InGreek mythology,Gelos (/ˈɡɛloʊs,-ɒs/;Ancient Greek: Γέλως) was the divine personification oflaughter. According toPhilostratus the Elder, he was believed to enter the retinue ofDionysus alongsideComus.[1] Plutarch relates thatLycurgus of Sparta dedicated a small statue of Gelos to the god,[2] and elsewhere, mentions that in Sparta there was a sanctuary of Gelos, as well as those ofThanatos,Phobos "and other [personifications of] experiences of this kind".[3]
Risus was the Latin rendition of the name Gelos. A festival in honor of Risus (i. e. Gelos) inThessaly was described byApuleius,[4] but it is unknown whether it was an actual event or writer's invention.
