Himeros: Greek God of Desire

The Story of Himeros

Himeros was the god of desire and longing, one of the Erotes, the winged gods of love. In his Theogony, Hesiod says that Eros and Himeros were with Aphrodite from the moment she was born from the sea foam and came ashore. Some later writers called him a son of Aphrodite.

From that day on he stayed close to the goddess of love, sharing in her power over gods and mortals. Hesiod also places him on Olympus near the Muses and the Graces, living in delight beside them. Artists showed him as a winged youth, sometimes holding a ribbon, and he can be hard to tell apart from his brothers Eros and Pothos.

Himeros stood for the burning desire felt for someone who is near, while his brother Pothos stood for longing for someone far away. The sculptor Scopas made statues of Eros, Himeros and Pothos for the temple of Aphrodite at Megara, a sign of how closely the three were linked. To the Greeks he was one of the forces that made the world of Aphrodite turn.