Eros, or Cupid to the Roman’s has as complicated a lineage as his sometimes mother, Aphrodite. Many myths make him Aphrodite’s child, however he is often inexplicably listed as a primordial deity. Not just any primordial deity, the fourth primordial deity and the one that allowed order to come to Chaos, paving the way for the Titans.

And still sometimes, Eros is the child of Nyx, an egg hatched in the darkness of Chaos (Erebus) that brought forth light. Without love, there can be no order.

Most people picture Eros as a cutesy little cupid figure. A cherub. I prefer the way Rick Riordan depicted him in The Doors of Hades. When you really think about it, Eros, is downright creepy.

Primordial or not, Eros was an important god, figuring his way into many a myth with his arrows of love. Eros was responsible for Jason and Medea’s love (and look at how great that turned out for everyone involved). He was responsible for the love of Venus and Adonis, (which again, turned out fantastic for all involved. BTW, parentheses = sarcasm), Dionysus and Aura, and countless other poor unfortunate couples whose passions ultimately lead to their destruction.

But what about when Eros falls in love? Well, that’s an entirely different mythology Monday.

Want to know a spoiler? You’ve already met Eros in my book. You’ll have to keep reading to figure out which character he is.