Aphrodite is a major female deity in the Greek Pantheon, she is the goddess and personification of beauty, love, sex, pleasure, passion and procreation and a member of The Twelve Olympians in Greek Mythology.
Role and Significance[]
Aphrodite is the Goddess of Love, Beauty and Sex. She overlooks and knows much about the lives of humans and the gods, overseeing their emotions and relationships and adding to them, whether good or bad. She is also assisted and helped in her duties by The Erotes, winged Gods of love who specialise in different areas of love. As one of The Twelve Olympians, she is a major goddess with her own throne beside them on Mount Olympus.
Aphrodite was worshipped across ancient Greece, where she had numerous temples, Aphrodite's festivals were Aphrodisia, Adonia, Antesphoria and Kidonas. The fourth day in every month and Fridays were also sacred days to the goddess and when many of her worshippers would honour her.
Origin Story[]
Birth of Aphrodite
Aphrodite's birth depicted by Sandro Botticelli, in his painting the Birth of Venus (circa mid 1480's)
According to Hesiod, Aphrodite is the daughter of Uranus alone, whilst in Theogony, she was stated as the daughter of Uranus, the primordial god of the sky and Thalassa the primordial goddess of the sea, who was born from Uranus' castrated parts falling into the sea, where she was formed and emerged as fully grown adult woman, pregnant with Eros.
In the Iliad, Aphrodite is stated to be the daughter of Zeus, the King of the Gods and his secret lover, Dione, one of the Oceanids.
In both editions she made it to Mount Olympus becoming one of the Twelve Olympians.
Other stories[]
Other myths involving Aphrodite, (not in chronological order):[]
Aphrodite and Akhilleus
In ancient Greece, a boy named Akhilleus (not to be confused with Achilles from 'Iliad' by Homer) boasted that he was more beautiful than Aphrodite herself and foolishly the boy challenged her. Pan was appointed as the judge. Many of the Gods were present in the challenge. Zeus, Demeter, Apollo, Artemis, Athena, Hera, Aphrodite's boyfriend, Ares and the Erotes was also there to support her. Many gods were convinced that Aphrodite would win the challenge but Pan foolishly crowned Akhilleus as the winner. Ares turned the poor boy into an ugly shark while Aphrodite cursed Pan that he will fall in love with a doomed nymph.
Aphrodite and Smyrna
Queen Cencheris boasted that her daughter Princess Smyrna is more beautiful than Aphrodite. Wrathful Aphrodite cursed Smyrna and cause her to fell in love with her own father. She slept with King Cinyras (whom is the father of Smyrna) for 9 nights. Cinyras soon found out about this and chased her daughter. Smyrna ran and Aphrodite turned her into tree. She later gave birth to Adonis whom is Aphrodite's adopted son and her favourite lover.
Aphrodite and Hermes
Engraving of Aphrodite with Hermes by Carl August Schwerdgeburth and Johann Heinrich Ramberg.
Hermes grew lustful after he saw Aphrodite bathing in a pool. He tried to seduced her but he failed. So he sent an eagle to steal Aphrodite's sandal (some sources says her bikini) and hide somewhere in Egypt. Aphrodite searched far and wide for her favourite sandal and she soon found out that Hermes stole her sandal (or bikini?). She ask Hermes to return her sandal but he refused. Aphrodite then seduced him and slept with him. 9 months later, Aphrodite gave birth to a son, Hermaphroditus.
Aphrodite and Muse Clio
One of the Muses, Clio criticized Aphrodite's love for Adonis. Aphrodite took her criticism as an insult and cursed her that she will fall in love with a mortal men and the child that she bore will be killed by the hands of a god. Aphrodite's cursed was therefore fulfilled when Aphrodite's handsome step-brother, Apollo accidently killed Hyacinthus with a frisbee.
Curse of the Lemnian Women
The Lemnian women rejected goddess Aphrodite and neglcted her worship. Goddess Aphrodite cursed the Lemnian women with a horrible, disgusting and smelly stench on their vagina. Lemnian men refused to sleep with them and took Thracian woman as their bride. Jealousy struck the Lemnian woman. They wreaked havoc and killed all the Lemnian men including the male babies. After the mass masscre, lemnian woman soon lived on their own but sadly the population is decreasing and many women died and since the death of Lemnian men the land of Lemnos has been filled with bankcruptcy and misfortunes. The Lemnian women regretted their action and ask Goddess Aphrodite to forgive their sin and they sacrificed thousands of pigeon to Aphrodite. Aphrodite forgave them and she lured Jason alongside with the Argonauts to Lemnos. The Argonauts slept with the Lemnian women allowing them to re-populate their land.
