EROS (er'os), in Greek mythology, god of love. He is not mentioned in Homer; in Hesiod (Theog. 12o) he is a primeval god, son of Chaos. This cosmic Eros is further elaborated in Orphic cosmogony. A cult of Eros existed at Parium and at Thespiae in Boeotia. He was god, not simply of passion, but of fertility. Later mythology makes him the son of Aphrodite by Zeus, Ares, or Hermes. His brother is Anteros, the god of mutual love; he is sometimes described as the opponent of Eros. The chief asso ciates of Eros are Pothos and Himeros (longing and desire) ; he himself is in constant attendance on Aphrodite. Later writers (Euripides being the first) assumed the existence of a number of Erotes (like the Roman Amores and Cupidines). Plato and other philosophers allegorize Eros. In Alexandrian poetry he degen erates into a mischievous child, an idea possibly connected with the importance of children in magic and cult. (See also CUPID.) In art Eros is represented as a beautiful youth or a baby archer. The rose, the hare, the cock, and the goat are frequently associ ated with him. The most celebrated statue of him was at Thes piae, the work of Praxiteles.