#himeros

Origin

His origins are the same as Eros (with some fixes to my original ideas, but only like one lol) being born with Aphrodite in the sea and are adopted by the Ichthyocentaurs.

My correction is that the Ichthyocentaurs mentor and teach the Love Twins in archery, especially since they seem to know how to ride on dolphins in art lmao.

(I personally like having Aphros being more book smart from that source where Aphrodite becomes a philosopher, so he'd end up being a teacher. Meanwhile, Bythos is more hands-on and would mentor them in the physical skills they'd be expected to have, like chariot riding and archery. Further explained in their own post one day-)

I always like to think Himeros managed to remember more of the sea than Eros. Their senses remember it clearly, but not their memory. Himeros, however, remembers a few things and that'd be the Ichthyocentaurs (naturally), a sacred part of the beach, and glimpses of Nerites' face. (He never brought up the last part to Aphrodite or Eros)

They start living on Olympus with the Charites and gain Pothos as a playmate.

Job

Himeros is the God of [sexual] Desire and usually works in the same way as Eros does (but without the favoritism because he doesn't get special bows and arrows; I'm sorry Aphrodite isn't beating the favorite child allegations in my mind lol)

Himeros (on theoi) "is sometimes seen in works of art representing erotic circles," so definitely the more sexual parts of love. While he's not as mischievous as Eros (we just don't know his crimes), he certainly gets around a lot since desire (not just sexual) is a much more common feeling to experience than falling in love on first sight.

If anything, it reflects his personality quite well, as desire comes and goes. It can spur on-the-spot decisions. Sometimes it'll linger for days or longer, eventually turning into yearning

(which is probably why he's called a God of yearning too; but I'll interpret it as Himeros passing the torch to Pothos to deal with; especially when he gets bored and doesn't wanna stick around anymore lmao)

In fact, in the Dionysiaca (34.20) it describes Himeros as having an unresting quiver, so he most likely carried more arrows than any of the other Erotes. (If anything, I'd argue he works the most outside of Hymenaios probably) So he definitely moves around a lot.

Not only that, but he can make people look more desirable, which isn't unique to him as other Gods have shown to be able to do that (like Athena to Odysseus; or Aphrodite blessing one's beauty) Making them more sexually desirable is something Aphrodite can also do I'm sure, but still.

The interesting thing I learned is Himeros' relation with eyes. Now, naturally, desire is through the eyes because one sees something and then wants it. But Himeros seems to quite literally fill people's eyes with desire: Using the word "suffuse" (meaning fill; flush in a manner of fluid or light), but in this case meaning with fluids seeing as he "suffuses the eyes that it seems clearly to drip from them" (Philostratus, Imagines; 2.9). Which I find incredibly interesting. (I wonder how he does that... free-reign yay, time to make stuff up lmao)

The other interesting thing is that Himeros also uses winds to spread desire: (Greek anthology books 10-12: Meleager; 12.167) "Desire's heavy gale tosses me." So Himeros also has the power of desire-infused winds lmao. I like to think Pothos taught him that, likely using his wings to do so.

The final thing is from Plato explaining the names of the Gods, and relates Himeros' name to the flow of a stream with the soul and the feeling of desire. Maybe there is a stream special to Himeros and that's where he gets the fluids he fills people's eyes with.

I made Himeros left-handed in archery because twin things (but Bythos is also left-handed, so Eros is the weird one lmao)He grappled archery with ease compared to Eros.

Himeros will do fancy shots. Even some twirls (diva). He likes higher vantage points. He likes getting dramatic with it, doing flexible poses for the heck of it.

He also aims for the heart, like Eros, but in light of recent readings, he also shoots people in the eyes (terrible I know. Either your eyes or your ankles lol the twins are ruthless)

Motive & Personality

Himeros also has no moral compass. He usually works with Eros, but this guy is clearly more willy-nilly from how many people he shoots.

He's shown to be a very lives-in-the-moment kind of God. He seems to be drawn to mortals in their prime (hence the immaturity of falling for desire so often). He is eager to live in the present.

I think Himeros has bad memory. Not that he forgets everything or doesn't remember anything, but things slip his mind. Sometimes he will just not remember something he does. Eros: "You remember that mean thing you did last week?" Himeros: "Nope." It's a something Hedylogos may say to mess with people, but more often than not, Himeros genuinely means what he says. He doesn't remember. A con for living in only the present.

