Aphrodite is famous for her beauty. Aphrodite the fair by Joan Holub ( Book ) The Aphrodite of Knidos and her successors : a historical review of the female nude in Greek art by Christine Mitchell Havelock ( Book ) To Adonis, she bore Beroe, but Adonis was gored by a bull (or boar) while out hunting, even though she had warned him not to go. Aphrodite has semi-curly blonde hair that reaches down to her feet, as the hair of Yulia does. In these stories, Anchises was led to believe that Aphrodite was a virgin; subsequently, he became overwhelmed with the desire to sleep with her. When we worship a Deity, we show honor and reverence not only for that Deity, but also to the virtues they represent. This long chain events was a direct result of Aphrodite's jealousy. As an ever-growing archive, our mission is to catalog the world’s mythology on the web for all to enjoy. To purchase such goodies we suggest you try Amazon, Ebay or other reputable online stores. Aphrodite was the motherless daughter of the primordial god Uranus, as she was created from his severed genitals. She and Ares conceived Harmonia, who eventually married Herodotus. Aphrodite is depicted in a multitude of different ways, and the … Of Aphrodite’s mortal lovers, the most important were the Trojan shepherd Anchises, by whom she became the mother of Aeneas, and the handsome youth Adonis (in origin a Semitic nature deity and the consort of Ishtar-Astarte), who was killed by a boar while hunting and was lamented by women at the festival of Adonia. Get kids back-to-school ready with Expedition: Learn! The energy of Aphrodite is the fire, the passion, the spark that is the beginning of all mortal creation. (However, Dione simply means “Goddess” and could have referred to any divine female entity. The Greek word aphros means “foam,” and Hesiod relates in his Theogony that Aphrodite was born from the white foam produced by the severed genitals of Uranus (Heaven), after his son Cronus threw them into the sea. But if the rumors are true, she is not entirely immune to the advances of other gods. Eventually, Adonis was murdered by a boar sent by the virgin goddess Artemis in revenge for Aphrodite’s mistreatment of Hippolytus, the virgin son of Theseus. According to one tale, women on the island of Lemnos attracted her anger by refusing to offer sacrifices in her honor. The earliest versions of her name were likely Near Eastern—Assyrian or Phoenician, perhaps—as Aphrodite was clearly the Greek version of the Phoenician goddess Astarte and the Assyrian goddess Ishtar.1. As with so many Greek deities, there are many stories about the origins of the gods. Aphrodite's breasts are large and long, and have large pink areolas. Representations of Aphrodite in early Greek art are fully dressed and without distinguishing features that differentiate her from other goddesses. She was married to Hephaestus (though he’d rather have been with Athene) as Zeus feared this great beauty if left single would be the cause of strife on Olympus, but she bore him no children. To Dionysus, she bore the Charites; Aglaea, Euphrosyne and Thalia, Hymenaios, and Priapus. She saw him when he was born and determined then that he should be hers. When she started swanning around Olympus, Zeus was forced to marry her off to the crusty old Hephaestus to prevent all-out war among the horny gods. In creation stories, it was usually Aphrodite who created the first mortal female—Pandora. Her epithets Urania (Heavenly Dweller) and Pandemos (Of All the People) were ironically taken by the philosopher Plato (in the Symposium) to refer to intellectual and common love; rather, the title Urania was honorific and applied to certain Asian deities, while Pandemos referred to her standing within the city-state. In more recent times, Aphrodite has maintained a lively presence. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Aphrodite and Cupid initiated the love between Jason (hero of the Quest of the Golden Fleece) and the daughter of the Colchian King. There were at least two well-known versions of the birth (or creation) of Aphrodite. Please mention Godchecker.com when praying to the Gods. During the Renaissance and early modern periods, Aphrodite was frequently depicted in art as the embodiment of feminine beauty. In Book VIII of the Odyssey, Aphrodite was mismatched with Hephaestus, the lame smith god, and she consequently spent her time philandering with the handsome god of war, Ares (by whom she became the mother of Harmonia, the warrior twins Phobos and Deimos, and Eros, the god of love). This sends When he did so, Phaedra fell into a deep depression and committed suicide, leaving a note that accused Hippolytus of trying to rape her. (However, Dione simply means “Goddess” and could have referred to any divine female entity. She was the model for the famous sculpture Venus de Milo. Who and What are We Worshipping? Uranus was a primordial deity and the ruler of the universe whose union with Gaia, the earth, started all things. As the goddess of love and sex, Aphrodite seemingly did not appreciate virginity. (n.d.). At her simplest, Aphrodite is the Greek Goddess of love, physical beauty, desire, sexual rapture, and fertility. Many stories of Aphrodite centered on her famous beauty and sexual passions, as well as the passions she inspired in others. Aphrodite is often depicted as being selfish and vain, but she also loves fiercely and protectively. In Euripides’ fifth-century tragedy, Hippolytus, Aphrodite’s jealousy was once again on full display. We’ve no idea. Please do not copy without permission. Aphrodite also had children with Poseidon (Rhodos) and the beautiful Adonis, the most lovely of mortal males. Eager to settle the matter, the goddesses appeared before Paris unclothed, but he refused to choose. Type: Goddess Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. ↩. She Didn't Have a Signature Style. The island was thus saved from demographic collapse, and its women learned a valuable lesson about Aphrodite.