I apologize for not having another week of Egyptian mythology (I could’ve had a whole blog dedicated to it!) as one of you would have liked, but ironically my favorite movie of all time is Disney’s Hercules. However, since Heracles is a demigod, there will unfortunately not be any blog posts on him. If you would like to learn more about Heracles/Hercules, please read this article from the History Channel. Anywhooo..it only seemed fitting to send off my mythological passion blogs with my favorite goddess: Aphrodite! Thank you guys for nerding out with me over mythology and reminding me of some of my favorite book and TV series along the way 🙂

Names: Aphrodite, Venus, Cypris

Region: Greece, the Mediterranean, Cyprus, Syria

Goddess of: Love, desire, sex, fertility, beauty, the sea, and war

Appearance: Aphrodite is most often depicted as a beautiful woman both clothed and in the nude. Did you know that the Aphrodite of Knidos (the statue in the above picture) is accredited as the first Greek nude statue? It was sculpted by Praxiteles in the 4th century BCE. Aphrodite can also be seen riding a swan or goose and be depicted in the context of her birth or the Judgement of Paris.

Origin Story: If you thought Athena being born from Zeus’ head was weird, you’re in for a treat with Aphrodite’s origin story. According to some myths, Aphrodite was born of seafoam. This wasn’t just any normal seafoam, for the white foam was created when Kronos castrated Ouranos, his father, and threw his genitals into the ocean. Other myths claim Aphrodite is the daughter of Zeus and Dione, a Titan.

Her origin of worship may have come from the Ancient Near East based on the Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar who was also a goddess of love and sexuality. Near Eastern culture would have influenced the Greeks around the 8th century BCE, though Herodotus claims the oldest site of worship for Aphrodite was in Ascalon, Syria.

Associations and other important information: Aphrodite is heavily associated with the location of Cyprus, as it is believed that she was born near the site. She is also associated with warfare and politics and considered to be the protectress of city magistrates.

The goddess of love would not be complete without her many lovers, right? Initially, Aphrodite’s husband was Hephaestus, the Greek god of fire and blacksmith to the gods; however, Aphrodite had plenty of affairs with Hermes, Dionysus, and most notably, Ares. To catch his wife in an act of infidelity, Hephaestus created a bed that would entrap Aphrodite and her lover Ares. When the two were caught, Helios, the sun god, shone light on the two which encouraged the couple to flee. Aphrodite also fell in love with Adonis, with whom she spent four months, but competed for his attention with the goddess Persephone. Once Adonis was killed, Aphrodite mourned her loss, and this tragedy is commemorated in the Adonia, a women-only festival.

The goddess of love also had her fair share of affairs amongst mortal men such as Anchises, a Trojan shepherd. She is famously known as the winner of the Judgement of Paris. In a contest between Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera, Paris was chosen to determine which of the beautiful goddesses was the fairest of them all. After hearing what each goddess would gift him if he chose her, Paris ultimately decided Aphrodite was the fairest goddess, and she gifted him with Helen in return (Helen’s abduction by Paris started the infamous Trojan War).

Aphrodite is the mother of Eros, otherwise known as Cupid. Her other children include Harmonia, Aeneas, Eryx, Priapus, Phobos and Deimos, and sometimes the Graces. Some of her symbols are the dove, swan, a myrtle wreath, an apple, and a mirror.

References:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphrodite_of_Knidos
2. https://www.worldhistory.org/Aphrodite/
3. https://www.britannica.com/place/Amathus
4. https://www.theoi.com/Olympios/JudgementParis.html