The Mythology Of Greece And Rome With Special Reference To Its Use In Art PDF Download

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: B.?SECONDARY DEITIES. 1. Attendant and Ministering Deities. 1. Eros (Amor).?Of the deities who appear in the train of Aphrodite, Eros alone seems to have enjoyed divine honors; Longing and Desire being no more than aile- Fig. 23.?Head of Eros. Vatican. gorical figures typifying some of the influences that emanate from the goddess of love. Eros was commonly reputed the son of Aphrodite and Ares, and was generally depicted as a boy of wondrous beauty, on the verge of youth. His characteristic weapon is a golden bow, with which he shoots forth his arrows from secret lurking- places, with an unfailing effect that represents the eweetbut consuming pangs of love. Zeus himself is represented as unable to withstand his influence ? an intimation that iove is one of the most terrible and mighty forces of nature. As unrequited love is aimless, Anteros was conceived by Fig. 44?Eros trying his bow. Capitolinc Museum. the imagination of the poets as the brother and companion of Eros, and consequently a son of Aphrodite. As the little Eros, says the myth, would neither grow nor thrive, his mother, by the advice of Themis, gave him this brother as a playfellow; after which the boy was glad so long as his brother was with him, but sad in his absence. Eros was not only venerated as the god who kindles love between the sexes, but was also regarded as the author of love and friendship between youths and men. On this account his statue was generally placed in the gymnasia between those of Hermes and Heracles; and the Spartans sacrificedto him before battle, binding themselves to hold together faithfully in battle, and to stand by one another in the hour of need. This deity was termed by the Romans Amor, or Cupido, but this was solely in imitation of the Greek Eros, since he ne...