Gods of Ancient Greece - list. Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, born from sea foam. The goddesses of beauty have names among different peoples.

Aphrodite, Greek, Lat. Venus is the goddess of love and beauty, the most beautiful of the goddesses of ancient myths.

Its origin is not entirely clear. According to Homer, Aphrodite was the daughter of Zeus and the rain goddess Dione; according to Hesiod, Aphrodite was born from sea foam, fertilized by the sky god Uranus, and emerged from the sea on the island of Cyprus (hence one of her nicknames: Cypris).

One way or another, but in any case, thanks to her beauty and all kinds of charms, Aphrodite became one of the most powerful goddesses, before whom neither gods nor people could resist.

In addition, she had a whole squad of assistants and assistants: the goddess of female charm and beauty - Charita, the goddess of the seasons - the mountains, the goddess of persuasion (and flattery) Peyto, the god of passionate attraction Himer, the god of love attraction Pot, the god of marriage Hymen and the young god love Eros, from whose arrows there is no salvation.

Since love plays a huge role in the lives of gods and people, Aphrodite has always been held in high esteem. Those who showed respect for her and did not skimp on sacrifices could count on her favor. True, she was a rather fickle deity, and the happiness she bestowed was often fleeting. Sometimes she performed genuine miracles that only love is capable of. For example, for the Cypriot sculptor Pygmalion, Aphrodite brought to life a marble statue of a woman with whom he fell in love. Aphrodite protected her favorites wherever she could, but she also knew how to hate, because hatred is the sister of love. Thus, the timid young man Narcissus, whom the jealous nymphs reported that he was neglecting their charms, was forced by Aphrodite to fall in love with himself and take his own life.

Oddly enough, Aphrodite herself was not very lucky in love, since she was unable to keep any of her lovers; She was not happy in her marriage either. Zeus gave her the most homely of all gods, the lame, always sweaty blacksmith god Hephaestus, as her husband. To console herself, Aphrodite became close to the god of war Ares and bore him five children: Eros, Anterot, Deimos, Phobos and Harmony, then with the god of wine Dionysus (to whom she gave birth to a son, Priapus), and also, among others, with the god of trade Hermes. She even consoled herself with a mere mortal, the Dardanian king Anchises, from whom she gave birth to Aeneas.

In the world of myths, life has always been rich in events, and Aphrodite often took a very active part in them; but the most far-reaching consequences were her favor towards the Trojan prince Paris. In gratitude for the fact that Paris called Aphrodite more beautiful than Hera and Athena, she promised him the most beautiful of mortal women as his wife. She turned out to be Helen, the wife of the Spartan king Menelaus, and Aphrodite helped Paris kidnap her and take her to Troy. Thus began the Trojan War, which you can read about in the articles “Menelaus”, “Agamemnon” and many others. Naturally, in this story, Aphrodite helped the Trojans, but war was not her thing. For example, as soon as she was scratched by the spear of the Achaean leader Diomedes, she ran away from the battlefield crying. As a result of a ten-year war, in which all the heroes of that time and almost all the gods participated, Paris died, and Troy was wiped off the face of the earth.

Aphrodite was clearly a goddess of Asia Minor origin and, apparently, goes back to the Phoenician-Syrian goddess Astarte, and she, in turn, to the Assyrian-Babylonian goddess of love Ishtar. The Greeks adopted this cult already in ancient times, most likely through the islands of Cyprus and Cythera, where Aphrodite was worshiped especially zealously. Hence such nicknames of the goddess as Cypris, Paphia, Paphos goddess - from the city of Paphos in Cyprus, where there was one of the most magnificent temples of Aphrodite (see also the article “Pygmalion”), from Cythera (Cythera) - Kythera. Myrtle, rose, apple, poppy, doves, dolphin, swallow and linden tree were dedicated to her, as well as many magnificent temples - not only in Paphos, but also in Knidos, Corinth, Alabanda, on the island of Kos and other places. From the Greek colonies in Southern Italy, her cult spread to Rome, where she was identified with the ancient Italian goddess of spring, Venus. The largest of the Roman temples of Aphrodite-Venus were the temples at the Forum of Caesar (Temple of Venus the Progenitor) and at the Via Sacre (Sacred Road) to the Roman Forum (Temple of Venus and Roma). The cult of Aphrodite fell into decline only after the victory of Christianity. However, thanks to poets, sculptors, artists and astronomers, her name has survived to this day.

