Goddess APHRODITE

Goddess APHRODITE (Roman mythology called Venus) is the God of Love, Beauty and fertility. She is also the patron saint of sailors.

The epic claims that Aphrodite was born from sea foam. According to Homer, she is the daughter of Zeus and Dione. (There is also a version that she was born from the blood of Ouranps who was slashed by Cronus and fell into the sea.)

When asked who was the most beautiful among the three goddesses of Olympia, Paris, prince of Troy, chose Aphrodite rather than Hera or Athena even though these two goddesses promised him power and victory. This is understandable because the goddess Aphrodite promised to give him the love of the most beautiful woman on earth.

Later, when Paris married Helen of Sparta, her name was associated with the city of Troy as a disgrace. During the Trojan War that followed, Hera and Athena were sworn enemies of Troy while Aphrodite was loyal to Paris and the Trojans.

The Homeric epic of the Trojan War tells that Aphrodite intervened in the battle to save her son Aeneas, an ally of Troy. The Greek hero Diomedes, who was about to kill Aeneas, turned to attack the goddess, throwing a javelin at her wrist, causing ichor to flow (ichor is the blood of the gods).

Aphrodite quickly released Aeneas. Fortunately, Aeneas was saved by Apollo, the god who sided with Troy. In pain, she asked for help from her brother, Ares, the god of War, who was standing nearby watching the battle. Aphrodite borrowed Ares' chariot to fly to Mount Olympus. Here she begged her mother, Dione, to heal her wound. Zeus asked his daughter not to go to war anymore because war is the job of Ares and Athena, and her duty is to take care of the world's marriages.

In addition, in the Iliad epic, it is said that Aphrodite saved Paris when he was about to die while fighting Menelaus. The goddess covered him with mist and took him to his bed in Troy. She then transformed into an old servant who came to tell Helen that Paris was waiting for her.

Helen recognized the god in disguise and asked if she was being lured into starting another war. Because Aphrodite cast a spell that caused her to leave her husband Menelaus to follow Paris. She said that if Aphrodite wanted to go to Paris, she should go alone.

Aphrodite became angry, warning Helen not to be impertinent, or she would be hated by both the Greeks and the Trojans. This temperamental goddess said: "As much as I love you now, I will also hate and be angry with you."

Although the goddess Hera, Zeus's wife, and Aphrodite were not on the same front line in the Trojan War, Aphrodite still lent Hera her belt to distract Zeus' anger. Whoever wears this belt will make men (even gods) fall in love.

Homer calls Aphrodite “Cypriot” and many of her symbols probably came from Asia via Cyprus (and Cythea) during the Mycenaean period… This must have been due to confusion with goddesses who appeared earlier such as Hellenic or Aegean god. The ancient Greeks believed that Aphrodite had both Greek and foreign origins.

Aphrodite and Jason

Aphrodite is also related to the love affairs of heroes. When Jason asked King Colchis to take away the golden sheep hanging in the forest, the king hesitated to respond. Therefore, the goddess Hera, who was on Jason's side, spoke up and asked Aphrodite to intervene. The goddess of love made the king's daughter Medea fall in love with Jason, and Medea became a powerful tool for Jason's success.

Aphrodite and Aeneas

Once Zeus punished Aphrodite for seducing the gods into illicit love affairs. God Zeus made her fall in love with Anchiese, a human being. That is why she became Aeneas's mother. She protected this hero throughout the Trojan War as well as later when Aeneas discovered Italy and became a founder of part of the Roman empire.

An Italian goddess named Venus had a very similar appearance to Aphrodite, so Aphrodite had the Roman name Venus. She appeared as Venus in the Aeneiad, the epic story about the founding of Rome.

Aphrodite and Hephaestus

The goddess of love was married to the blacksmith God Hephaestus. But she was unfaithful to her husband and instead went out with Ares. In the Odyssey, Homer mentions how Hephaestus took revenge.

Aphrodite's influence in art

In classical art Aphrodite has no significant symbol except her beauty. Flowers and plant motifs show her association with fertility.

Aphrodite is associated with doves. Another sacred bird that symbolizes her is the swan, she is seen riding a swan in a painting on an ancient vase.

Renaissance painter Botticelli sought inspiration from the epic idea that Aphrodite was born from the sea in his famous painting of her.