Love (Part II)

Socrates, at the time a young man filled with eagerness for knowledge, pressed Diotima to reveal more about the nature of Love.

Socrates asks, 'Whom are his father and mother?' 

Notice how Love is referred to as He/His.

Note from Editor

Diotima continues, 'The history of His parents is a long story, but I will tell it to you.

At the birth of Aphrodite, the Gods held a feast and among the other attendees was Plenty, the son of Wisdom. After they had feasted, there came Poverty a-begging; this was her nature, and she waited about the door.

Plenty, intoxicated with nectar, for wine as yet was not, went out into The Garden of Zeus. Being himself overfilled, he fell asleep content. Then, Poverty herself, being in destitution, desired a plan to produce a child from Plenty, and by craftily laying down beside himself, she conceived Love.

As Love was indeed begotten on the birthday of Aphrodite, He became a follower and attendant of the Goddess, and being at once naturally attracted to The Beautiful, He is most attached to Aphrodite herself because of her being beautiful.

Plato, The Symposium

Plenty, asleep, has become overfilled with abundance from the divine. He is not drunk on wine, for that belongs to the world of matter. Nor does Poverty need to physically touch Plenty to conceive a child. Poverty is from the world of matter, and she desires for the good. In this fable, we see the divine abundance found in Zeus descend into the world of matter, revealing divine beauty.

Note from the editor of Classical Philosophy