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Eros

Mythology
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Primordial or winged god of love who incites desire with bow and arrows, shaping mortal and divine fates.

Detailed Definition
Eros (Cupid in Roman myth) is the mischievous deity who incites love and passion with his arrows. In early myths, he is a primordial force; later, he becomes Aphrodite’s son. In poetry, Eros symbolizes the irrational, irresistible power of love that disrupts reason and order.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Sappho’s fragments, Eros is a “bittersweet” force disrupting reason; In Hesiod’s "Theogony," Eros is primordial, preceding gods and chaos; In John Donne’s “The Extasie,” Eros unites souls beyond physical desire; In Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “Epipsychidion,” Eros symbolizes ideal spiritual union; In W.B. Yeats’s “Leda and the Swan,” Eros becomes violent divine intervention; In modern poetry, Eros often signifies both creative and destructive passion.
Additional Notes
Eros, Greek god of love and desire (Cupid in Roman myth), represents both creative and destructive passion; in poetry, he embodies the irrational force that disrupts reason, inspires art, or leads to suffering—Plato’s Symposium distinguishes between base and transcendent Eros, a duality that informs philosophical and mystical love poetry across traditions.
Also Known As
Cupid of the Greeks Winged Archer God of Desire Cupid Cupids
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