Beauty and love attract artists of all times, so Aphrodite was depicted, perhaps, more often than all other characters of ancient myths, including in vase paintings and frescoes of Pompeii; unfortunately, about the fresco “Aphrodite Emerging from the Waves,” created at the end. 4th century BC e. Apelles for the Temple of Asclepius on Kos, we know only from the words of ancient authors who call it “unsurpassed”. The most famous of the reliefs is the so-called Aphrodite of Ludovisi, Greek work of the 460s. BC e. (Rome, National Museum of Baths).

Statues of Aphrodite are among the masterpieces of ancient sculpture. This is primarily the “Aphrodite of Cnidus,” probably created by Praxiteles for the Cnidus Temple in the 350s. BC e. (its copies are available in the Vatican Museums, the Louvre in Paris, the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art and other collections), “Aphrodite of Cyrene” is a Roman copy of a Hellenistic statue of the 2nd-1st centuries. BC e. (Rome, National Museum in Baths), "Aphrodite Capitoline" - a Roman copy of the Hellenistic statue of the Ser. 3rd century BC e. (Rome, Capitoline Museums), “Venus of Medicea” - a Roman copy of the statue of Cleomenes from the 2nd century. BC e. (Uffizi Gallery, Florence), etc. The highest level of skill of the Greek sculptors who sculpted Aphrodite is evidenced by the finds of several Greek statues, which ancient authors do not mention at all, for example, “Aphrodite of Sol” (2nd century BC, Cyprus museum in Nicosia) or the famous “Aphrodite of Melos” (late 2nd century BC, found in 1820, Paris, Louvre).

Modern artists were no less fascinated by Aphrodite than ancient ones: their paintings and sculptures are almost impossible to count. The most famous paintings include: “The Birth of Venus” and “Venus and Mars” by Botticelli (1483-1484 and 1483, Florence, Uffizi Gallery, and London, National Gallery), “Sleeping Venus” by Giorgione, completed after 1510 by Titian ( Dresden Gallery), “Venus and Cupid” by Cranach the Elder (c. 1526, Rome, Villa Borghese), “Venus and Cupid” by Palma the Elder (1517, Bucharest, National Gallery), “Sleeping Venus” and “Venus and the Lute Player” (Dresden Gallery gallery), “The Birth of Venus”, “The Triumph of Venus” and “Venus and Mars” by Rubens (London, National Gallery, Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Genoa, Palazzo Bianco), “Sleeping Venus” by Reni (after 1605) and Poussin (1630, both paintings in the Dresden Gallery), Venus with a Mirror by Velazquez (c. 1657, London, National Gallery), Toilet of Venus and Venus Consoling Cupid by Boucher (1746, Stockholm, National Museum, and 1751 , Washington, National Gallery). Among contemporary works, let us name at least “Aphrodite” by R. Dufy (c. 1930, Prague, National Gallery), “Venus with a Lantern” by Pavlovich-Barilli (1938, Belgrade, Museum of Modern Art), “Sleeping Venus” by Delvaux (1944, London , National Gallery) and the engraving “The Birth of Venus” by M. Shvabinsky (1930).

From the field of plastic arts, one should at least mention “Venus” by G. R. Donner, created during his stay in Bratislava in 1739-1740, “Venus and Mars” by Canova (1816) and, perhaps, also his portrait sculpture “ Paolina Borghese in the form of Venus" (1807, Rome, Villa Borghese), "Aphrodite" by B. Thorvaldsen (c. 1835, Copenhagen, Thorvaldsen Museum), "Venus the Victorious" by O. Renoir (1914), "Venus with a Pearl Necklace" A. Maillol (1918, in the Tate Gallery London), “Venus” by M. Marini (1940, USA, private collection). In the collection of the Prague National Gallery - “Venus” by Choreitz (1914) and “Venus of Fertile Fields” by Obrovsky (1930); The sculpture “Venus Emerging from the Waves” was created in 1930 by V. Makovsky. In this regard, it is interesting to note that the famous statue of J.V. Myslbek “Music” (1892-1912) is a creative reworking of an antique model. As it turned out from his creative heritage, he created it based on a careful study of the “Venus of the Esquiline” (1st century BC). Of course, composers also sang Aphrodite. At the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. Vranitsky wrote the program symphony “Aphrodite” at the beginning of the 20th century. The orchestral “Hymn to Venus” was created by Magniard; Orff wrote it in 1950-1951. stage concert "The Triumph of Aphrodite".