(unlocked a trio in my brain just now that I'll make a post for in the future if I remember lol)

He's the second most known guy in the Erotes, but let's not kid ourselves, he's barely known as well. The only reason he's higher is because of him being Eros' twin. The thing is, Himeros isn't a leader type. He isn't as invested. He'd rather hang around without the burden of being (or trying to be) in-charge like Eros or Hymenaios. He'll do whatever is needed of him without the complaining Eros would make.

That lack of investment isn't only in leadership, it's in general. According to a source (Greek anthology book 7: Meleager; 7.421) Himeros is not only described as bold, but also never learning to wail [cry]. So it makes me think that... I think Himeros has emotional dissonance, partially a stoic perhaps, and just maybe the slightest bit of an apathetic person.

Eros is the more expressive one (obviously) and so Himeros is the calmer one. He goes with the flow and accepts things as the way they are, usually. The trade-off is that Himeros lacks that investment in other's feelings. Maybe that's why he shoots so many arrows at people all the time. He clearly doesn't think of the affect his arrows will have if he's aiming so recklessly (which is really bad because of what desire can lead to/depends on the person on how they wield those feelings)

This reaches into his personal relationships too. Sometimes he lacks interest, investment, in what they're saying. It's easier for him to rattle on about his interests than sit through something he could care less about. I think he's a rather blunt person.

I think he struggles to have hobbies outside of his work. He's either shooting a bunch of arrows and helping with weddings or just loafing. Anything outside of that is filled with hanging around the other Erotes or the Charites & Muses.

Relationships

I feel like my little prattle might be confusing against the relationship chart. Despite his personality, he's genuinely an great and easy person to talk to. It's just hard to get him invested in what someone else cares about. Which you'll be seeing:

Phthonos

Flat out ignores. Himeros can feel the bad energy coming off Phthonos from a mile away, and while he likes drama, he ain't going to mess with the guy willing to openly bite people and then fight hard enough to break the skin.

No thank you. That guy is insane. He's keeping his distance.

It's not like Phthonos is hiding his dislike either, and Himeros doesn't hang around people who kill his vibe. He gave it the ole college try with Phthonos, and when that failed, he just avoids him.

Of course this has negative consequences on Phthonos and his internal struggles, but Himeros doesn't consider that. Why would he think ahead about that stuff? This guy sucks. Where's the block button?

(If he lost a bet against Eros and has to do a dare of bothering Phthonos, he'd do it. I'll let you think of how that goes.)

Hymenaios

Himeros respects Hymenaios (which may seem a little surprising, or not idk, when I get to Pothos). The two are similar in a way, with Hymenaios being a rather straightforward and sharp person and Himeros being rather blunt. And they both recognize that.

They'd both know that whatever the other says is just genuinely what they think. It leads to honest conversation where they inform the other, helping open the other's mind on an opinion that likely didn't grasp the full picture before hand.

Himeros also likes that there's someone else in the group that takes charge that isn't Eros. Even as the twin (no, especially because he's the twin) he gets tired of Eros' bossing around.

The two of them are also neighbors with Himeros living with the Charites who live next to the Muses. He's with Hymenaios the most on a daily basis just by proxy, since Eros would be with Psykhe.

Marriage isn't Himeros' expertise or main interest, but being involved with it all his life has made it easy to appreciate it. Plus, who doesn't like a celebration with all that dancing and food? In the moment, they're a grand ole time. Helping prepare for them? Not so much.

I think the two would also have to rely on each other in the realms of marriage. Here's the thing, while Himeros is shown to mainly target people in their prime (so ranges of teens to young adults), he'd still encounter older people. Married people. He would be the one to relight the fading flames of a marriage (in sexual desire and desire in general)

Though Eros is said to be the ruiner of marriages, let's not act like Himeros wouldn't also be the cause. He'd be the cause of affairs, for example, no different than Eros. (That's what spontaneous decision making results in, Himeros, smh)

Anteros

Much like Eros, Anteros showing up and being from the sea captivated Himeros. It was one of the few times Himeros showed a huge amount of interest for. The truth being that their time in the sea, while foggy, is very important to Himeros. The fact he remembers more than Eros makes it all the more special, making him feel like he has something fully his own.

Outside of that though, the two don't talk a lot. Usually Anteros was too busy bonding with Pothos and Hermaphroditus showed greater interest in the ocean than Himeros did (Himeros being a little bitter of it). Then there's Eros bickering with Anteros.

That didn't leave a lot of time with just the two of them.

