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[Apr. 26th, 2008|12:37 am] |
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Character Name: Eros / Cupid
Pantheon: Greek
Parentage: Son of Aphrodite and Ares
Patronage: Eros is the god of love, lust, and sex. He is also honoured as a fertility god and embodies not only the force of erotic love but also the creative urge of ever-flowing nature.
Residence: Eros has a temple on Olympus, right next to Aphrodite's; on the mortal plane, he has a few residences as well. He has one home in Park City, Utah as well as a townhouse in Venice that was "passed down through the years". His temple is opulent, simple but luxurious as befitting a god and the son of gods. The house in Park City is more of a lodge or chalet, but larger than most. It is away from the tourist traps, but well on the mountain but with a breathtaking view of the surrounding landscape. It is cozy, warm and inviting with all the perks of the modern age. And then there's the townhouse in Venice. Plucked from the days of old, it hasn't changed much in furnishings aside from the modernization with things like electricity and plumming. Rich history is reflected is furniture, art and appearance. Originally he shared it with some nice kid, Casanova something or other. As the years passed, it was his alone and Eros changed little in it, keeping the memories of days gone by alive and well in its walls.
Personality: Eros was principally the patron of male love, while Aphrodite ruled the love between men and women. That being said, he still loved the ladies. He revels in the differences between men and women and how they love, or don't love as the case may be. He is a dichotomy of a personality. He is the most mischievous of the Erotes, likes to have fun, and is something of a little kid. But he also has a dark side, tougher and with an edge to him. Eros can be suave and charming as much as he can be manipulative for his own good. He is seductive and can change his approach and demeanour depending on who it is he's trying to sway over. He can be subtle and teasing but also fervent and unrelenting.
But he also holds those he cares about and loves close to him and is kind, generous and compassionate toward them. These would include his parents, immediate family, the Erotes, and very close friends. He is brother to Balance, Fear and Panic as well. He is the bittersweet God of Love and he's in charge of the heart and no one can withstand his arrows. With two strings to his bow, he can fire golden arrows for love or leaden ones for indifference, so it's best to get on his good side if you're feeling smoochy. Warning: if you reject the love of another in a nasty manner, his brother Anteros will take his revenge. With passion, and a smile, of course.
In general, Eros is fun loving and likes to laugh but don't cross him. No one ever could hold a grudge like him; he doesn't tend to let things go without a very very good reason. He has been known to drive some to insanity, those who've wronged him. This is both a strength and weakness for him. And he can be petty, reacting more often from emotion rather than of rationale. Then again, Eros is nothing if not emotional. He is quick to fall in love. Sometimes it's just a slight thing, more of adoration, but other times, it's all consuming and ignites a fire within.
Sappho the poet summarized Cupid as being "bitter sweet, and cruel to his victims, yet he was also charming and very beautiful. Being unscrupulous, and a danger to those around him, Cupid would make as much mischief as he possibly could by wounding the hearts of all". This explains the different aspects of love. The power wielded by Eros is made clear - no one, divine or mortal, could resist his spell of enchantment. Eros is a potent, some may even say dangerous, irresistible god; a wanton boy, of whom a thousand tricks and cruel sports are related, and from whom neither gods nor men are safe. His love for Psyche and her subsequent betrayal and wounding of him left a long lasting affect on Eros. It could even be surmised that some of the mean and cruel tricks he plays on behalf of Love are to do with this as well.
History: Eros is the son of Ares, God of War, and Aphrodite, Goddess of Love. He is eldest of his brothers, fellow Love gods, Anteros, and Himeros. For as long as there has been love in the world, Eros has been busy, flitting around, amusing himself with innocent first love, love at first sight, dangerous love, obsessive love… any aspect of love that can happen in god and mortal alike.
Some events have gone beyond history and into infamy. The Trojan War began when Helen, the daughter of Zeus, was smitten by Eros' arrow. In the blind madness of love, she abandoned her husband, took her bridal dowry and sailed off to Troy with her lover, Alexandros (Paris).
As much as Eros toyed with love, using gods and mortals alike, it isn't at all surprising that he fell under one of his own arrows once or twice, some of them spectacularly dramatic. Aphrodite is jealous of the beauty of mortal Psyche, as men are leaving her altars barren to worship a mere human woman instead, and so commands Eros to cause Psyche to fall in love with the ugliest creature on earth. Eros falls in love with Psyche himself and spirits her away to his home and marries her. Their fragile peace is ruined by a visit of Psyche's jealous sisters, who cause Psyche to betray the trust of her husband. Wounded, Eros departs from his wife and Psyche wanders the earth, looking for her lost love.