Of the many poetic works dedicated to Aphrodite, the oldest are, apparently, the three “Hymns to Aphrodite,” which tradition attributes to Homer. In poetry, Aphrodite is often called Cythera (Kitherea), the Queen of Paphos, Paphia:

"Run, hide from sight,
Cytheras are a weak queen!..”
- A. S. Pushkin, “Liberty” (1817);

"At the Queen of Paphos
Let's ask for a fresh wreath..."
- A. S. Pushkin, “To Krivtsov” (1817);

“Like a faithful son of the pathos faith...”
- A. S. Pushkin, “To Shcherbinin” (1819). Here the pathos faith is love.

Ancient myths and legends are rightfully considered the basis of modern society. Despite the fact that myths were created many centuries, or even millennia ago, even now they are very popular. Few modern people have not heard or are not aware of the existence of ancient myths, about Greek gods and goddesses. If Zeus and Poseidon are famous personalities, then when female characters are mentioned, some confusion begins.

The list of female characters endowed with divine power in Ancient Greece is quite large, but there are main goddesses with whom it is advisable to become familiar. For example:

• The goddess of peace among the Greeks, Eirene, the daughter of Zeus and Themis, is inconspicuous and unknown to anyone.
• Hera is perceived as a woman with a rather obstinate character.
• Nimesis, which few people have heard of.

Greek goddess of victory Nike

Among the ancient Greeks, it was customary to call her Nike, according to legend considered the natural daughter of the titan Pallant and the Terrible monster named Styx, personifying all the worst things that can happen in the world. Nika was brought up next to the most famous goddess of Ancient Greece, Athena, which left significant imprints on her behavior and character. Nika was a constant ally of the head of the pantheon of gods - Zeus, helped him in the war with the titans and giants.

According to legend, Nike accompanies Athena wherever she goes, helping her in solving various problems and helping the ancient Greeks. The goddess looks like a winged young girl; she is often depicted with a laurel crown in her hand. In the Roman pantheon she was given the name Victoria - victory, this name is still used by the people. The ancient Greek goddess of victory is still revered today.

Greek goddess of beauty and love Aphrodite

It's no secret that there is no goddess more beautiful than Aphrodite in the Greek pantheon. In addition to beauty, Aphrodite is subject to the feelings of people and the main thing that can be is love. Among other things, judging by the myths, she is a passionate person and does not tolerate insensitive and callous people.

The Greek goddess of beauty is often depicted as a naked woman surrounded by mythical, sometimes winged creatures. Goddess Aphrodite in the Roman pantheon acquired the name Venus. The planet was named after her. She has become the personification of love, and in some cases, sexuality.

Greek goddess of war Athena

In addition to the military path, Athena also considered the goddess of wisdom and justice, among other things, as mentioned above, she is always accompanied by Nika. But their relationship with the god of the seas, Poseidon, is not very good; according to legend, they could not divide the future Athens and started a war.

In Greek myths, such confrontations between the gods and sometimes attempts by people to interfere with the gods are quite common. Athena, the goddess of wisdom among the Greeks, is depicted as a female warrior, always wearing a helmet on her head, and her hands are occupied with a spear and shield. The Roman name of Athena is Pallas, while unlike the ancient Greek nature, she is more the embodiment of justice and a storehouse of wisdom from the whole world.

According to Greek myths and legends, a person’s fate is a long thread, it is connected, intertwined with other threads, and this is how people meet and meet. When a person dies, the thread breaks.

Moira - goddesses and guardians of the threads of life, three damned sisters are witches. They have one eye for three, a vile character, and in their hands there is a great one - scissors capable of cutting the thread of life.

The Moirai are depicted as disgusting old women with terrible grimaces. The sisters' names have their own meaning:

Various ancient philosophers assigned different properties and appearance to the Moiras, for example, following the teachings of Plato, we can say that the sisters had higher powers at their disposal and wore white robes. In ancient Roman mythology, the Moirai suddenly acquired the name Parki.

Ancient Greek goddess of the hearth Hestia

Hestia is quite a colorful character, especially considering the constant betrayals of the gods to their spouses. Hestia, against the backdrop of all this riot of colors, is pure purity and innocence; she is depicted as a girl. According to legend, many gods from the Olympic pantheon wooed her, but she refused everyone and calmly settled with her brother, Zeus.