But just like with Hymenaios, they worked together in the realms of love since Himeros' arrows would result in mutual desire (or get a person to be interested in their friend who's already crushing on them).

Although, again, Himeros can also cause love-triangles (& false love-triangles) and other love shenanigans with his arrows. No different than Eros.

Hermaphroditus

Much like Anteros, Himeros doesn't have a lot in common with Hermaphroditus.

When they were kids, Himeros felt like Hermaphroditus was an outlet he could just talk to. It's not like he didn't talk a lot with Eros and Pothos, but Eros would end up overtaking the conversation (and turn it into a competition if Himeros started getting pushy about it) while Pothos would just be high energy the whole time (and that can be exhausting.)

With Hermaphroditus, Himeros could be the one to talk the majority of the time and Hermaphroditus would nod along. Himeros always liked Hermaphroditus' adventurous nature, even if he didn't care for hunting all that much, Hermaphroditus would always find the coolest places to show Himeros.

When they're older, Himeros feels like he is stepping on hot coals. I think Hermaphroditus would challenge Himeros' normal approach to things by having to consider what his actions might do if he doesn't consider them. He actually has to be conscious of the consequences. He can't just approach from behind unannounced anymore, he can't poke his side as a tease like before, he can't physically express himself like he used to with Hermaphroditus.

It's weird. It's all weird and strange and takes a lot of effort.

But he makes himself try. Because...

He's suffered the consequences before. Himeros was reckless with Hermaphroditus before, and it scared and hurt him. He didn't think his actions through.

Internally, Himeros always thought he was the least close with Hermaphroditus (minus Hedylogos and Phthonos). Though he's never seen Hermaphroditus and Eros' secret hangouts, he always felt like the two of them had some sort of click. Meanwhile he failed to adjust himself. (He had a lot of painful emotions when he learned Eros managed to hug Hermaphroditus)

He promised himself that he'd think harder before acting with Hermaphroditus. He didn't want a bigger rift between the two of them. Himeros felt emotional when they were able to hold hands again.

(I basically wanted this thing with the Love Twins to feel a bit disconnected with Hermaphroditus. They don't really have a lot of in common and don't feel like they're all that close with him. However, both of them so badly want to be there for Hermaphroditus. They want to be his friend so baaad.)

Hedylogos

If not friend, why friend shaped, Eros? Hm?

Because Himeros is one of the few people Hedylogos doesn't manipulate, Himeros doesn't suspect Hedylogos of anything. He doesn't get why Eros gets so wrapped up in whatever Hedylogos is saying.

In truth, Himeros sees quite a lot of himself in Hedylogos (more than he realizes in a sense)

Hedylogos? That guy? You mean the coolest guy? Yeah Himeros likes him. Himeros loves how Hedylogos just seems to get him. They never have a dull conversation together. The most mundane things Hedylogos says could captivate Himeros.

The two of them love to make cliches happen amongst mortals. They like seeing the drama unfold like a live-performed soap opera. Though Hedylogos is a bad influence as he makes Himeros' foresight even worse. The two of them will get so wrapped up in the moment when doing work together that Himeros won't notice the damage he caused.

Late at night, Himeros' mind will start saying things like how he wishes the others were more like Hedylogos. A passive thought. I'm sure it's harmless in the long run.

In the open, the two are close next to each other. Doing each other's hair or something while they yap. Behind closed doors, it's a bit different. For starters, Hedylogos is a bit more affectionate. He'll let Himeros drape over him. The second thing is that Himeros won't smile. He's not in a bad mood or anything (and Hedylogos still smiles), he just doesn't feel like he's required to.

Sometimes, when talking to the others, it just isn't in him to smile. Just like how he won't care about the things they talk about. But he smiles anyway because he doesn't want to seem weird. With Hedylogos, it's just easier to drop that for some reason. Hedylogos never commented on the change, making it all the better.

Pothos

The conflict between these two is fully based on Sapo's idea

These two cherish one another. How could they not? They were playmates and Pothos is impossible to hate. One cannot have a bad time when spent with Pothos. Himeros is no different.

Much like Eros, he trusts Pothos to cover his back and does the same in turn. He also knows practically everything about him. Usually the two of them watch as Eros goes on his usual monologues and trying to assert himself as the de-facto leader. One of the most physically affectionate pairs to one another.

