== カルトと描写 ==
古代ギリシャの資料には、エロースはいくつかの異なる装いで登場している。最古の文献(宇宙元記、最古の哲学者、神秘宗教に言及した書物)では、宇宙の誕生に関与した原初の神の一人であるとしている。しかし、後世の文献では、エロースはアフロディーテの息子とされ、神々と人間の問題にいたずらに介入し、しばしば不正な愛の絆を形成させる、とされている<ref group="私注">北欧神話のロキのような一面といえようか。</ref>。結局、後世の風刺詩では、目隠しをした子供の姿で表現され、ぽっちゃりしたルネサンスのキューピッドの前身となる。一方、初期のギリシャの詩や美術では、エロスは性的な力を体現する若い成人男性、そして深遠な芸術家として描かれている<ref name = Theoi /><ref>"Eros", in S. Hornblower and A. Spawforth, eds., ''The Oxford Classical Dictionary''.</ref>。
Eros appears in ancient Greek sources under several different guises. In the earliest sources (the [[cosmogony|cosmogonies]], the earliest philosophers, and texts referring to the [[Greco-Roman mysteries|mystery religions]]), he is one of the [[Greek primordial deities|primordial gods]] involved in the coming into being of the cosmos. In later sources, however, Eros is represented as the son of Aphrodite, whose mischievous interventions in the affairs of gods and mortals cause bonds of love to form, often illicitly. Ultimately, in the later satirical poets, he is represented as a blindfolded child, the precursor to the chubby Renaissance Cupid, whereas in early Greek poetry and art, Eros was depicted as a young adult male who embodies sexual power, and a profound artist.<ref name = Theoi /><ref>"Eros", in S. Hornblower and A. Spawforth, eds., ''The Oxford Classical Dictionary''.</ref>
A cult of Eros existed in pre-classical Greece, but it was much less important than that of Aphrodite. However, in late antiquity, Eros was worshiped by a fertility cult in [[Thespiae]]. In [[Athens]], he shared a very popular cult with Aphrodite, and the fourth day of every month was sacred to him (also shared by Herakles, Hermes and Aphrodite).<ref>{{cite book|last1=Mikalson|first1=Jon D.|title=The Sacred and Civil Calendar of the Athenian Year|date=2015|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=9781400870325|page=186|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d4p9BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA186}}</ref>