Before marriage ceremonies or any sacred act, gifts and sacrifices were offered to her. Hestia is the sister not only of Zeus, but also of Demeter, Hades, Hera, in general, all the highest gods. As you know, most of the gods of the Greek pantheon have their personification in the Roman. The ancient Roman goddess of the hearth was Vesta, a complete copy of Hestia. Hestia cannot stand war, just like betrayal and other vile actions of people.

The myths of Greece and ancient Rome are very interesting, they do not have the properties of children's fairy tales; on their pages, both gods and people can be angry, cynical and experience various emotions.

The goddess of love and beauty is one of the most revered and beloved Greek goddesses. Her importance can be confirmed by the fact that she was one of the twelve great Olympians. Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty, she is also the patroness of marriage and childbirth, the personification of eternal spring.
Hesiod outlined the most mystical version of the appearance of Aphrodite. According to her, Aphrodite appeared after Kronos castrated Uranus. His blood fell into the sea waters and, mixed with foam, gave birth to the most beautiful goddess that ever existed. She was born from the snow-white sea foam near the island of Cythera, and the wind carried her to an island called Cyprus. There the young girl was surrounded by the goddesses of the seasons (oras), crowned her with a wreath of wild flowers, and covered her with gold-woven robes. This gentle and sensual beauty is the Greek goddess of beauty. Where her light foot stepped, flowers instantly blossomed. The Ori brought the goddess to Olympus, where she evoked quiet sighs of admiration. The jealous wife of Zeus, Hera, hastened to arrange the marriage of Aphrodite with the ugliest god of Olympus - Hephaestus.
Not only people, but also immortal gods, with the exception of Athena, Artemis and Hestia, were obedient to the powers of Aphrodite. She blesses women with beauty and gives them a happy marriage, and in the hearts of men she kindles the fire of true and eternal love.
An indispensable attribute of Aphrodite was her belt, which endowed the owner with the power to inspire love, seduce and attract. Eros is the son of Aphrodite, to whom she gave her instructions. Symbols of Aphrodite are dolphins, doves, roses. In Rome she was called Venus.

This is interesting

Until now, no one knows exactly where the beautiful Aphrodite came from. Some consider her the daughter of Zeus and Dione, while others claim that the beautiful Aphrodite was born from sea foam. It was as if, when drops of the blood of the wounded Uranus fell to the ground, one of them fell into the sea and formed foam, from which the beautiful goddess arose. So in her name one can hear: Af-ro-di-ta - foam-born. But be that as it may, it is very good that there is Aphrodite in the world - the beautiful, golden-haired goddess of love and beauty. Aphrodite gives happiness to all who serve her faithfully.
This is how she gave happiness to the artist Pygmalion, who once lived on the wonderful island of Cyprus. He was a very good artist, but there was one strange thing about him. He simply could not stand women, spent all day doing his favorite work and lived in solitude among his magnificent sculptures.
One day he made a statue of a girl of extraordinary beauty out of shiny ivory. As if alive, she stood in front of her creator. It seemed that she was breathing - her white skin was so soft and transparent. It seemed that life was about to glimmer in her beautiful eyes and she would speak and laugh. The artist stood for hours in front of his wonderful creation, and it ended with him passionately falling in love with the statue he himself had created, as if it were a living being. He gave all the heat of his heart to his beloved. The loving Pygmalion even forgot about work. He gave the lifeless statue magnificent jewelry made of gold and silver, and dressed it in luxurious clothes. He brought flowers to his beloved and decorated her head with wreaths. Often Pygmalion touched her cool, snow-white shoulder with his lips and whispered:
- Oh, if you were alive, my beautiful, how happy I would be!
But the statue remained cold and indifferent to his confessions. Pygmalion suffered, but could not help himself. He stopped leaving the house and spent all his time in his workshop. And finally he decided to turn to the gods. Only they can help him.
Soon the festivities began in honor of the goddess Aphrodite. Pygmalion slaughtered a well-fed calf with gilded horns and, when the fragrant, aromatic smoke flowed in the air, he raised his hands to the sky:
- Oh, all-powerful gods and you, golden-speaking Aphrodite! If you hear my prayers, give me a girl as beautiful as my favorite statue as my wife!
Before he could say the words of prayer, the fire on his altar flared up brightly. This means that the gods heard his request. But will they fulfill it?
The artist returned home and, as always, went to the studio. But what does he see! Pygmalion was afraid to believe his eyes. A miracle happened! His statue came to life. She breathed, her eyes looked tenderly at the artist, and her lips smiled tenderly at him.
This is how the all-powerful goddess rewarded the artist Pygmalion for his loyalty.

