Discourse of Love as Discourse of War and Battle: from Mythology to Philosophy
Discourse of Love as Discourse of War and Battle: from Mythology to Philosophy

Summary/Abstract: The paper shows the transformation of the idea of the unity of love and war from the mythology to philosophical discourse. Based on a number of theoretical and empirical arguments, the author hypothesizes that the “polemical” (warlike) Eros’s image as archer with arrows has its foundation in Middle Eastern (Sumerian-Acadian, Semitic) mythology, which saw not the opposition of love and war, and a close relationship of these phenomena in the image of Ishtar (Inanna, Astarte). It emphazises that the philosophical aspect of understanding this issue is associated with two phenomena — power and gift. Accordingly, it is within the framework of the discourse of love that the “ravishing” takes place, the effect of which is explained by the fact that having subjugated the object of love, the subject himself obeys him. At the same time, in the context of the gift, there is an “agon”, that is, a competition between those in love regarding the exchange of gifts and pleasures. It is shown that in today’s Ukrainian realities this problem may also be relevant in the context of the current war in the East of the country.

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