| Aphrodite |
| Pronunciation: af-roh-dy'-tee Roman Name: Venus Goddess of Love and Beauty Place of Association: Cytherea and Cyprus Animals: Dove, Sparrow, Swan Tree: Myrtle, Pomegranate, Lime Tree Daughter of: According to Homer Zeus and Dione; According to Hesiod she was born from the foam of the waters Husband: Hephaestus Sexual Affairs & Children: Adonis (Beroe), Anchises (Aeneas), Ares (Harmonia, Deimos, Phobus) Dionysos (Priapus), Hermes (Hermaphroditus), Phaethon (Astynous), Butes (Eryx), Hephaestus |
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| In some myths Eros is her son, but according to the Hesiod Eros was one of the Protegeni(first born gods) and merely her companion. |
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| Birth- (1 of 3) According to Hesiod, after cutting off his fathers genitals, Cronus threw them into the sea. And from this rose the Erinyes, the Giants, and the Melia. Also from the foam that formed around the immortal flesh the goddess Aphrodite grew within. She was born rising from the waters and was to be first greated by Eros, the shining god of love and attraction, and Himeros, desire. She represents a pure, spiritual, noble kind of love. |
| "And so soon as he had cut off the members with flint and cast them from the land into the surging sea, they were swept away over the main a long time: and a white foam spread around them from the immortal flesh, and in it there grew a maiden. First she drew near holy Cythera, and from there, afterwards, she came to sea-girt Cyprus, and came forth an awful and lovely goddess, and grass grew up about her beneath her shapely feet. Her gods and men call Aphrodite." - Hesiod Theogony |
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| Birth- (2-3) According to Homer, she was Aphrodite was the daughter of Zeus and Dione. This places her as a younger deity and make her a minor goddess, normally called Aphrodite Pandemos. She is associated with the meaner, physically satisfying kind of love. |
| Birth- (3-3) The last myth says that a huge egg fell into the Euphrates River. Fish rolled it to the bank and doves sat on it to keep it warm. Aphrodite hatched and was reffered to as the Syrian Goddess. This is why Syrians do not eat fish or doves. |
| It is then stated that years afterwards, Zeus felt that Aphrodite would cause too many predicaments between the gods because of her beauty. He then forced her into marrying Heras' son Hephaestus. Dismenting his decision, there was little Aphrodite could do since Zeus was king of the gods. Meanwhile, Hephaestus was all too happy about marrying the goddess of love. In his glee he made her many gifts, one was a exquisite girdle made of the finest gold, he even added some magic to it to try and make her pleased. But when Aphrodite wore this magical girdle, she became even more iressistable. After the wedding, Aphrodite began a heated affair with the god of war, Ares. Things seemed to be fine until the all knowing god of the sun, Helios, told Hephaestus of this engagement. Hephaestus then made a magical net, which he trapped the two lovers in. He then called out to the gods to see what he had discovered. Through all of the laughing going on between the gods, they decided not to punish Aphrodite nor Ares for this rendezvous occasion, which angered Hephaestus even more. Hermes then soon after, helped the two gods out of the net, Aphrodite later seductivelly "thanked" Hermes for his good deed which resulted in the child Hermaphroditus. To get back at Helios for what he had said to Hephaestus, Aphrodite cursed him with the love for the mortal pricess Leuchothoe, daughter of King Orachamus of Persia. This caused Helios to pose as the young girls mother, come into her room, and make love to her. This angered the Oceanid Clytia, who was in love with Helios. She went and began to tell everyone of this, even the ill tampered Orachamus. In his fury, he had his daughter buried alive. |
| Aphrodite's love affair with Adonis, began when King Cinyras bragged that his daughter, Smyrna, was more beautiful that Aphrodite herself. In her anger, Aphrodite caused Cinyras to go mad causing him to sleep with his daughter. Embarrested by this, Cinyras wanted to end his frustrations by killing his daughter. In order to save the young girl, Aphrodite turned her into a Myrrh tree. Cinyras came to this tree and slashed it with his sword. And to his surprise, inside the tree was baby Adonis. Aphrodite was charmed by the presence of this cute child and gave him to Persephone, queen of the underworld, to raise. As Adonis grew into age, Aphrodite and Persephone began to fight over his affection. Zeus, seeing this dispute, sent one of the Muses, Calliope, to decide the issue. She stated that Adonis would spend one third of the year with Aphrodite & Persephone, and the other third alone. But he chose too spend the time he had alone, with Aphrodite. When Aphrodite's previous lover Ares discovered of this he began to become quite jealous, in so he then turned himself into a wild boar and killed Adonis. He did this but not before Aphrodite concevived his son, Beroe. She then went to Zeus and making it clear that now Persephone had Adonis all to herself in the underworld. Zeus then ruled that Adonis would spend half the year with the Olympians, and the other half in the underworld. |
| Adonis |
| Aphrodite, Hephaestus, and Ares |
| In other versions of the story, Aphrodite loses the love of her life, Adonis, when he goes hunting, and is attacked by a wild boar. After hearing the groans of her dieing love, she immedeately flys to him and as she weeps, she kisses his lips. And now, for once, this goddess who indiscrimatelly pierces the hearts of gods and men alike, knew how it felt to be herself wounded in the heart. She then softly spoke these words. "You die, O thrice desired, And my desires has flown like a dream, Gone with you is the girdle of my beauty, But myself must live who am a goddess and may not follow you. Kiss me once agian, the last, long kiss, until I draw your soul within my lips, And drink down all your love." |
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