Greek
Aegis
Aegis (Αἰγίς)
Shaken, it raises storms and sends enemy armies fleeing in terror.
ArmorFirst recorded c. 750 BCE
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Photograph: A Roman bronze statuette of the first to second century CE. A winged boy, Eros, strides forward holding what appears to be a long bow in his left hand with his right arm raised high.
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1,208 × 1,960 PX1208×1960
ArchiveGreek · Weapon
Arrows of Eros
Arrows of Eros
A gold arrow makes one fall in love, a lead arrow makes one flee from it.
- Owner
- Eros (Cupid), god of love
- Maker
- Unknown
- First record
- Ovid, Metamorphoses8
- Gallery
- Greek
Notes on the photograph 3
Story
In Ovid's Metamorphoses, Apollo, having shot the serpent Python, mocks young Eros's skill with the bow. Angered, Eros takes out two arrows: a sharp gold one that kindles love and a blunt lead one that puts it to flight.
He shoots Apollo with the gold arrow and the nymph Daphne with the lead. Apollo falls in love with Daphne, but she flees him and, praying to her river-god father, turns into a laurel tree.
Apollo wove a crown of laurel leaves to wear, and the laurel wreath became a symbol of victory and honor.
The object in the photo
The photograph shows Bronze statuette of Eros running(Roman, 1st–2nd century CE), a real museum object that evokes the legendary artifact.
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