Beautiful traditions and legends about the ancient gods, when people lived in harmony with nature, and saw a divine reason and plan in everything that happened, still excite the imagination of creative people. The goddess Aphrodite, the most beautiful inhabitant of Olympus - this article is dedicated to her.

Who is Aphrodite

The influence of neighboring peoples, as well as trade with other countries, left an imprint on the beliefs and religion of the ancient Greeks; sometimes similar cults merged and existing gods were enriched with new characteristic features. Who is Aphrodite in Greek mythology - historians and archaeologists believe that the cult of the Cypriot goddess was originally of Semitic origin and brought to Ancient Greece from Ascalon, where the goddess Aphrodite was called Astarte. Aphrodite is one of the pantheon of the 12 main gods of Olympus. Spheres of influence and functions of the goddess:

• fertility of nature;
• at his own discretion bestows beauty on people;
• patronizes lovers, marriages and the birth of children;
• voluptuousness;
• love;
• sensuality;
• sends erotic fantasies and dreams;
• punishes those who reject the feeling of love.

What does Aphrodite look like?

With the advent of the cult of the goddess of love, there was a leap in the development of art: the Greeks began to pay great attention to the reproduction of the naked body in paintings, frescoes and sculpture. The goddess Aphrodite, at the initial stage, differed from the images of other gods of the Greek pantheon in that she was completely naked. The appearance of the goddess spoke for itself:

• a beautiful maiden with long hair the color of gold;
• delicate and delicate facial features;
• forever young;
• graceful and graceful as a doe;
• eyes the color of emeralds.

Aphrodite's attributes:

1. Golden cup of wine - a person who drank from the cup became immortal and gained eternal youth.
2. Aphrodite's Belt - bestowed sexual charms and strengthened the one who wore it. In myths, Aphrodite sometimes gave the belt to other goddesses at their request to seduce husbands or lovers.
3. Birds - pigeons and sparrows, a symbol of fertility.
4. Flowers - rose, violet, daffodil, lily - symbols of love.
5. The apple is the fruit of temptation.

The goddess of beauty Aphrodite is often accompanied by companions:

• nymphs - spirits of nature;
• choirs - goddesses of time and order in nature;
• Eros is an archer deity who strikes with arrows of love;
• the Harites, the goddesses of fun and joy, serve the goddess, dress her in beautiful outfits and comb her golden hair.

Aphrodite - mythology

The myths according to which the ancient Greek goddess Aphrodite appeared interpret this event differently. The traditional method of birth described by Homer, where Aphrodite’s mother is the sea nymph Dione, and her father is the supreme thunderer Zeus himself. There is a version in which the parents of the goddess are the goddess Artemis and Zeus - as a union of the masculine and feminine principles.

Another myth, more archetypal. The Earth Goddess Gaia was angry with the husband of the Sky God Uranus, from whom terrible children were born. Gaia asked her son Kronos to castrate his father. Kronos cut off Uranus's genitals with a sickle and threw them into the sea. Snow-white foam formed around the severed organ, from which the already adult goddess of love emerged. This event happened at Fr. Cythera in the Aegean Sea. The wind carried her on a sea shell to Cyprus, and she came ashore. The choirs put a golden necklace and a diadem on her and took her to Olympus, where the gods looked at the goddess in amazement and everyone wanted to take her as his wife.

Aphrodite and Ares

Aphrodite in Greek mythology is known for her love, including gods and mere mortals among her lovers. Historical sources indicate that Aphrodite’s husband, the god of blacksmithing Hephaestus, was lame and did not shine with beauty, so the goddess of love often consoled herself in the arms of a courageous and warlike man. One day, Hephaestus, wanting to catch Aphrodite in connection with the god of war, forged a thin bronze net. In the morning, when the lovers woke up, they found themselves entangled in a net. Hephaestus, in retaliation, invited those who wanted to look at the naked and helpless Aphrodite and Ares.

From love with the god of destruction and war, the children of Aphrodite were born:

1. Phobos is the god of fear. His father's faithful companion in battle.
2. Deimos is the personification of the horror of war.
3. Eros and Anteros are twin brothers, responsible for attraction and mutual love.
4. Harmony - patronizes a happy marriage, life in unity and harmony.
5. Himeroth is the god of fiery passion.

