Greek god Eros: the god of love

Statuee of Eros of
the Centocelle type.

Eros (or Cupid in Roman mythology) is the the God of sexual love and beauty. His symbols include Bow, Arrows, Hearts, wings, and kisses.  He is commonly depicted as a male having wings and holding a bow with arrows. His influence in the modern society is very spread and he and his symbols are displayed usually during the Valentine’s Day (14th of February). He has the ability to influence the feeling of both mortal and immortal gods including the gods from the Greek pantheon.

Origins

There are three main stories about his origins. According to early mythological sources, god Eros belongs to the primordial that appear at the creation of the cosmos. He played vital role in the creation of the remaining world. Hs is considered from the first gods to arrived to cosmos. The second version of the story tells that Eros was child of Chaos and Nyx (Night). She born Eros during the first ages of cosmos creation, but he wasn't the first one. The third story, and that was widely adopted later is that he is the the son of goddess of beauty Aphrodite and Ares, the god of the war. Other less common stories about his birth including that he is the son of Ouranos and Gaia, or god Ouranos and goddess Aphrodite. Other variation from the poet Alcaeus of Mytilene tells that he is the son of Zeuphyros (west wind) and Iris (rainbow). Less common story says that he is the son of Greek goddess of childbirth, Eileithyia.

Personal life - Psyche

Eros stringing his bow, Roman copy after
Greek original by Lysippos.

The myth between Eros and Psyche is one of the most famous stories of love in Greek and Roman mythology. Although the story is finalized in the Roman era, the roots are older during the Greek period.

According to the myth, the mortal princess Psyche was one of the most beautiful women on earth. Unfortunately, she did not properly worship the goddess of beauty Aphrodite and the goddess got upset by her behavior. To punish her, she sends her son Eros to make her to fell in love with someone ugly. Eros had an accident and he scratched by his darts of love, making him to fell in love with her. As results, he didn't obey the orders of his mother, goddess Aphrodite. AS the days passed and Psyche was not able to find love, her father decided to consult one oracle. The oracle answers that he should expect a dragon-like monster from the underworld as the lover of the Psyche, instead of a mortal human.


The father of Psyche was very sad when he heard the news and organized a ceremony that it is similar to a funeral. He demanded the presence of Psyche, although she reacted badly on the news. During the ceremony, they left her alone at the peak of a mountain. Then, the god of wed wind Zephyr took her and transferred to god Eros. After she arrived at a small forest, she started exploring the area, when she found a beautiful house. When she entered she heard the voice telling her to relax and guided her to the bedroom under the music of a lyre, when later she made love with god Eros. Eros never revealed himself as he kept the lights off, hiding his real identity.


When later her family learned about her new home, they started wondering how is living. Eros asked the west wind Zephyr to transfer her sisters to home. When the sisters saw where she was living they became jealous and planted evil seeds to her mind. They persuaded to kill the monster she was believing she was sleeping with. Eventually, she hides a dagger and a lamp inside the bedroom. During the night, when god Eros was asleep, she grabbed the dagger and used the lamp to light the room. Shen, she discovered who actually was, the god Eros.

Eros kisses Psyche by Antonio Canova, Louvre.

She wake-up him by spilling a bit of oil to him. God Eros felt that she violated the trust between them and he decided to leave her near to a river (bank of the river). Then, she is discovered by the god of nature Pan, where she brings her back to his parent's house. Then, she started to search for her lost love. On the other hand, her sisters became more envious when learner who was really the husband of Psyche.

During his searching for Eros, she visited a number of temples where she requested help. Unfortunately, although the gods worshiped to these temples acknowledged that she needed help, they were banned from helping mortals against other gods. Then, she realized that she had to reach goddess Aphrodite to solve her problems. When she finally reached her, goddess Aphrodite was very hostile to her. To punish her she assigned her four trials.

The first trial was to separate heaps of wheat, chickpeas, lentils, and beans until the dawn. She did it with the help of kind ant that felt pity for her. The second task was to cross a river and bring back the golden wool from a sheep on the other side. She did it with the help of divinely inspired reed. The third task was to collect the black water from the rivers Styx and Cocytus using a crystal vessel. God Zeus felt pity for her and helped her. The last trial was to go to the underworld, obtain a dose of the beauty of the queen of underworld Persephone inside a box and bring it back. With instructions given from the tower, she was able to accomplish this task. Unfortunately, she opened the box before reaching goddess Aphrodite and she was cursed by the infernal and Stygian sleep.

During the tasks, the god Eros recovered and he escaped from home, where his mother goddess Aphrodite was keeping him. When he learned about the status of Psyche, he recovered her and took the case to the ruler of the gods, Zeus. God Zeus assembled the gods and announced that he approves the connection between Psyche and god Eros, and goddess Aphrodite should stop punish her. He also decided for Psyche to drink ambrosia to become immortal, resulting in a happy marriage afterward. Together they had a daughter, Voluptas or Hedone (meaning physical pleasure, bliss).

Hephaestus: God of blacksmiths

Hephaestus at the Forge.

Hephaestus (Ἥφαιστος) is the Greek God of blacksmiths, craftsmen, fire and volcanoes. Symbols include fire, anvil, axe, donkey, hammer, tongs, and quail. Hephaestus is the son of Zeus and Hera, although in another version of the Greek Myth, he is Hera's parthenogenous child. Hes is living in mount Olympous although initially he was thrown out of heaven due to his deformity.

