Αφροδίτη, η Θεά του Έρωτα και της Ομορφιάς
Aphrodite, The Goddess of Love and Beauty
History
The age and time that Aphrodite's cult started in ancient Greece is unknown, and there is some debate over this topic. The cult of the goddess Aphrodite most likely came to Greece in the period between 1200 BCE and 800. Most scholars have agreed that the cult of Aphrodite originally came to Greece from the ancient Near East. Aphrodite has many temples throughout Greece and Asia, the holiest shrine where she is worshiped is in Paphos, island of Kypros (her birth place & seat of her Mysteria). "The Assyrians were the first of the human race to worship the heavenly one [AphroditeUrania]; then the people of Paphos in Cyprus, and of Phoenician Askalon in Palestine, and the people of Kythera, who learnt her worship from the Phoenicians.”
Origin and Genealogy
Aphrodite, the goddess of love, beauty and all that is physical luster and temptation was born from the sea foam, by the poetic account of Hesiod. When Chronus, son of Uranus, severed a part of Uranus's body and cast it to sea, moments later, Aphrodite arose from the water and was brought ashore. The birthplace of Aphrodite is disputed, being either on the coast of Cyprus or the shore of Kythira, giving her the alternative names of Cyprian or Cytherea. The arising of Aphrodite from the sea foam is also one of two stories, the other is that Aphrodite is the daughter of Zeus and Dione, a supreme ruler and an earth/mother goddess pair. Aphrodite was used to symbolize why, and how people fall in love and to explain the happiness and pleasure one finds in love.
Powers and Domain
Some of Aphrodite's most common known powers are over love, birth, death, fertility, war, weaving, magic, kingship, marriage, maidenhood, mourning,and much more. The goddess is best known as a matchmaker of the gods, and a provocation of sensual desire and obsession because of her magical charms. Aphrodite's role in myth is mostly that of her aiding lovers, or punishing those who reject true love.
Aphrodite's domain and many titles:
Aphrodite's domain and many titles:
- Goddess of Love: Patron of romantic love; lovers
- Goddess of Seduction: Patron of seduction, sweet-talk, flirtatiousness
- Goddess of Beauty: Patron of physical beauty
- Goddess of Pleasure and Happiness: Patron of happiness, laughter, pleasure, joy, parties and festivities
Myth
Aphrodite was married to the lame and therefore relatively disappointing Hephaestus, the god of fire. Her true
love was for Ares, the god
of war. Their child was the beautiful goddess Harmonia. One day while Aphrodite and Ares lay together they were caught in an invisible but strong net forged by Hephaestus, who cried out when Aphrodite and Ares had been caught:
"Zeus and all you immortals! Come quickly and see this intolerable thing, worthy of your laughter. Because I am lame Aphrodite despises me. She loves the cruel Ares because he is agile and handsome. See them both bound together in their adultery, for these cords will keep them so bound until Zeus returns the gifts I made him in order to obtain this impudent wench who cannot restrain her lust!"
At this the gods laughed uncontrollably.
Another myth of Aphrodite and Ares is how they came to fall in love.
"One day Ares came in from the battlefield brandishing a strong spear and began to make fun of Eros' weapon. Eros said ‘This one is heavy: try it and you will see.’ Ares took the javelin, while Kypris [Aphrodite] smiled quietly; and with a groan he said, ‘It is heavy: take it back.’ ‘Keep it,’ said Eros [and so perhaps bound Ares and Aphrodite in love.]."
The Anacreontea, Fragment 28 (trans. Campbell, Vol. Greek Lyric II) (C5th B.C.)
Other Common Stories involving Aphrodite:
"Zeus and all you immortals! Come quickly and see this intolerable thing, worthy of your laughter. Because I am lame Aphrodite despises me. She loves the cruel Ares because he is agile and handsome. See them both bound together in their adultery, for these cords will keep them so bound until Zeus returns the gifts I made him in order to obtain this impudent wench who cannot restrain her lust!"
At this the gods laughed uncontrollably.
Another myth of Aphrodite and Ares is how they came to fall in love.
"One day Ares came in from the battlefield brandishing a strong spear and began to make fun of Eros' weapon. Eros said ‘This one is heavy: try it and you will see.’ Ares took the javelin, while Kypris [Aphrodite] smiled quietly; and with a groan he said, ‘It is heavy: take it back.’ ‘Keep it,’ said Eros [and so perhaps bound Ares and Aphrodite in love.]."
The Anacreontea, Fragment 28 (trans. Campbell, Vol. Greek Lyric II) (C5th B.C.)
Other Common Stories involving Aphrodite:
- Her birth from the sea foam
- Her love for Adonis, a handsome Cypriot youth who was tragically killed by a boar
- Her love for Ankhises, a shepherd-prince
- The judgement of Paris in which the goddess was awarded the prize of the golden apple in return for promising Paris Helene in marriage
- The Trojan War in which she supported her favorites Paris and Aeneas and was wounded in the fighting
- The death of Hippolytos, who was destroyed by the goddess for scorning her worship
- The statue of Pygmalion which was brought to life by Aphrodite in answer to his prayers
- Zeus made her fall in love with a mortal man, the shepherd Ankhises, as punishment for continually mating gods with mortals.
- The Golden Girdle that Zeus had made for Aphrodite to cover her up from her beaus, yet it only made her more attractive
Want to Learn More About Aphrodite?
Additional Resources:
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/a/aphrodite.html
http://www.windows2universe.org/mythology/aphrodite.html&edu=high
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/a/aphrodite.html
http://www.windows2universe.org/mythology/aphrodite.html&edu=high