Aphrodite and Eos
Eos the goddess of dawn cause the Goddess Aphrodite to get jealous. She had a one night stand with Aphrodite's lover Ares the god of war. So she cursed her with an unquenchable lust for young men as a punishment for sleeping with Ares.
Curse of Princess Polyphonte
The beautiful princess of the Triballoi tribe of Thrace, Princess Polyphonte. She scorned love and neglected the worship of Aphrodite. The goddess cursed her to have sex with a bear as a punishment.
Aphrodite and Nerites
Aphrodite and Nerites in the South Korean manhwa, Olympus Guardian.
Nerites was a handsome and youthful sea-god. Before Aphrodite ascended to Olympus. She had an affair with Nerites. But one day Aphrodite heard news that Cronus was overthrown by his own son. It is said that they were 12 thrones on Olympus. Goddess Aphrodite decided to audition herself to Olympus. She asked Nerites to accompany her to Olympus. But he rejected, so she bribed him with a pair of wings, but he rejected the wings too. When Aphrodite asked him why, he replied that he didn't want leave his family in the sea or separated from his beloved mother. Aphrodite was upset and jealous that Nerites loved his mother more than he loved her. So she turned him into a shellfish.
The Tale of Eros and Psyche
Illustration by Henry J. Ford for 'Cupid and Psyche' from “The Red Book of Romance” (1921) depicting Aphrodite (left) finding Psyche (right) had completed her task of separating a huge pile of mixed grains into separate bags.
According to The Tale of Eros and Psyche by Apuleius, Aphrodite became jealous and angry with a human princess named Psyche, who was considered more beautiful than Aphrodite by mortals and even worshipped in her place, diminishing Aphrodite's worshippers and causing her temples to become empty of people and offerings. In hopes of fixing this, Aphrodite sent out her son, Eros, to make Psyche fall in love with the most hideous monster, by shooting her with his love arrow, and making her look at the "hideous monster". Aphrodite's plan however failed when Eros was struck by his own love arrow making him fall in love with Psyche, having Zephyrus deliver her to a secret location, a palace Eros visited during the night, so Psyche could never see his face or learn his identity, (fearing she would be too shocked by it), the couple despite this bonded and lived as spouses without Aphrodite even knowing. But when Psyche out of fear and curiosity and having been pressurised by her sisters, broke Eros' agreement of never looking at his face by using a lamp to discover his identity, whilst he was asleep in their bed, some melted wax dropped from her lamp onto Eros, who awoke in pain, having been burned. After realising Psyche betrayed him, Eros escaped from Psyche but she chased him, causing him to fly away quickly. Psyche later arrived at Aphrodite's temple for a chance to reunite with Eros but Aphrodite had her whipped by her servants, Worry and Sadness and the Goddess mocked her sham marriage and out of wedlock pregnancy caused by Eros, and she set her four almost impossible tasks to separate her from Eros, Psyche completed the first three hardships with help from the Gods to Aphrodite's shock and anger, but in the last hardship, opened Persephone's Box of Beauty intended for Aphrodite, for a small amount of beauty in her weary state but got killed by the box's contents, Eros sensing Psyche's death, raced to her and revived her by removing the deadly substance. As he loved Psyche so much, Zeus married them in Mount Olympus and made Psyche a goddess, months later Aphrodite got a granddaughter named Hedone.
The Tale of Atalanta
Atalanta a mortal virgin huntress, was a loyal follower of the Goddess Artemis. After she was welcomed home by her parents, a Greek King and Queen they wished for her to get married, but Atalanta, stubborn in her ways, set a challenge that any man who wanted to marry her-had to first beat her in a race. Atalanta being an extremely fast runner, was confident in her ability. Many men who wanted to win her hand, raced against her and failed until Hippomenes, one of the Arcadian hunters, known for his enthusiasm for completing challenges, decided to race Princess Atalanta for her hand, but before the race, he prayed to Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love to help him win this race against her- knowing he could not defeat Atalanta by his own might and Aphrodite appeared to him and gave Hippomenes three golden apples, with instructions to throw them before Atalanta to distract her. When the race finally came, Atalanta was initially leading but over the course of the race, Hippomenes threw several golden apples in front of Atalanta, causing her to become distracted and stop to check the unusual apples, this resulted in Hippomenes crossing the finish line first and winning Atalanta in marriage. The two lived together happily, but Aphrodite who was disappointed they never thanked her for their marriage, later cursed them to have intercourse when they visited the Temple of Rhea- this offended Rhea, who turned Hippomenes and Atalanta into lions that pull her chariot.
