Aphrodite is born from the foam of the sea. Aphrodite, one of the most revered goddesses of Olympus, was born from the snow-white foam of sea waves near the island of Cyprus [therefore they call her Cyprida, “Born in Cyprus”], and from there swam to the sacred island of Cythera [from the name of this island came another nickname of hers - Kytharea]. She reached the shore on a beautiful shell. Young oras, goddesses of the seasons, surrounded the goddess, dressed her in gold-woven clothes, and crowned her with a wreath of flowers. Wherever Aphrodite stepped, everything blossomed, and the air was filled with fragrance.

Beautiful Aphrodite! Her eyes glow with the wondrous light of love, deep as the sea from which she came; her skin is white and tender, like the sea foam that gave birth to her. Tall, slender, golden-haired, Aphrodite shines with her beauty among the gods of Olympus. The goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite reigns over the whole world, and even the gods are subject to her. Only Athena, Hestia and Artemis are not subject to her power.

Aphrodite awakens love in the hearts of gods and mere mortals, in the hearts of animals and birds. When she walks on the earth, all the animals follow her in pairs, and in this procession the deer walks safely next to the bloodthirsty wolf, and the fierce lions fall at the feet of the goddess like playing puppies. She gives beauty and youth to girls, blesses happy marriages. In gratitude for their marriage, before the wedding, the girls sacrificed belts they had woven to Aphrodite.

But not only girls pray to Aphrodite. Widowed women also revere her and ask her to allow them to remarry. The goddess is merciful, and she often condescends to the requests of mortals. After all, although the marriage itself is handled by Hymen, who binds couples with his strong bonds, it is Aphrodite who arouses in people the love that ends with their marriage.

Nicknames for Aphrodite.

On a golden chariot drawn by sparrows, she rushes to earth from Olympus, and all people eagerly await her help in their love affairs.

Aphrodite patronized all love. If it was rough, unbridled love, then it was under the jurisdiction of Aphrodite Pandemos (“National”); if it was a sublime feeling, then it was patronized by Aphrodite Urania (“Heavenly”).

The feeling that Aphrodite inspires in people is wonderful, and therefore many of her nicknames were affectionate and reflected her beauty. She was called “golden”, “violet-crowned”, “sweet-hearted”, “beautiful-eyed”, “variegated”.

Pygmalion. Aphrodite gives happiness to those who serve her faithfully. This is what happened to Pygmalion, king of the island of Cyprus. He was also a sculptor and loved only art, avoided women, and lived very secludedly. Many Cypriot girls felt tender and devoted love for him, but he himself did not pay attention to any of them. Then the girls prayed to Aphrodite: “O golden Cypris! Punish this proud man! Let him himself experience the torment that we have to endure because of him!”

One day Pygmalion sculpted an image of a girl of extraordinary beauty from shiny ivory. It seemed that she was breathing, that she was about to move from her place and speak. The master looked at his creation for hours and fell in love with the statue he himself created. He gave her valuable jewellery, dressed in luxurious clothes... The artist often whispered: “Oh, if you were alive, how happy I would be!”

Aphrodite brings the statue to life. The days of Aphrodite's festival have arrived. Pygmalion made rich sacrifices to the goddess and prayed that she would send him a woman as beautiful as his statue as his wife. The sacrificial flame flared up brightly: the beautiful-haired goddess accepted Pygmalion’s sacrifice. Pygmalion returned home, approached the statue and suddenly noticed that the ivory had turned pink, as if scarlet blood was flowing through the veins of the statue; touched it with his hand - the body became warm: the heart of the statue beats, the eyes glow with life. The statue has come to life! They named her Galatea, Aphrodite made their marriage happy, and all their lives they glorified the greatness of the goddess who gave them happiness.

Mirra, Adonis and Artemis. Aphrodite gave happiness to those who love and are loved, but she herself also knew unhappy love. Myrrha, the daughter of one of the kings, once refused to honor Aphrodite. The angry goddess cruelly punished her - instilled in her a criminal love for her own father. He was deceived and succumbed to temptation, and when he found out that it was not a stranger girl with him, but his own daughter, he cursed her. The gods took pity on Myrrh and turned her into a tree that produces fragrant resin. From the cracked trunk of this tree the beautiful baby Adonis was born.