Smithing God 

As a Greek smithing god, Hephaestus made all the weapons of the gods in mount Olympus and embedded with divine powers. He has his own palace in mount Olympus, containing his workshop. Hephaestus built automatons of metal to work for him, including twenty bellows that worked at his bidding. According to Greek Myths, he crafted the winged sandals and helmet of the messenger of Greek gods Hermes,  the famed girdle of Greek goddess of beauty and desire Aphrodite, Helios' chariot, and the bow and arrows of the Greek god of love Eros. He also crafted items for the mythical heroes including the armor of  Greek hero Achilles, and Hercules' bronze clappers.

Hephaestus hands in the new Achilles' armor to Thetis.

Hephaestus' Personal Life

During the first years in Earth, Hephaestus wanted to take revenge of Hera for rejecting him from mount Olympus. He sent gifts to Olympus, including a throne for Hera. But it was actually a trap, and Goddess Hera bound to the chair. Hera offered the hand of the, goddess of love, Aphrodite the god who could release her. God Ares attempted to bring Hephaestus back to Mount Olympus but he failed. Greek God of wine and celebrations, Dionysos suggested that Hephaestus should return and claim the prize of Aphrodite for himself. The problem is that  Aphrodite was the lover of Ares. This resulted in one of the most famous affairs, between Ares and Aphrodite.

Eventually, Hephaestus discovered Aphrodite’s affair with the God of the War Ares, with the help of Helios, the all-seeing Sun. He planned a trap and while Aphrodite and Ares lay together in bed. Hephaestus ensnared them in an unbreakable very small chain-link and dragged them to Mount Olympus to humiliate them in front of the all other gods for revenge. The gods laughed at the sight of naked lovers, and the god of the seas, Poseidon convinced Hephaestus to free them and that Ares would pay a fine.

Hephaestus also tried to rape goddess Athena. According to Bibliotheca, Athena visited Hephaestus for to ask for new weapons. During this period he was collapsed from the actions and Aphrodite and he started hunting Athena to and rape her. After he caught her, Hephaestus tried to rape her without success. At the end, he finished at the legs of Athena. Athena, cleaned herself and from the semen dropped to the earth, Erikhthonios born.

Greek Goddess Aphrodite: Goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and desire

Aphrodite of Milos.

Aphrodite (Ἀφροδίτη) is the Greek Goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, procreation, and desire. Symbols include the Dolphin, Rose, Scallop Shell, and Myrtle. More rarely Sparrow, Girdle, Mirror, and Swan have also symbolized the Greek Goddess Aphrodite. She is residing in Mount Olympus, she is part of the 12 Olympian Gods and most times she is depicted nude.

Birth

There are three myth variations about her origin. In the first version, Aphrodite was born near Paphos, in the island of Cyprus, according to Sappho the Greek lyric poet, born on the island of Lesbos. In the work of Theogony, she was born when Cronus cut off Uranus's genitals and threw them into the sea, and she arose from the sea foam (aphros). Finally, According to Homer's Iliad, she is the daughter of Zeus and Dione.

Personal Life

Because of her beauty, other gods feared that she would interrupt the peace among them and lead to war. Moreover, as we discussed earlier, this was a Hera offered the hand of Aphrodite in marriage to the god who could release her from the chair that she was trapped. Greek God Dionysos suggested that Hephaistos should return and claim the prize of Aphrodite for himself. Zeus agreed as he will retain the peace among the Greek Gods. Thus, Zeus married her to God Hephaestus, who, because of his ugliness, was not seen as a threat. The problem is that  Aphrodite was the lover of Greek God of war Ares. This resulted in one of the most famous affairs, between Ares and Aphrodite. Ares and Aphrodete have eight children: Erotes (Eros, Anteros, and Pothos), Phobos, Deimos, Phlegyas, Harmonia, and Adrestia.

Another famous divine affair of Aphrodite was with the Greek God Adonis, child of Myrrha and  King Cinyras from Cyprus. Myrrha mother said that her daughter (Myrrha) was more beautiful from the Goddess Aphrodite. To punish her, the gods transformed Myrrha to the myrrh tree. However, Myrrha was already pregnant and she gave birth to Adonis. When Aphrodite found the baby, she gave it to the underworld to be fostered by Persephone. She returns to him when he is grown but Persephone wants to keep him. Adonis decided to stay with Aphrodite. Unfortunately, Adonis is killed by a wild boar and he goes again to the underworld. Aphrodite wants to return him to life, but Zeus intervenes again, deciding that Adonis will spend six months with Aphrodite and six months with Persephone.

The Judgement of Paris and the Trojan War

According to the myth, the Greek gods were are all invited to the marriage of Peleus and Thetis (parents of Achilles), except Eris, goddess of discord. In revenge, Eris makes a golden Apple inscribed kallistēi (the prettiest of all), which she throws among the three goddesses: Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena. To solve this problem, Zeus delegates the choice to a mortal, Paris. Each of the goddesses offers him bribes. He chooses the goddess Aphrodite, as she offered him the Helen of Troy (already married to King Menelaus of Sparta), the most beautiful mortal woman in the world. The other two goddesses are enraged by this, and through Helen's abduction by Paris, they bring about the Trojan War.