The wedding of Thetis and Peleus and The Judgement of Paris-When Thetis, the Nereid and Peleus, a mortal King of Phthia were having a grand wedding ceremony on Mount Olympus to celebrate their marriage, all of the gods were invited accept for Eris, the goddess of strife and discord, because of her chaotic nature, who snuck into the celebration to place a golden apple inscribed: 'to the fairest' near a table. The golden apple was seen and sought by Aphrodite, Athena and Hera, who each squabbled over owning it. After Apollo, the most handsome god on Olympus and Zeus, the King of the Gods were unable to choose the most beautiful of the three goddesses and the worthy owner of the apple, Zeus sent out his son Hermes to find the most attractive mortal and bring them to Mount Olympus to judge the goddesses' beauty. Hermes would come back with Prince Paris of Troy as a judge. Hera, Athena and Aphrodite would bribe the prince with different gifts to give them the desired apple. Hera offered kingship as a gift, Athena offered Paris success in all wars and Aphrodite bribed Paris with the love of the most beautiful human woman. After Paris chose Aphrodite, he passed her the golden apple, which infuriated both Hera and Athena for neither of them being picked the fairest.
Aphrodite would then meet Queen Helen of Sparta, the most beautiful mortal woman and after telling and encouraging her about a new love, brought her to Prince Paris. The two began their romantic relationship blessed by Aphrodite which would make Helen's husband, King Menelaus of Sparta, begin the Trojan Wars, embarking on a quest to bring his wife back to Sparta.
The Trojan Wars- Aphrodite would support the Trojans in the Trojan Wars. Zeus also made Aphrodite fall in love with Anchises, a member of the Trojan royal family, whilst he was herding sheep at the foot of Mount Ida. Aphrodite pretended to be a Phrygian princess and seduced him, only to later reveal herself and inform him that they would have a son named Aeneas; Aphrodite had warned Anchises that if he told anyone about her being the mother of his child, Zeus would strike him down with his thunderbolt. He did not heed her warning and was struck with a thunderbolt, which in different versions either blinds him or kills him. According to the Bibliotheca, Anchises and Aphrodite had another son, Lyrus, who died childless. He later had a mortal wife named Eriopis, according to the scholiasts, and he is credited with other children beside Aeneas and Lyrus. Homer, in the Iliad, mentions a daughter named Hippodamia, their eldest ("the darling of her father and mother"), who married her cousin Alcathous.
Aphrodite with Rhea, rescued Creusa, the wife of Aphrodite's son Aeneas, from the slavery the Greeks would have subjected her to after the fall of Troy. As for Aeneas, when he landed in Italy, a local warlord named Turnus set his pine-framed vessels ablaze. Rhea (or Cybele), remembering that those hulls had been crafted from trees felled on her holy mountains, transformed the vessels into sea nymphs.
Appearance[]
Aphrodite takes the form of a human woman and is described as the most attractive goddess, she was usually depicted being incredibly, supremely and infinitely beautiful. Every inch of her is perfection. She also likes to wear a revealing dress and wore expensive jewelleries from head to toe. Her sons, The Erotes (a group of winged love gods) often accompany her.
Personality[]
Aphrodite is extremely vain, witty, self-absorbed, cunning, jealous, self-centred but also very passionate and intelligent. She likes to be recognized as the 'most beautiful being in the entire world'. Nonetheless she is still a very respected and influential figure, being a major goddess. Aphrodite is a very protective and nurturing mother to her children, such as Eros. Aphrodite can be extremely vindictive when she is angry, sending animals to kill anyone who claimed her title or cursing them horribly. Nonetheless she is willing to help and bless those who please her or pray to her as long as there are not on bad terms with her, as shown with the hunter, Hippomenes and Prince Paris of Troy, both mortals. Aphrodite is also obsessed with being famous and would use many powers that she had to influence humans into admiring her. Sometimes luring humans into worshipping her. She can be very manipulative and scheming sometimes. Aphrodite is also a very romantic, lustful and polyamorous goddess as shown by her keeping numerous lovers, such as Ares, Adonis and Anchises (described further in the relationship section). She cheated on her husband Hephaestus, and after their divorce established an open relationship with Ares. Aphrodite isn't clearly portrayed as a wholly good or bad goddess in the myths- making her fit a neutral position better, as she prefers to follow her own whims, both blessing and cursing other people as she pleases.
