![]() The affair of Ares and Aphrodite is well known, but other myths describe her flings and subsequent children with Dionysus, Hermes, and Poseidon. But marriage didn’t stop Aphrodite from taking many lovers. This allegedly led Zeus to decide that the goddess would be wed to the ugly Hephaestus. ![]() In one of the popular myths, it is said that Aphrodite was so beautiful that other gods would fight for her affections. ( Public Domain ) Aphrodite in Other Mythsĭifferent sides of Aphrodite and her powers can be seen in the myths about her. The Pearls of Aphrodite’ (1907) by Herbert James Draper. In Athens, where Aphrodite was worshiped with the title “Pandemos,” she was not thought to preside over base love, but rather her quality of being common meant that she was involved in civic matters. Men who are under the spell of Common Aphrodite, however, have no preference between loving women or men. Interested in the body and not the soul, their love is base and uninspired. This interpretation, however, is unique to Plato. Heavenly Aphrodite is the daughter or Uranos. She inspires the love between two men and the love of learning and wisdom. Different Versions of Aphrodite for the Greeksīecause of Aphrodite’s dichotomous origin stories, there is some confusion about her among Greek and Roman writers. In Plato’s Symposium, the characters discuss the differences between Aphrodite Urania, meaning “Heavenly Aphrodite,” and Aphrodite Pandemos or “Common Aphrodite.” The Greek poet Homer, a contemporary of Hesiod, subscribed to this second myth of Aphrodite’s origin and she appears in his epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey. This Aphrodite was later absorbed into the Roman pantheon as the goddess Venus. In this role she is credited with founding Rome through her mortal son, Aeneas. She also features as the cruel mother-in-law in Apuleius’ romantic epic Cupid and Psyche, and she has important roles in many other myths. The Appealing Adonis Who Enthralled Many Ancient Civilizations In Aphrodite’s second birth story, she is a daughter of Zeus. Zeus is the grandson of Uranos and the son of Cronus. Like Cronus, Zeus overthrew his father to become ruler of heaven. In this story, Aphrodite’s mother is a goddess called Dione, about whom little else is known. It is notable that the name Dione is a feminized form of the Zeus’ alternate epithet, Dios. ( Public Domain ) A Second Tale of Aphrodite’s Birth ![]() In his story, Hesiod has Aphrodite float past Cytherea and emerge at Cyprus. In Ancient Greece, both of these cities had huge cults to Aphrodite. In fact, the temple of Aphrodite at Cyprus is as old as the 12th century BC, long before Hesiod lived. Just as he used a Greek word to explain the mystery of Aphrodite’s name, Hesiod here uses geographical details to explain why she was worshipped in these two cities.Īphrodite - The Great Goddess of Cyprus. This is a poetic invention, however, and the true etymology of Aphrodite’s name remains unknown. This story was handed down to us by Hesiod, one of the earliest Greek poets. He explains that Aphrodite’s name comes from the Greek word aphros, meaning “foam,” which could refer to the sea foam or to Uranos’ semen. This myth is etiological, with Aphrodite’s birth from foam explaining the origin of her name. But as was common with the Olympian deities, Aphrodite also had a darker side and revenge was one of her less attractive features. Sometimes she was an outside influence on others’ stories and many times she was a major player in the stories as well. The ancient stories of the goddess tend to reflect her role in love between the gods, humans, and gods and humans. Of course, this popular goddess had many other symbols associated with her and the icons relate to the myths and attributes of the goddess. Some of her famous symbols are a mirror, scallop shell, dove, girdle, and apple. A Brief Overview of AphroditeĪphrodite was part of the ancient Greek pantheon. But the true origins of the goddess come from long before the Greeks. In one of the most famous images of the goddess, we see her beautiful form emerge from the sea, a reference to her fascinating origin story. Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, sex, and beauty and there are many tales of how she could entice both gods and mortals to lust after her.
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