leep, out of which Eros, who had long hovered round her
unseen, at length awoke her with the point of one of his golden arrows. He
gently reproached her with this second proof of her curiosity and folly,
and then, having persuaded Aphrodite to be reconciled to his beloved, he
induced Zeus to admit her among the immortal gods.

Their reunion was celebrated amidst the rejoicings of all the Olympian
deities. The Graces shed perfume on {154} their path, the Hours sprinkled
roses over the sky, Apollo added the music of his lyre, and the Muses
united their voices in a glad chorus of delight.

This myth would appear to be an allegory, which signifies that the soul,
before it can be reunited to its original divine essence, must be purified
by the chastening sorrows and sufferings of its earthly career.[51]

Eros is represented as a lovely boy, with rounded limbs, and a merry,
roguish expression. He has golden wings, and a quiver slung over his
shoulder, which contained his magical and unerring arrows; in one hand he
bears his golden bow, and in the other a torch.

He is also frequently depicted riding on a lion, dolphin, or eagle, or
seated in a chariot drawn by stags or wild boars, undoubtedly emblematical
of the power of love as the subduer of all nature, even of the wild
animals.

In Rome, Eros was worshipped under the name of Amor or Cupid.

HYMEN.

Hymen or Hymenaeus, the son of Apollo and the muse Urania, was the god who
presided over marriage and nuptial solemnities, and was hence invoked at
all marriage festivities.

There is a myth concerning this divinity, which tells us that Hymen was a
beautiful youth of very poor parents, who fell in love with a wealthy
maiden, so far above him in rank, that he dared not cherish the hope of
ever becoming united to her. Still he missed no opportunity of seeing her,
and, upon one occasion, disguised himself as {155} a girl, and joined a
troop of maidens, who, in company with his beloved, were proceeding from
Athens to Eleusis, in order to attend a festival of Demeter. On their way
thither they were surprised by pirates, who carried them off to a desert
island, where the ruffians, after drinking deeply, fell into a heavy sleep.
Hymen, seizing the opportunity, slew them all, and then set sail for
Athens, where he found the parents of the maidens in the greatest distress
at their unaccountable disappearance. He comforted them with the assurance
that their children should be rest