Aphrodite and Adonis

Aphrodite - the Greek goddess experienced love and the torment of suffering. The beautiful young man Adonis, who surpassed even the gods of Olympus in beauty, won the heart of Aphrodite at first sight. Adonis's passion was hunting, without which he could not understand his life. Aphrodite accompanied her lover and became interested in hunting wild animals. One stormy day, the goddess could not go hunting with Adonis and asked him to heed her pleas to take care of himself, but it so happened that Adonis’s dogs attacked the trail of a wild boar and the young man hurried in anticipation of prey.

Aphrodite felt the death of her beloved and went in search of him, making her way through the thickets, all wounded from thorns and sharp stones digging into her tender legs, the goddess found Adonis lifeless with a terrible lacerated wound left by the fangs of a boar. In memory of her lover, Aphrodite created an anemone flower from drops of his blood, which became her attribute. Zeus, seeing the grief of the goddess, agreed with Hades that Adonis spends six months in the kingdom of the dead - this is the time of winter, the awakening of nature personifies the time when Adonis is reunited with Aphrodite for six months.

Apollo and Aphrodite

The myth about Aphrodite, the most beautiful of the goddesses of Olympus, is contrasted with the myths about Apollo, who personifies the most beautiful of the divine Greek pantheon. Apollo, the sun god, is dazzling in his beauty and loving. Aphrodite's son Eros, fulfilling his mother's will, often struck the brilliant Apollo with his arrows. Apollo and Aphrodite were not lovers, but were a kind of standards of masculinity, reflected in the Hellenic art of sculpture.

Athena and Aphrodite

The Greek goddess Aphrodite decided to try herself in some other craft other than love and chose spinning. Athena, the goddess of war and crafts, found the goddess at the spinning wheel, which made her indignation know no bounds. Athena considered this an encroachment and interference in her spheres and powers. Aphrodite did not want to quarrel with Athena, apologized and promised not to touch the spinning wheel again.

Aphrodite and Venus

The ancient goddess Aphrodite attracted the warlike Romans so much that they adopted the cult of Aphrodite and called her Venus. The Romans considered the goddess their ancestor. Guy Julius Caesar was proud and constantly mentioned that his family descended from the great goddess. Venus Victorious was revered as giving victory to the Roman people in battles. Aphrodite and Venus are identical in function.

Aphrodite and Dionysus

Dionysus, the god of fertility and winemaking, sought in vain the favor of Aphrodite for a long time. The goddess often found comfort in casual relationships, and luck smiled on Dionysus. The son of Dionysus and Aphrodite, Priapus, who appeared as a result of a passing infatuation, was so ugly that Aphrodite abandoned the child. The huge genitals of Priapus, which the vengeful Hera endowed him with, became a symbol of fertility among the Greeks.

Aphrodite and Psyche

The ancient Greek Aphrodite had heard a lot about the beauty of the earthly woman Psyche and decided to destroy her by sending Eros to hit Psyche with an arrow of love for the ugliest of men. But Eros himself fell in love with Psyche and made her his, sharing a bed with her only in complete darkness. Psyche, persuaded by her sisters, decided to look at her husband while he was sleeping. She lit the lamp and saw that Eros himself was in her bed. A drop of wax fell on Eros, he woke up and left Psyche in a rage.

The girl is looking for her lover all over the world and is forced to turn to Eros’s mother Aphrodite. The goddess gives the poor thing impossible tasks: to sort different types of grains dumped into one huge pile, get the golden fleece from maddened sheep, draw water from the Styx and in the underworld get a potion to treat Eros' burn. With the help of the forces of nature, Psyche copes with difficult assignments. The recovered god of love, touched by care, asks the celestials of Olympus to legitimize the marriage with Psyche and grant her immortality.

Aphrodite and Paris

“The Apple of Discord” is the most ancient Greek myth about Aphrodite, Athena and Hera. Paris, the son of the Trojan king Priam, was having fun playing the flute and admiring the beauty of nature, when he suddenly saw that the messenger of the gods Hermes himself was walking towards him, and with him the three great goddesses of Olympus. Paris ran as fast as he could out of fear, but Hermes called out to him, saying that Zeus would order the young man to judge which of the goddesses was the most beautiful. Hermes handed Paris a golden apple with the inscription “To the most beautiful.”