In days of old, as much as the politics of the world changed with war and deceit, so too did love and love change it as well. The desire of kings, and queens, emperors and conquerors, all carved the world, and all were affected by love.
When arranged marriages were the norm, and a way of uniting two warring countries, Eros played amongst the mortals, either encouraging or manipulating one or both parties to his own amusement. After all, one was to love whom they were to love. Much time as he spent with the mortals, Eros didn't neglect the gods and goddesses. From Zeus and Apollo to Hermes, Ares and his own mother, Eros toyed with and drove the gods crazy with sometimes good, but often questionable results.
One of the reasons he still has a place in Venice was the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. It was more of a city of love than Paris at the time. How could you not love a place that was reviled and nearly condemned by the Church because of its flagrant love of... well love and debauchery? Eros might have been a bit drunk on power then. Maybe just a little bit.
And then came the Victorian era. Let's not talk about those years, shall we? He doesn't take kindly to prudence and caution.
The world got larger, more people and more capacity for love. The good the bad and the ugly. But then it was Eros' time to shine. Or as mere mortals call it, The Sixties. Age of Aquarius. Summers of Love. Making love not war. Perhaps it was because of an argument with his dad, it's hard to say. Or rather, it's hard to get a straight answer out of Eros. Nonetheless, he and Dionyos had quite the decade that's for sure.
Now days he has matured, or so one would think. He's still the rebellious boy, ever close to his mother's side, helping her and being her constant companion. But he's let his interests widen as he's tried to become a more rounded person. But the one thing that has never changed has been Love, the need and the want of it, everywhere.
Miscellaneous: Eros stands just over 6ft tall, with whitish blonde hair and blue-green eyes. He is beautiful both to men and women, the beauty a gift from his mother. But he is also strong and tough, gifts or attributes from his father. He plays to fashion and is ever stylish; he always has been, ever loving mortals as much as the gods. He is also regarded as most beautiful and handsome, the most loved and the most loving. He has great white wings, dusted with hints of gold, and if he chooses, they can disappear into Concept at will. Symbolically he has wings tattooed on his back over his shoulder blades; the tattoos are two of a few he has, part of his rebellious nature.
In ancient times, his statue could be found in the palaestrae or wrestling schools, one of the principal venues for men to associate with their beloveds, and it was to him that the Spartans sacrificed before battle. Meleager records this role in a poem preserved in the Greek Anthology: "a woman hurls the fire that maddens men for women; but Eros himself sways the passion for males." (Mousa Paidiké, 86)
He is an excellent marksman, though he still rivals Artemis and Apollo, but not by much. Or so he says. The traditional bow and arrows have been reformed into a cross bow, but the arrows are still the same. There were golden ones with dove feathers which aroused love, or silver ones with leaden tips which had owl feathers that caused indifference.
And then there were the Erotes. The Erotes were Eros' closest friends, not just family. And though some were not direct siblings, he regarded them as such nonetheless: ANTEROS the god of mutual love, or love returned. Also the god who avenged unrequited love; HEDYLOGOS The god of sweet-talk and flattery; HERMAPHRODITOS The hermaphroditic god. He was once a handsome winged youth, like the other Erotes, but his form was merged with that of the Nymph Salmakis in answer to her prayers that the two should never be apart; HIMEROS The god of sexual desire who accompanied Aphrodite from the moment of her birth; HYMENAIOS The god of the wedding ceremony; PEITHO The goddess of Persuasion and Seduction, caretaker of the other Erotes; POTHOS The god of passionate longing.
"...and Eros, the fairest of the deathless gods;
he unstrings the limbs and subdues both mind
and sensible thought in the breasts of all gods and all men."
(Hesiod, Theogony, 120-2)
Plot: Who doesn't want love in their lives? There's potential with just about everyone. After addressing his whole being gone and then return, he needs to reunite with his parents, his brothers and sisters, plus his close friends. He's definitely not going to be happy with what's been happening. Always potential with Harmonia and their strained relationship as well as with Apollo. There's a lot of potential for him, period. |
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