According to
Greek Mythology
A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the Cosmogony, origin and Cosmology#Metaphysical co ...
, Ἡδῠ́λόγος (''Hēdylógos'', 'sweet-voiced, flattering') was one of the seven
Erotes
In Ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Erotes () are a collective of winged gods associated with love and sexual intercourse. They are part of Aphrodite's retinue. ''Erotes'' (Greek ) is the plural of ''Eros'' ("Love, Desire"), who as a sin ...
, the winged gods of Love. He was the god of
sweet-talk and
flattery
Flattery (also called adulation or blandishment) is the act of giving excessive compliments, generally for the purpose of ingratiating oneself with the subject. It is also used in pick-up lines when attempting to initiate sexual or romantic cou ...
.
Although not mentioned in any existing literature, he is depicted on
ancient Greek vase paintings. A surviving example on a red-figure pyxis from the late 5th century BC shows Hedylogos alongside his brother
Pothos drawing the chariot of
Aphrodite
Aphrodite ( ; grc-gre, Ἀφροδίτη, Aphrodítē; , , ) is an ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, and procreation. She was syncretized with the Roman goddess . Aphrodite's major symbols include ...
.
In the Latin of the Romans, he was called Hedylogus. His name means somebody who speaks gently, softly mesmerizing people with his words. Apart from ἡδῠ́λόγος (
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...
, ''hēdylógos'', pronounced idilogos), there are several other Greek words which describe this unique ability: μελιστάλακτος () and μελισταγής (), which can be translated as ''mellifluous''.
References
* Harvey Alan Shapiro,
Personifications in Greek art', Akanthus 1993;
External links
Greek love and lust deities
Love and lust gods
Greek gods
Children of Aphrodite
Personifications in Greek mythology
Erotes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hedylogus