Eros (Love) and Himeros (Desire), who were present at the birth of Aphrodite. Later writers add a third, Pothos (Passion), to create a tidy triad. Twin Erotes, Eros and Anteros (love reciprocated) were often portrayed gracing the scales of love. Later the lyric poets multiplied them into a numberless host of winged putti. The Erotes were creatures of poetic invention with no distinct mythology of their own.