Name[]
Aphrodite's official Greek name is ΑφροRδιτη. It means 'risen from the sea' or 'sea foam'.
Aphrodite's Roman equivalent is named Venus, which means 'love, desire'.
Quotes[]
“So what is this i hear, Selene-that you've taken pausing the moon in every night so you can gaze like a schoolgirl at this prince, Endymion, while he sleeps?”-Aphrodite to Titaness Selene about Endymion in "Dialogue of the Gods" by Lucian of Samosata
"Hera, my mother-in-law, youngest daughter of mighty Kronos, speak whatever it is in your mind. My heart urgent to do it if I can, and if it is a thing that can be accomplished. "-Aphrodite to "Hera" in the 'Iliad' by Homer.
"Masterful boy!" Always the last word! But you will remember this someday"- Aphrodite to her favourite son, Eros in "Dialogue of the Gods" by Lucian Samosata.
Relationships[]
Romantic[]
Aphrodite has and has had many romantic relationships with various gods and mortals alike such as:
A painting, Venus, Mars, and Vulcan (Aphrodite, Ares, and Hephaestus) (1604-5) attributed to Johann Rottenhammer the Elder. Depicting Hephaestus (left) catching Aphrodite and Ares together in their bed.
Hephaestus: Hephaestus is Aphrodite's ex husband and in some accounts also her half brother. The two were all ill-made match in an arranged marriage set up by Hera and Zeus, that took place shortly after Hephaestus returned to Mount Olympus to claim his place amongst the Gods.
Their marriage seemed to be fine until Aphrodite became smitten with Ares, the God of War and began an affair with him, thus cheating on Hephaestus. The sun Titan God, Helios, having the ability to see everyone on earth, saw the adulterous pair and also warned Hephaestus about this but Hephaestus did not believe Helios that his wife was cheating and assured that she would not stoop that low, showing that he trusted and loved Aphrodite; however to double-check Helios' claims of Aphrodite's infidelity, created an invisible net trap, he put over his bed.
When Hephaestus eventually returned to his and Aphrodite's bedroom, for a check-up, he found Ares and Aphrodite there together and for proof invited the other Twelve Olympians, who laughed at Aphrodite and Ares trapped in their crime, making them both humiliated. After they were freed from the net, Hephaestus made proceedings to divorce Aphrodite but even though he got his way, he maintained a long term grudge against her. Even giving Harmonia (Aphrodite's daughter) a beautiful but secretly cursed necklace for her wedding day, which brought misfortune to anyone who wore it , showing that Hephaestus was deeply hurt by his ex-wives' actions, that scarred him for life.
During their marriage Hephaestus seemed sincere about their marriage as well as a loyal and responsible husband to Aphrodite, most likely being very infatuated with her, whilst Aphrodite also played the role of a good, loyal wife and hid her affair with Ares from her husband. It is almost certain that, Aphrodite never had romantic feelings for Hephaestus, him being the only ugly god and spending much of his time creating and building things within his workshop, leaving Aphrodite lonely and bored, also not helping their relationship.
You can read more about their story here: The story of Hephaestus and Aphrodite.
Aphrodite (left) and Ares (right) in the painting Venus and Ares with Cupid (1550) by Titian Vecelli.
Ares: Ares is Aphrodite's most famous boyfriend/lover. The two began their relationship on Mount Olympus whilst Aphrodite was still married to Hephaestus, God of the Forge, Aphrodite being intrigued and attracted to Ares when she saw him for the first time. After Hephaestus divorced her on grounds of adultery, Ares and Aphrodite partnered together seemingly for life with an open relationship, both of them being allowed to date and sleep with whoever they wanted, though never officially marrying.
Ares and Aphrodite seem to be truly in love with each other in fact Aphrodite is perhaps the only person who truly loves Ares. The two had many children: Eros, Anteros, Himeros, Phobos, Diemos and Harmonia together.
Hermes: Hermes and Aphrodite became lovers, they also had two children together, Hermaphroditus, God of Effeminacy and Tyche, the Goddess of Fortune.
