Himeros

{{short description|Greek god of desire}}

{{about|the mythological figure|other uses|Himeros (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox deity

| type = Greek

| name = Himeros

| image = Kantharos64.10.jpg

| alt =

| cult_center =

| caption = Aphrodite with Himeros, detail from a silver kantharos, {{circa|420-410}} BC

| god_of = God of desire and lust

| member_of = the Erotes

| abode = Mount Olympus

| symbol = Bow and arrows

| consort =

| parents =

| siblings = Erotes: Anteros, Eros, Hedylogos, Hermaphroditus, Hymen, Pothos

| children =

| mount =

| Roman_equivalent =

}}

In Greek mythology, Himeros ({{Langx|grc|Ἱμερος}}, lit. 'desire') is one of the seven Erotes, a group of winged love deities, and part of Aphrodite's procession. Often described as "sweet", he is the god and personification of desire and lust. In Hesiod's Theogony, Eros and Himeros were present at Aphrodite's birth and escorted the goddess as she emerged out of the sea foam and joined the assembly of the gods.{{Sfn|Calame|2013|p=45}}{{Cite web |title=Hesiod, Theogony, 200–205 |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0130:card=173 |access-date=2024-02-12 |website=www.perseus.tufts.edu}} Earlier in Theogony, Himeros is mentioned as a resident of Mount Olympus, being a neighbor of the Muses and the Charites.{{Sfn|Breitenberger|2013|pp=71-72}} Himeros (desire) and Philotes (affection) were bestowed upon the world by Aphrodite initiating sexual encounter;{{Sfn|Liebert|2017|p=85}} they spoke words of love and winning talk that affected the minds (nous) and hearts of mortals and gods alike.{{Sfn|Calame|2013|p=44}}

Himeros is closely associated with Pothos, the personification of passionate longing. In his dialogue Cratylus,{{Cite web |title=Plato, Cratylus, section 420a |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:abo:tlg,0059,005:420a |access-date=2024-02-12 |website=www.perseus.tufts.edu}} Plato points out the difference between the two concepts explaining that, in the case of Himeros, the object of desire is present and thus the desire is ready to be satisfied; whereas, in the case of Pothos, the individual longs for something that is absent or out of reach.{{Sfn|Pownall|Müller|Asirvatham|2022|loc=Alexander's Pothos}}{{Sfn|Vernant|Zeitlin|1991|p=101}} Subsequently, Pothos is unfulfilled and potentially a suffering.{{Sfn|Vernant|Zeitlin|1991|p=101}} Though Himeros is the standard term for erotic desire, it can also appear in different contexts carrying an alternative meaning, like desire for grieve (after a tragic event) or for food; e.g. the "himeros for sweet food" that a laborer feels after a long day at work.{{Sfn|Liebert|2017|p=85}} Though these figures inspired artistic and poetic creations, they had no mythological stories or cults of their own.{{Sfn|Pownall|Müller|Asirvatham|2022|loc=Alexander's Pothos}}

File:Dinos Painter - ARV 1152 8 - Dionysos and Himeros with maenads and satyrs - Wien KHM AS IV 1024 - 03.jpg crowned by Himeros and surrounded by Satyrs and Maenads. Attic red figure calyx-krater, {{Circa|425–400}} BC.]]