Primordial Eros: The Fundamental Force (Energy) of Universal Creation

■Definition and Concept

Eros in Greek mythology symbolizes love and desire. However, unlike the later mythological depiction as Aphrodite’s son, in early Greek mythology, Eros was considered a primordial force of cosmic creation. This primordial Eros symbolizes the fundamental principle of creation and union in the universe, transcending mere physical love or romantic emotions.

■Genealogy and Birth

According to Hesiod’s “Theogony,” Eros’s birth and genealogy are as follows:

□Chaos existed first.

□From Chaos came Gaia (Earth), Tartarus (Underworld), and Eros.

This genealogy indicates that Eros is one of the most basic and primordial forces in the universe. Eros, having no siblings or parents, plays a crucial role in the early stages of cosmic creation.

Other mythological traditions offer slightly different explanations of Eros’s origin:

In Orphic tradition, Eros was born from the egg of Chaos, child of Chronos (Time) and Ananke (Necessity).

Some myths say Eros is the child of Nyx (Night) and Erebus (Darkness).

These various origin stories emphasize Eros’s mysterious and primordial nature.

■Mythological Background

Primordial Eros plays a central role in Greek cosmogony:

□Catalyst of Creation: Eros acts as a catalyst for other primordial beings to unite and create new entities.

□Beginning of Order: Interpreted as the force enabling the transition from Chaos to Cosmos. Without Eros’s power, the universe would have remained in eternal chaos.

□Source of Life: Eros was considered the source of all life. Without his power, reproduction and evolution of living beings would have been impossible.

□Maintenance of Balance: Eros plays a role in maintaining balance between various cosmic forces, regulating the equilibrium between attraction and repulsion, creation and destruction.

■Relationships with Other Gods

Primordial Eros has complex relationships with other gods:

□Chaos: Contrasts with Chaos, its ‘parent’. While Chaos symbolizes disorder, Eros represents the force creating order within that disorder.

□Gaia: Eros appears alongside Gaia in the early stages of cosmic creation. Eros’s power can be seen as the driving force enabling Gaia to give birth to other beings.

□Uranus and Pontus: Eros’s influence is believed to have affected the birth of these gods born from Gaia.

□Zeus: Although Zeus appears as the ruler of the universe in later myths, primordial Eros is considered a more fundamental force than Zeus.

□Aphrodite: While later myths depict Eros as Aphrodite’s son, primordial Eros is an independent god existing long before Aphrodite.

■Relationship with Humans

Primordial Eros is not directly depicted as interacting with humans. However, his influence was believed to permeate the entire human world:

□Source of Love and Desire: All love and desire between humans were believed to originate from Eros’s power.

□Source of Creativity: Artists’ creative inspiration and passion were also attributed to Eros’s influence.

□Continuation of Life: Human reproduction and survival instinct were interpreted as manifestations of Eros’s power.

□Spiritual Growth: Philosophers like Plato interpreted Eros as human longing for wisdom and truth.

■Philosophical Interpretations

Ancient Greek philosophers interpreted the concept of Eros in various ways:

□Plato: In “Symposium,” he explains Eros as the desire for philosophical love and wisdom. For Plato, Eros begins with physical desire and ultimately sublimates into the soul’s longing for pure ideas of beauty and goodness.

□Empedocles: He saw Eros as ‘love’ in contrast to ‘Neikos’ (strife), arguing that the universe operates through the interaction of these two forces. This is similar to modern physics concepts of attraction and repulsion.

□Aristotle: He interpreted Eros as the fundamental desire driving all beings towards perfection. This concept can be applied to both biological evolution and spiritual growth.

□Neoplatonism: Philosophers like Plotinus interpreted Eros as the soul’s yearning to transcend the material world and unite with the divine ‘One’.

■Expression in Art and Literature

Primordial Eros has been a subject of various artworks from ancient times to the present:

□Ancient Greek Poetry: Many ancient Greek poets besides Hesiod sang of the primordial power of Eros.

□Sculpture and Painting: Although primordial Eros was considered formless, many artists attempted to express it symbolically.

□Renaissance Art: Painters like Botticelli incorporated the concept of primordial Eros into their works.

□Modern Literature: Many modern writers reinterpret and reflect the concept of primordial Eros in their works.

■Modern Interpretations and Influence

The concept of primordial Eros continues to deeply influence modern thought and culture:

□Psychology:

Freud used Eros to denote the life instinct. In his theory, Eros is a broad concept including life, love, and sexual desire.

Jung interpreted Eros as the feminine principle, contrasting it with the masculine principle, Logos.

□Philosophy:

20th-century philosophers, especially existentialists, reinterpreted the concept of Eros as an essential aspect of human existence.

Critical theorists like Marcuse saw Eros as a potential force for social transformation.

□Science:

Some scientists use the concept of Eros metaphorically to explain the fundamental attractive force in the universe.

In evolutionary biology, the concept of Eros indirectly influenced explanations of reproduction and evolution drives in living organisms.

□Cultural Studies:

The concept of Eros serves as an important lens for understanding love, sex, and desire in modern culture.

Feminist theory also significantly deals with the concept of Eros, particularly reinterpreted by thinkers like Audre Lorde.

□Popular Culture:

The concept of Eros is directly and indirectly addressed in various forms of popular culture, including film, music, and literature.