Dionysus: Dionysus is Aphrodite's great grandson who is/was one of her lovers, the two became the parents of a fertility god, Priapus from their coupling and according to some accounts, several Grace goddesses too.
Poseidon: Poseidon is another lover of Aphrodite, the two together became the parents of Eryx.
Adonis (left) with Aphrodite portrayed in Venus and Adonis (18th century) by Jacopo Amigoni.
Adonis: Adonis is Aphrodite's mortal foster son and later consort. She found him as a young baby and shared raising him with Persephone, getting to spend half of each year with him. When he became an adult, the two became lovers, a jealous Ares then sent out a boar to kill Adonis and he died of his injuries in Aphrodite's arms, His blood mingled with her tears and became the anemone flower. Aphrodite declared the Adonia festival commemorating his tragic death, which was celebrated by women every year in midsummer.
Anchises: Anchises was another of Aphrodite's mortal lovers and her former husband. During the Trojan Wars, Aphrodite disguised herself as a beautiful mortal princess and approached the prince, they went on to fall in love and eventually marry, she and Anchises also became the parents of the Demi-god hero, Aeneas.
Children[]
Aphrodite had many children with her lovers including:
Aphrodite and chariot of Erotes, Greco-Roman mosaic from Thuburbo Majus C4th A.D., Bardo National Museum
- Five members of The Erotes: Who are Eros, Anteros, Himeros, Hedylogos and Hermaphroditus, members of the Erotes and winged Gods associated with love, who can take the form of either an adult or a child. They are also part of their Aphrodite's retinue with Peitho, Hebe and The Graces. Aphrodite seems to have a close, loving bond with all of them, since they are her constant companions that also serve and help her in her duties.
- Eros: The god of lust, love and sex, he is the beloved first born son of Aphrodite, either born to her alone or from her sexual union with Ares. Eros and Aphrodite have a close and tender relationship, Eros perhaps being Aphrodite's most constant and trusted companion, often being portrayed beside her in works of art, Eros also assisting and helping Aphrodite in all her duties . Aphrodite is very proud of and protective of Eros, always complimenting him and punishes anyone who hurts him like Psyche.
- Anteros: The god of requited love and avenger of unrequited love, Anteros is Aphrodite's second son with Ares in most accounts, he originally was created to be playmate to Eros, though he is also beloved by Aphrodite and a willing member of her retinue.
- Hedylogos: The God of sweet talk and flattery- he is the son of Aphrodite with an unknown father. He seems to get on well with his mother as he is part of her retinue, assisting and helping Aphrodite too.
- Hermaphroditus: The God of Effeminacy, he was born from the sexual union of Aphrodite and Hermes, he also seems to get along well with his mother to some degree, as he serves her in her retinue.
- The Three Graces: In some accounts, three of the Graces: Thalia, Euphrosyne and Aglaea are Aphrodite's daughters with Dionysus, although they were usually believed to be the children of Zeus, King of the Gods and Eurynome, an elder Oceanid. These Graces nonetheless though are members of Aphrodite's retinue, who fulfil chores for her, such as dyeing her garment. When Aphrodite's affair with Ares had been exposed (during her marriage to Hephaestus) these Graces also bathed and anointed her in Pathos.
- Beroe: She is the nymph-goddess of Beirut. Daughter of Aphrodite with her most favourite lover, the beautiful youth Adonis. Aphrodite clearly adored her as she sent her to Astraea who breastfed and taught her words of wisdom during her infancy. Aphrodite would also give more wonderful opportunities to Beroe.
- Golgos: He was the son of Aphrodite with Adonis. Also loved by his mother.
- Harmonia: Harmonia is the goddess of harmony and concord, and the daughter of Aphrodite and Ares. Not much is known about her and Aphrodite's relationship in general but the two most likely get on well and love each other. Harmonia's powers seem to complement her mother's too. Aphrodite also allowed her to marry the mortal hero Cadmus, though their marriage was arranged by Zeus and not negotiated between Cadmus and Harmonia, they have a good marriage.
- Aeneas: Aeneas is the demigod son of Aphrodite and a handsome Trojan Prince, Anchises. They presumably had a close and loving bond from the start.
The Three Graces Dancing by Antonio Canova which depicts Aphrodite with Aglaea, Euphrosyne and Thalia dancing before Ares.
Phobos and Deimos: Phobos and Deimos are two sons of Aphrodite and Ares, they personify fear and dread and accompany their father Ares on his war chariot. Not much is known about their relationship with Aphrodite, but it most likely is a positive one.
