ABSTRACT
In many literary, cultic, and political contexts, Aphrodite does not appear or act alone, but is accompanied or even supported by an entourage of other deities who do not actually belong to the world of Olympian gods. These include, for example, the Charites, Eros, Himeros, Hebe, the Horae, Peitho and Pothos, all of whom I will consider under the category ‘erotic personifications’. These figures are often sweepingly considered and simply treated separately as personifications of “abstract concepts” either under a poetic, philosophical, iconographical, or cultic aspect. 1 In the following chapters, which will focus on the Charites, Peitho and Eros, I will argue that these erotic personifications are of a dissimilar nature and origin. Some are already rooted and shaped in popular belief and cult, whereas others owe their specific character mainly to poetic inspiration and fantasy. 2 Often, however, it is difficult to judge which aspect prevails in a personification. Several attempts have been made to classify literary personifications. They have proved to be useful at times, but are not always sufficient for understanding this phenomenon. 3