Himeros is the calm to Pothos' excitement. Himeros is generally the more chill one out of the three of them. Usually when Himeros shares gossip, Pothos will end up becoming empathetic and emotionally invested instead of bantering about it like Hedylogos would.

While he doesn't take Pothos for granted like Eros would, Himeros does underappreciate Pothos. He even babies him, just a little bit, by not taking Pothos seriously all the time. Most of the time, he thinks whatever Pothos is talking about is him being exaggerative.

I voiced before how I think out of the main three, Himeros and Pothos would bicker the most. Only to then learn that they are practically two sides of the same coin. (Ty Sapo) With that in mind, these two are barely on the same page when it comes to their craft.

They definitely have different out-looks and undermine the other in some way.

With Himeros, he's very much someone expressing things in the moment. Whoever he's around would be lucky if he sticks around for a week because he'll be moving onto the next target. He doesn't often get attached to the people he aims for, and more often than not, he doesn't even remember them. Not to mention that lack of investment I mentioned prior (and slight apathy), he just isn't there for the long haul.

Also mentioned before is that Himeros passes the torch to Pothos when he gets bored and that person starts to develop feelings of longing. Whenever Pothos tries suggesting that Himeros should stick around with him or maybe just linger a little longer, it annoys him.

He thinks Pothos is getting way to invested in these people who will mostly stop expressing desire for another person. Sometimes he'll go step by step of how the feelings will dwindle away and die and how they'll fall apart (again, that babying he does to Pothos) and obviously this upsets Pothos.

(I do wanna stress that Himeros is not that apathetic; it's mainly an investment issue. He cares a lot about those around him.)

There are very few times the two will both be invested in a relationship and it's usually the drama surrounding it that intrigues Himeros. But sometimes he will become genuinely invested, but those are rare cases.

Eros

Favorite. The greatest of all time. His other half.

Trusts Eros 100% with his life. It's not often Himeros makes a call, which is why when he does, Eros takes him seriously. Himeros is always down to follow his twin.

Himeros will check Eros if he's going a bit far (when he gets very aggressive with Hedylogos. Not so much with Phthonos though, which is negative of Himeros) and somehow Eros will get Himeros to care about relationships (not the easiest thing in the world but possible).

Himeros isn't jealous of Eros. He doesn't care to lead the group or asserting he's in charge. He doesn't need to prove himself. He does however become bitter at the fact Eros is given (and takes) a lot of the credit. Not even just from Himeros. Himeros usually takes it out with sibling shenanigans like punching Eros' shoulder or getting Eros in trouble.

Now Himeros is a little rascal like Eros is, but Eros is so outwardly expressive about it, it's a personality trait (lol). It makes it so Himeros can fly under the radar. (He gets satisfaction from annoying Eros this way). He usually makes up for it by covering for Eros when he schemes.

Most of the time though, he'll join the bandwagon of blaming Eros for things. Kind of treating it like karma for Eros wanting to be the most credited Erote.

He also doesn't discuss his feelings with Eros. Himeros doesn't really confide in anyone (not even Pothos or Hedylogos). Mainly because he doesn't process it. It's mostly repressed because why think about it? That happened in the past, it doesn't matter.

Primordial Eros

He doesn't get how Primordial Eros got here, but he's chill with him.

Much like Pothos, he feels kinship to the gigantic God but doesn't know why. He'll tease his twin and say Eros I is the better version of him.

He's quite casual with Eros I, treating him like he would anyone else. He's not intimidated to interact with him or be affectionate.

Aphrodite

He loves his Mama. He was definitely the easier baby to deal with. I don't think Himeros minds all the attention gets from Aphrodite (mainly because he knows Eros is a handful and a half to deal with)

(I like giving Himeros a closer relationship to the Ichthyocentaurs than Eros has with them. Again, I just want him to have more interest in the sea than Eros in general lol)

He loves gossiping with his Mama (I mean he'd have a lot from how many people he effects on the daily lol). Aphrodite just thinking her son eavesdrop on mortals and Gods a lot lolol.

I think the two spend a lot of time together since he lives with the Charites. He gets to come along when they all go out for the day.

I think in private, the two of them practice singing. Just the two of em. Himeros doesn't sing nearly as often as he plays instruments. Just some bonding for them.

They love each other immensely.

☆⭒☆⭒☆

Okokookokok. Himeros. Love this guy.

I talked a lot of his craft. And honestly, I think it's my best "Job" description (pulled out the sources and everything lol). Idk It just really fascinated me! Definitely my favorite one.