The goddesses decided to bribe Paris with gifts in order to receive the fruit. Hera promised Paris power and rule over Europe and Asia. Athena promised eternal glory among the sages, and victory in all battles. Aphrodite approached and affectionately promised love to the most beautiful of mortals - Helen the Beautiful. Paris, who desired Helen, gave it to Aphrodite. The goddess helped kidnap Helen and patronized their union. For this reason, the Trojan War broke out.

Aphrodite and Poseidon

Aphrodite, the goddess of love, was also not indifferent to the god of the sea elements, Poseidon, who was inflamed with lust for her after seeing her naked in bed with Ares, at the moment when they were caught in Hephaestus’s net. Aphrodite, to shake up Ares' feelings of jealousy, responded to Poseidon with a mutual outburst of short-term passion. The goddess gave birth to a daughter, Rhoda, who became the wife of Helios, the solar deity.

Aphrodite (Greek Ἀφροδίτη) is the goddess of love, beauty and passion. According to numerous myths, she was born from foam in the waters of Paphos, on the island of Cyprus, after the reproductive organ of Uranus was thrown into the sea by his son Kronos. However, according to other legends, Aphrodite is the daughter of Thalassa (the personification of the sea) and Uranus, and in another interpretation, the daughter of Dione and Zeus.

In Rome, Aphrodite was revered under the name of Venus. Aphrodite, like other gods of the Pantheon, protects some characters in mythology. But her protection extended to people who had a strongly expressed sensual sphere - love and beauty - the attributes of Aphrodite.

One of the most famous heroes who earned Aphrodite's favor was the sculptor Pygmalion, from the island of Cyprus, who fell in love with the statue he created. The statue embodied the features of an ideal woman. Pygmalion decided to live in celibacy in Cyprus, avoiding the licentious courtesan morals of Cypriot women.

Aphrodite, feeling sorry for the artist, one day followed Pygmalion’s request to save him from loneliness and turned the statue he created into a beautiful woman, whom Pygmalion married.

And nine months later, Pygmalion and Galatea had a daughter named Paphos, who gave the name to the island. In addition to protecting loving hearts, the goddess protected her family members.

Aphrodite gave beauty to the Coronides, the two daughters of Orion, after the death of their mother. She also took care of the orphaned daughter of Pandareus, the favorite of Demeter, who tried to rob the temple of Zeus on Crete and was turned to stone by the gods.

His daughters, Cleodora and Merope, who also grew up without a mother, received the protection of Aphrodite, who raised and cared for them.

However, when asking for a happy marriage for the girls, they were overcome by the Furies.

Adonis

One day, when Aphrodite and her son Eros were hugging, one of Eros' arrows wounded her.

Aphrodite thought there was nothing dangerous about it. But when she saw a mortal youth named Adonis, she fell in love with him. However, Persephone also loved him. There was a dispute between the goddesses, and Zeus found a solution.

Adonis spends a third of the year with Aphrodite, a third with Persephone, and another third with the one he chooses. Adonis was later mortally wounded by a wild boar, which was sent by Apollo out of revenge for Aphrodite, who blinded his son, Erymanthus.

Aphrodite bitterly mourns Adonis and turns him into a flower from the genus of anemones, sprinkling him with the nectar of shed blood. Beroe became their common child with Adonis (Aphrodite turned her into the goddess of the city).

Trojan War

It began with the deeds of Aphrodite. This happened when Aphrodite told Paris that she would grant him Helen's true love if he awarded Aphrodite the title of the most beautiful goddess.

Paris chose Aphrodite, which caused a war between the gods. In addition, Helen was already married to the ruler of Sparta. Paris and Helen fell in love and their forbidden affair led to war between the Trojans and the Greeks.

Marriage to Hephaestus

According to the mythological version of the story of Aphrodite, due to the goddess's unmatched beauty, Zeus was afraid that the other gods would start fighting and arguing with each other. To avoid this, he forced Aphrodite to marry the blacksmith Hephaestus, who was lame and ugly.

According to another version of the story, Hera (Hephaestus’s mother) threw the child from Mount Olympus, believing that ugly people should not live with the gods. He took revenge on his mother by creating a throne of heavenly beauty that captured her. In exchange for his release, Hephaestus asked the gods of Olympus for the hand of Aphrodite.

Hephaestus successfully married the goddess of beauty and forged her with his beautiful jewelry, including the cestus, a golden belt that made her more irresistible to men. Aphrodite's dissatisfaction with this arranged marriage leads her to seek suitable lovers, most often Ares.

