The Erotes are a group of winged gods in Classical mythology. They are associated with love and sexual desire, and form part of Aphrodite's retinue. Sometimes the Erotes are regarded as manifestations of a singular god,Eros.[3]: 45
The Erotes'pranks were a popular theme in Hellenistic art, particularly in the 2nd century CE.[4] Spells to attract or repel Erotes were used, in order to induce love or the opposite.[5]
The Erotes were usually portrayed asnude, handsome, winged youths.[citation needed] The earliest known sculpturedfriezes depicting a group of Erotes and winged maidens driving chariots pulled bygoats, were created to decoratetheatres in ancient Greece in the 2nd century BCE.[6]: 124–125 The representation of Erotes in such friezes became common, including Erotes inhunting scenes.[6]: 126 Due to their role in the classical mythological pantheon, the Erotes' representation is sometimes purelysymbolic (indicating some form of love) or they may be portrayed as individual characters.[7] The presence of Erotes in otherwise non-sexual images, such as of two women, has been interpreted to indicate ahomoerotic subtext.[7] In the cult of Aphrodite inAnatolia,iconographic images of the goddess with three Erotes symbolized the three realms over which she had dominion: the Earth, sky, and water.[8]
^Barkan, Leonard (1999).Unearthing the Past: Archaeology and aesthetics in the making of Renaissance culture. Yale University Press. p. 138.
^[full citation needed]Original citations were <<Younger, p. 45, "Eros/Cupid">> and <<Younger, p. 40, "Desire">> with no other reference to an author or title containingYounger.
^Strong (1911).Roman sculpture from Augustus to Constantine. Vol. 2. Duckworth and Co. p. 265.
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