Its influence is particularly prominent in the romance genre.

■Conclusion

The modern significance of Eros is becoming increasingly important in the following aspects:

□Integrated Worldview: Eros presents an integrated worldview where everything is connected, rather than dividing the world dichotomously. This aligns with modern ecological thinking.

□Source of Creativity: As the importance of creativity is emphasized in rapidly changing modern society, Eros is being re-examined as the fundamental driving force behind all creative acts.

□Redefinition of Relationships: Eros is expanding beyond mere physical desire to encompass all forms of deep relationships and connections. This helps in understanding the diverse forms of relationships in modern times.

□Drive for Self-Realization: Eros is interpreted as an inner drive for individuals to maximize their potential and grow. This is closely related to the modern concept of self-realization.

□Energy for Social Transformation: The concept of Eros is being used as a philosophical foundation for movements seeking social justice and change. It forms the basis for the idea of social transformation through the power of love and solidarity.

The future development and prospects of the Eros concept can be anticipated as follows:

□AI and Eros: With the development of AI technology, new questions about human emotions and desires are being raised. The concept of Eros can play an important role in exploring the essence of humanity in this new technological environment.

□Space Exploration and Eros: As human space exploration expands, the meaning of Eros as a cosmic principle may be newly illuminated. Human curiosity and desire for exploration of the universe can be seen as a manifestation of Eros.

□Ecological Eros: Amidst serious climate change and environmental issues, Eros can become the basis for ecological thinking seeking a harmonious relationship between humans and nature.

□Eros in the Digital Age: As relationships and communication in online spaces increase, the concept of Eros can be applied to understanding these new forms of connection and intimacy.

□Transdisciplinary Research Topic: Eros is expected to gain more attention as a transdisciplinary research topic encompassing various academic fields such as philosophy, psychology, sociology, and biology.

In conclusion, the concept of primordial Eros, originating from ancient Greek mythology, continues to profoundly influence human thought and culture to this day. This shows that Eros is not simply a mythological being, but a powerful metaphor symbolizing fundamental aspects of human existence.

Eros constantly urges us to question and explore love, creation, desire, and the essence of existence. It signifies a fundamental force operating at all levels, from the individual’s inner world to the vast order of the universe.

Amidst various challenges faced by modern society – rapid technological development, environmental issues, social division, etc. – the concept of Eros reminds us of the possibilities for integration, connection, creation, and change. It suggests ways to make our relationships with each other and the world deeper and more meaningful.

Therefore, research and reflection on primordial Eros can contribute not only to understanding ancient mythology but also to viewing and seeking solutions to complex problems in modern society from a new perspective. Eros will remain a source of inspiration enabling us to dream of and create a better future, and an eternal theme exploring the most fundamental aspects of human experience.

■Primordial Eros

When the first light awakens from the abyss of chaos

Eros, you already existed

Embracing the universe with formless power

You are the creator sowing the seeds of life

Your touch leads the dance of stars

Even the rotation of galaxies is your breath

Across infinite space

You weave the threads of existence

Where earth and sky meet

The power of Eros flows endlessly

Mountains, rivers, forests, and seas are born

The song of life resonates

The bonding of atoms is your work

The dance of molecules, your choreography

Breathing soul into the world of matter

Connecting all with invisible strings

You are eternal on the waves of time

Encompassing past, present, and future

Becoming the driving force of endless cycles

Making us realize the meaning of existence

The alternation of day and night, the change of seasons

Dance within your breath

The eternal cycle of life and death

Is completed by your touch

Breaking down the walls between reason and emotion

Weaving knowledge and intuition into one

We know you become the light of fundamental knowledge

Making us comprehend the wisdom of the entire universe

Love is your small shadow

A gift bestowed upon the human world

Within it lies the mystery of the universe

Opening infinite possibilities

Eros, you are the beginning and the end

The origin and conclusion of all things

Creation and destruction, union and separation

You are the dance of existence beyond it all

Even in our small hearts

Your immense power pulsates

Containing eternity in a moment’s love

Holding the universe in a grain of sand

■Appreciation:

This poem expresses the concept of primordial Eros from Greek mythology, expanding it to a cosmic scale. By depicting Eros not as a simple god of romantic love, but as the fundamental force of universal creation, it adds philosophical depth.

Each stanza of the poem explores various aspects of Eros. It shows that Eros’s influence is omnipresent – in the creation of the universe, the bonding of matter, the birth and cycle of life, and the transcendence of time and space. Particularly, the line “The bonding of atoms is your work” reinterprets the power of Eros from the perspective of modern science.

The poem also portrays Eros as transcending dualistic oppositions. The harmony of opposing concepts such as reason and emotion, knowledge and intuition, creation and destruction within Eros implies the fundamental unity of the universe.

Finally, the poem sings of the presence of Eros, a vast cosmic force, even in the small love of humans. The line “Holding the universe in a grain of sand” evokes Blake’s verse and suggests that through Eros, finite humans can connect with the infinite universe.

This poem beautifully captures the essence of primordial Eros as a cosmic creative force, bridging ancient mythology with modern scientific understanding, and connecting the vastness of the universe with the intimacy of human experience. It presents Eros as a unifying principle that transcends dualities and embodies the cyclical nature of existence, from the cosmic to the atomic level.