- Priapus: Aphrodite's son with the god of wine, Dionysus. Hera cursed Aphrodite with an ugly baby, Hera not approving of Aphrodite continuously carousing herself with some mortal men either that or she cursed her because Aphrodite gave birth to Tyche who was possibly the daughter of Zeus. As a result, Aphrodite gave birth to an ugly baby. Priapus has a permanent erected penis. Aphrodite was disgusted with him, so she threw him to a forest and left him to die, he however survived.
- Tyche: She is the daughter of Aphrodite and Zeus or Hermes. Tyche is the goddess of fortune, luck and money. Tyche and Aphrodite seem to get along well also due to Tyches ability to bring wealth and prosperity to others.
- Pan- According to some sources he was the son of Aphrodite and Hermes. Not much is known about their relationship.
Friendships[]
Aphrodite's friends are limited, since other gods see her as a vain, self-centred, self-absorbed goddess that is obsessed with fame.
Selene: Aphrodite and Selene see each other as friends and most of the time, they are allies.
Demeter: In the Tale of Eros and Psyche, Demeter revealed to Psyche, that she is in a friendly relationship with Aphrodite.
Peitho: Peitho, the goddess of Persuasion is one of Aphrodite's most important companions, who is furthermore her herald and handmaiden; she even nursed Aphrodites' sons, The Erotes when they were babies further establishing their trusting bond. According to one account, Peitho is the daughter of Aphrodite, but is usually believed to be a child of Oceanus and Tethys.
Hebe: Hebe, the goddess of youth, is seemingly good friends with Aphrodite due to being in her retinue. Hebe is furthermore Aphrodite's herald and bridal attendant who also dances with her. Religiously the two were associated with each other as in ancient Greece, Aphrodite, Hebe and Hera were worshipped together at weddings.
Paregoros- A goddess of consolation, comforting and soothing words is another companion to Aphrodite.
The Graces- Aglaea, Antheia, Auxo, Eudaimonia, Euphrosyne, Hegemone, Paidia, Pandaisia, Pasithea and Thalia are attendants to Aphrodite who fulfil chores for her, furthermore they are dear companions to the goddess and even said to dance with her.
Pothos and Hymen- Pothos, the god of longing and Hymen, the god of marriage, are members of The Erotes with five of Aphrodite's sons. Thus they join the goddess as companions and fulfil chores for her.
Parental[]
Zeus: In the Iliad, Zeus is stated to be the father of Aphrodite by the Oceanid, Dione, who encourages her to stay out of war and violence and embrace her duties as a love and beauty goddess, whilst Theogony states Aphrodite's parents are Uranus and Thalassa instead. Meanwhile, Hesiod claims her as the daughter of Uranus alone.
In rare accounts Aphrodite and Zeus had an affair which resulted in the birth of Tyche, the Goddess of Luck and Fortune.
Aphrodite is an ally of Zeus, appearing to accept his position as King of the Gods and co-operate with him, the only time she came close to betraying him was when Hera, helped by other Gods made a uprising against Zeus to depose him of his rulership, because of his infidelity towards Hera, where all of the 12 Olympians-except Hestia challenged each other to take Zeus' place. This uprising was a failure however and since this Aphrodite has not betrayed Zeus.
Dione: According to some ancient accounts, Dione is Aphrodite's mother by Zeus. In these accounts she showed to be a loving mother to Aphrodite, who helped Aphrodite by comforting and advising her.
Others[]
The mortal, Paris (far left) judges the goddesses, Aphrodite, Athena and Hera on their beauty, to decide the winner of a golden apple inscribed "to the fairest". A painting based on The Judgement of Paris
Hera: Hera is the Queen of the Gods and Aphrodite's former mother in law as well as her stepmother according to the Iliad with either Hera's husband, Zeus secretly cheating on her with Aphrodite's mother, Dione, or Dione having been wed to Zeus as one of his wives.
Aphrodite and Hera have had some feuds with each other like when Hera forced Aphrodite to marry Hephaestus and when the two, alongside Athena competed in a beauty contest judged by Prince Paris of Troy to win a golden apple, but this was not a huge issue until the Trojan Wars began as a result of this, where Hera allied with the Greeks and Aphrodite allied to the opposing side- The Trojans, fuelling the goddesses' bitterness between each other. Hera's determination to ensure the Greeks success against the Trojans was so strong that she once even attempted to kill Aphrodite's own son Aeneas.
