The secret affair between Ares and Aphrodite produced Eros, Anteros, Phobos, Deimos, and Harmonia. Their union was exposed when Hephaestus trapped them in a golden net.
⚠ Hesiod's Theogony (120) places Eros among the first beings to emerge from Chaos, a primordial force predating the Olympians. The parentage from Ares and Aphrodite is the later Hellenistic tradition (Simonides fr. 575; Bibliotheca 1.3.3, Apollodorus).
Anteros avenged the death of the devoted Timagoras by driving Meles to throw himself from the Acropolis, punishing him for scorning a lover's sincere affection.
The Erotes are the winged love gods who attend Aphrodite: Eros chief among them, with Anteros, Himeros, Pothos, and Hedylogos, each embodying a distinct facet of desire in Hellenistic tradition.
Pausanias records that Timagoras loved Meles, who cruelly told him to leap from the Acropolis. After Timagoras obeyed and died, Anteros punished Meles by driving him to the same fate. The story founded the cult of Anteros at the Academy.
Eros remained small and could not grow until Aphrodite bore Anteros as his companion — only when love found its answer did the god of desire come into his full stature.
Himeros and Anteros are fellow Erotes who personify different aspects of desire. Where Himeros represents the initial longing at sight, Anteros embodies reciprocated love or vengeance for unrequited affection.
Themis advised Aphrodite that Eros could not grow because love needs reciprocation. Her counsel led Aphrodite to bear Anteros, whose presence finally allowed Eros to flourish.
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