According to legend, one day the sun god Helios noticed Ares and Aphrodite secretly enjoying each other in the house of Hephaestus, and quickly informed the Olympian husband of Aphrodite about this.

Hephaestus wanted to catch the illicit lovers and therefore made a special thin and durable network of diamonds. At the right moment, this net was thrown over Aphrodite, who froze in a passionate embrace. But Hephaestus was not satisfied with his revenge - he invited the gods and goddesses of Olympus to see the unhappy couple.

Some commented on Aphrodite's beauty, others eagerly expressed their wish to be in Ares' shoes, but everyone mocked and laughed at them. Once the embarrassed couple were freed, Ares fled to his homeland of Thrace, while Aphrodite retired to Paphos in Cyprus.

After the destruction of Troy, Aphrodite asked her son, Aeneas, to take his father and wife and leave Troy. Aeneas did as his mother told him and traveled across the Mediterranean to reach the Italian peninsula, where his descendants built Rome.

This is stated in Virgil's epic poem "Aeneid", which became a pinnacle in Latin literature.
In Roman epic, Venus (in the Greek version Aphrodite) is now considered the guardian goddess of Rome. One myth tells how when Juno (or Hera) tried to open the doors of Rome to an invading army, Venus sought to thwart her plans with a flood.

Lovers

The most important names associated with the love affairs of the goddess Aphrodite, like Ares and Adonis, revolve around the story of Aphrodite's main enemy, Hero, who harbors hatred for her.

When Hera found out that Aphrodite was pregnant by Zeus, she sent a curse on her stomach, which is why the child was born deformed - Priapus. But other myths say that Priapus is the son of Dionysus or Adonis.

Aphrodite's other lovers are Hephaestus, Dionysus (with whom she had a brief love affair), Hermes (from whose relationship Hermaphrodite appeared) and Poseidon.

Poseidon had children Rod and Herophilus.

Aphrodite's longest romance was with Ares from the Iliad. They had seven children, the most famous of which are Phobos, Deimos, Harmony and Eros, although most myths depict Aphrodite giving birth to Eros. Among her mortal lovers, the most famous was Adonis, who was considered her great love and from whom the children Golgos and Beroya were born, who gave the name to the Lebanese capital.

Anchises, Prince of Troy, was another famous love, and some versions of the myth say that Aphrodite fell in love with him as punishment from Zeus for causing the gods to fall in love with mortal women. With Anchises, Aphrodite had children Aeneas and Lyros, and soon after that her passion for Anchises disappeared.

Other lesser-known mortal lovers include Phaeton from Athens, who took care of the temple of Aphrodite, and as a result of their love affair, Astynous was born.

Butes, one of the Argonauts, was rescued by Aphrodite, who took him to a separate island, where they made love (Erix appeared as a result of this relationship).

There is also Daimon (personification of desire), Aphrodite's constant companion, who was seen in some myths as the daughter of the goddess. However, the authors of this myth do not say who her father is.

Sphere of Control

Aphrodite is the goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, desire, sexuality. Even though she is only the goddess of love and beauty, she is one of the most powerful Olympians because she controls appearance, love and sexual desire.

At the beginning of the formation of Rome, she was considered the goddess of vegetation. The goddess protected gardens and vineyards, but after the Romans became familiar with Greek legends, they realized that she should not be a deity of agriculture. While the Greeks saw Aphrodite as a proud and vain goddess of beauty, the Romans saw her as a supreme deity providing nourishment for her people.

Lusiads

Venus (Aphrodite) is introduced in the poem "The Lusiads" by the writer Luis de Camões, who tells the history of Portugal. The Portuguese patron goddess turns into Venus, who sees in the Portuguese the heirs of the Romans she loved and knew.

Camões was a passionate man who also celebrated love in his lyrics, and this may be why he chose a Roman goddess who felt the need to patronize the Portuguese. Venus asks Jupiter to protect the people she patronizes from the machinations of Dionysus. The King of the Gods agrees and gathers a council of the gods.

Personality and appearance

Aphrodite is a vain goddess, proud of her appearance and despising ugliness. She is arrogant and jealous. Aphrodite is also unfaithful and had relationships with many gods such as Ares, Poseidon, Hermes and Dionysus. She can make anyone fall in love with anyone, and even Zeus with his power is not immune to this. She has great power over lust. She is often depicted as a beautiful young woman taking off her clothes.