On the other hand the two have to work hand in hand when it comes to planning marriages and weddings. Also Aphrodite has never made an uprising against Hera or her throne, likely out of fear for her own life. The two generally seem to be loyal allies to one another despite their differences and feuds, as according to the Tale of Eros and Psyche, Hera also refused to help Psyche against another Goddess, (Aphrodite) when Psyche was searching for Eros. With Aphrodite at that point being scorned with and against Psyche for hurting her son, Eros.
Psyche: Psyche is the Goddess of the Human Soul and Aphrodite's daughter in law through her marriage to Eros. Originally Aphrodite despised Psyche and wanted to punish her for her widespread fame due to Psyche being compared to Aphrodite and considered more beautiful than Aphrodite herself by the mortals, even being worshipped, leaving Aphrodite's temples empty as a result. This made Aphrodite send out her son, Eros to make Psyche fall in love with an ugly monster. But in short- this plan ultimately failed, with Eros being struck by his own love arrow, falling in love with Psyche and living with her in secret. Later on, Aphrodite's disdain towards Psyche increased after Eros told her of Psyche breaking their pact of never looking at Eros' face whilst they were living together and her also accidentally burning him, resulting in him getting an injury. When Psyche arrived at Aphrodite's temple, she mocked Psyche for her sham marriage and pregnancy by Eros and set her four almost impossible tasks to separate her from her beloved son, claiming Psyche needed to complete all of these tasks for a chance to reunite with him. Psyche passed the first three tasks with help from other deities, but in the fourth task, opened Persephone's box of beauty for Aphrodite for a bit of beauty for herself which killed her. Eros moved rapidly to Psyche and brought her back to life, with the two being deeply in love with each other, Zeus, the King of the Gods married them on Mount Olympus, and made Psyche a goddess. After this Aphrodite had no choice but to put her villainy towards Psyche in the past, accepting her as the wife of her beloved son. She is most likely at least neutral to Psyche, and probably helps her out as well when necessary.
Gallery[]
Aphrodite's gallery can be viewed here.
Symbols[]
The Mirror of Aphrodite.
Symbols of Aphrodite include a rose, seashell, pearl, mirror, girdle, the anemone flower, lettuce and the narcissus flower. Her sacred animals are dolphins, sparrows, doves, swans, hares, geese, bees, fishes and butterflies. Trees sacred to Aphrodite are myrrh, myrtle, apple and pomegranate trees too.
Weaknesses[]
She has a bad temper at times. She is also very vain, self-centred, self-absorbed and deceitful (Aphrodite has an epithet 'Apatouros' which means Deceitful)
Powers & Abilities[]
Aphrodite should not be underestimated. She is one of the mightiest of the 12 Olympians. Aphrodite possesses many supernatural powers and abilities.
- Immortality- Being save as one of ancient goddess, Aphrodite is an immortal being and can live forever and ever. She remains youthful and beautiful.
- Shapeshifting- Just like all Olympians, Aphrodite can turn her appearance into whatever she desires.
- Highly Advanced Amorkinesis- As the goddess of love, Aphrodite has absolute control over love. She can manipulate/control love at will. Individual examples of the goddess' ability with love, include her making, Helios, the powerful Titan God of the Sun, fall madly in love with a mortal Princess Leucothoe of Persia, which was done as a punishment for Helios' exposing Aphrodite's affair with Ares to Aphrodite's then husband, Hephaestus. She also punished Eos, the Titan Goddess of the Dawn, cursing her to fall in love with handsome young men, as a punishment for Eos having a one night stand with Ares, (Aphrodite's main lover), Aphrodite is also responsible for making the Muse, Clio fall in love with Pierus, a mortal, after she criticised Aphrodite's relationship with Adonis.To name only a few of Aphrodite's shenanigans.
- Absolute Beauty- Aphrodite is extremely beautiful. Every inch of her body is perfection. The beautiful breasted goddess can use her beauty to affect others.
- Superhuman Stamina- As a goddess, Aphrodite can stay up all day without any rest nor sleep.
- Superhuman Senses- Aphrodite is capable of sensing something very far away.
- Superhuman Strength- When it comes to strength, Aphrodite is twenty times more stronger than any human being.
- Lust Manipulation- Similar to controlling love, Aphrodite can also manipulate/control lust. She once caused Smyrna to lust for her own father and commited an incest.
