Eros makes Eros the first of all the gods to come into existence. The Orphic and Eleusinian Mysteries featured Eros as a very original god, but not quite primordial, since he was the child of Night (Nyx). Aristophanes (c. 400 BC), influenced by Orphism, relates the birth of Eros: In later myths, he was the son of the deities Aphrodite and Ares: it is the Eros of these later myths who is one of the erotes. Eros was associated with athleticism, with statues erected in "gymnasia", and "was often regarded as the protector of homosexual love between men." Eros was depicted
Agape and Eros two ancient Greek words for love, "eros" and "agape" (unconditional love). Nygren argues that "eros" is an egocentric and acquisitive kind of love, needs-based and desire-based. When we love out of "eros" - whether we love a god or another human being -, we love out of self-interest and in order to acquire and possess the object of our love. This form of love received its classic expression in the philosophy of Plato, particularly in his dialogue The Symposium. "Agape", by contrast, is a self-giving and self-sacrificial kind of love. It is based on God's unconditional love for all creatures.