- Hydrokinesis (limited)- The ability to manipulate water. Aphrodite once thwarted the Carthagian troops with water when Hera sent them to destroy Rome.
- Curse/Blessings- Aphrodite can bless those of whom she deems worthy or she simply bless them at her own will. She can also curse those who cross her. For example, Aphrodite cursed the Lemnian woman with a horrible smell on their vagina as a punishment for neglecting her.
- Flight- Aphrodite can fly anywhere she wish.
- Beauty Manipulation- Being the goddess of beauty, Aphrodite has absolute control over beauty just like love.
Titles and Epithets[]
Some of Aphrodite's titles were:
- Acida'lia, which according to Servius was derived from the well Acidalius near Orchomenos, in which Venus used to bathe with the Graces; others connect the name with the Greek akides, i. e. cares or troubles.
- Ambologêra from anaballô and gêras, which means "delaying old age".
- Antheia meaning 'the blooming', 'or the friend of flowers', which was used at Cnossus.
- Apotrophia "the expeller," a surname of Aphrodite, under which she was worshipped at Thebes, and which described her as the goddess who expelled from the hearts of men the desire after sinful pleasure and lust.
- Arakunthias, derived from mount Aracynthus, the position of which is a matter of uncertainty, and on which she had a temple.
- Areia, meaning the warlike. A surname of Aphrodite, when represented in full armour like Ares, as was the case at Sparta.
- Knidia derived from the town of Cnidus in Caria, for which Praxiteles made his celebrated statue of the goddess.
- Cythera, Cythereia and Cytherias which were derived from the town of Cythera in Crete, or from the island of Cythera, where the goddess was said to have first landed, and where she had a celebrated temple.
- Aphakitis derived from the town of Aphace in Coele-Syria, where she had a celebrated temple with an oracle, which was destroyed by the command of the emperor Constantine.
- Argennis, a surname of Aphrodite, which she derived from Argennus, a favourite of Agamemnon, after whose death, in the river Cephissus, Agamemnon built a sanctuary of Aphrodite Argennis.
- Despoina, the ruling goddess or the mistress, occurs as a surname of several divinities, such as Aphrodite.
- Diônaia, a metronymic form of Dione, and applied to her daughter Aphrodite.
- Gameloi Theoi that is, the divinities protecting and presiding over marriage.
- Genetullis, the protectress of births, occurs as a surname of Aphrodite .
- Ida'lia a surname of Aphrodite, derived from the town of Idalion in Cyprus.
- Migônitis, a surname of Aphrodite, derived from a place, Migonium, in or near the island of Cranne in Laconia, where the goddess had a temple.
- Morpho, meaning the fair shaped, occurs as a surname of Aphrodite at Sparta.
- Nikephoros meaning bringing victory, occurs as a surname of several divinities, such as Aphrodite.
Aphrodite's epithets included: Urania, meaning 'heavenly, divine', Pandemos meaning 'common to all (Love)" Makhanitis meaning 'deviser, contriver', Melaenis meaning 'Black (of night)', Symmachia meaning 'ally in love', Nymphia meaning 'bridal', Doritis meaning 'bountiful', Pontia meaning 'of the sea', Cyprus meaning 'of Cyprus', Paphia meaning 'of Paphos', Syria meaning 'of Syria', Erycina meaning 'of Eryx' , Colias meaning 'of Colias', Cepoïs meaning "of the gardens", Anadyomene meaning 'risen from the sea', Philomides meaning "laughter loving", Aphrogenes meaning 'foam-born', Chrysea meaning 'golden', Dia meaning 'divine, shining' and Eustephanus meaning 'richly crowned, well girded".
Trivia[]
- Aphrodite is the oldest Olympian in Theogony.
- Many people claimed back in ancient Greece that they were the daughter of Aphrodite.
- It is possible that specific Titans are related to Aphrodite as she formed when Uranus' remains dropped into the sea, therefore, they share the same blood.
- According to Theogony, The Erinyes were also formed from Uranus' castrated parts and the sea, alongside Aphrodite, making them her sisters.
- Like all major goddesses, Aphrodite has her own retinue, her's consists of The Erotes, The Graces, Hebe and Peitho.
Monthly Update[]
Aphrodite has been chosen to being an upcoming theme for this Wiki for February.
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| Talent | 87 |
| Beauty concern | 100 |
| Personality | 76 |
| Strengths | 80 |