Aphrodite put him in a casket and gave him to Persephone to raise. Time has passed. The child grew up, but the goddess of the underworld, enchanted by his beauty, did not want to return him to Aphrodite. The goddesses had to turn to Zeus himself for a solution to the dispute. The father of gods and people, after listening to the disputants, decreed: Adonis spends a third of the year with Persephone, a third with Aphrodite, and a third with whomever he wishes. So Adonis became the companion and lover of Aphrodite.

However, their happiness did not last long. Adonis somehow angered Artemis, and during a hunt he was mortally wounded by a huge boar. From the blood of Adonis a rose grew, and from the tears that Aphrodite shed when she mourned him, anemones grew.

Worship of Aphrodite.

People made sacrifices to Aphrodite Pontia (“Sea”), hoping that she would protect them during sea voyages, and to Aphrodite Limenia (“Port”), the patroness of harbors and ships docked in them.

Many animals and plants were dedicated to Aphrodite. As the goddess of love and fertility, she owned roosters, doves, sparrows and hares, that is, those creatures that, according to the Greeks, were the most fertile; As a sea goddess, dolphins served her. Of the plants, many flowers were dedicated to Aphrodite, including violets, roses, anemones, poppies - flowers are given to loved ones to this day; and of the fruits - an apple, a fruit that in ancient marriage rites the bride gave to the groom.

Naked Aphrodite.

Since Aphrodite was the goddess of beauty, she (the only one of all the great Olympian goddesses!) was often depicted naked. As the Greeks thought, unlike Artemis, who destroyed Actaeon, who accidentally saw her nakedness, or from Athena, who for the same thing struck the son of one of her nymphs, Tiresias, with blindness, Aphrodite was favorable to depicting her in this form. Yes, this is understandable - after all, it was impossible to realize all the beauty of the goddess when she was dressed in spacious and shapeless Greek clothes.

The first to dare to depict naked Aphrodite was the Greek sculptor Praxiteles, a man immensely in love with beauty. female body. They say that he sculpted Aphrodite from marble more than ten times, and among these statues of his was Aphrodite of Cnidus - a statue for which in ancient times thousands of people came to Cnidus, where it was located, just to see it.

According to Homer, the goddess Aphrodite was born near the shores of the city of Paphos in Cyprus and was the daughter of Zeus and Dioni (Διώνης). Then the western wind Zephyr pushed her into the sea and after that she emerged naked and beautiful from the sea.

According to Hesiod, Aphrodite was born from the foam that was formed from the seed of Uranus, which fell into the sea off the coast of the island of Kythira, and also with the help of the Zephyr wind, she ended up off the coast of Cyprus, where she came ashore in all her glory.

The beautiful goddess got her name from the word foam (ἀφρός) - Aphrodite (Ἀφροδίτη).

Aphrodite in ancient greek mythology and religion was the goddess of love, sexuality, beauty, pleasure and childbirth.

Aphrodite's attributes are a belt, myrtles, roses, poppies, doves, sparrows, a dolphin, swans, a golden cup.

Aphrodite goddess of love

Beauty and love have always had great importance in the lives of gods and people.
Aphrodite's beauty, her grace, passion and love inspired every living being. Everyone wanted her presence. Accompanied by Eros, Aphrodite appeared on Olympus. The gods, seeing the beautiful Aphrodite, could not take their eyes off her; the birds glorified the goddess with their singing. Everyone who saw Aphrodite had their hearts filled with love; those who did not obey her were punished by the goddess.

No one could resist Aphrodite, with the exception of the three virgin goddesses: Athena, Artemis and Hestia.

Hera, the patroness of marriages, married the beautiful Aphrodite to Hephaestus, perhaps the ugliest of the gods. Hephaestus was the legitimate son of Zeus and Hera, he grew up away from his parents and became a great blacksmith. Hephaestus was the god of fire, unlike the attractive male gods, he was lame and had very dark skin and a dark beard. Ugliness, however, did not become an obstacle to conquering the most beautiful women.

Aphrodite and Ares

Aphrodite was unfaithful to Hephaestus; soon after the wedding, she began dating Ares, the god of war. But there is nothing secret for Helios, the sun god, who told Hephaestus that his wife had a lover. In a rage, Hephaestus wanted to kill Ares, but after thinking about it, he asked Helios not to tell anyone for now, and he himself began to come up with a plan to take revenge on the offenders.

First, he forged a thin, almost invisible net and attached it above the bed, then he informed his wife that he needed to leave, and as soon as her husband left the house, Aphrodite sent a messenger to Ares to report Hephaestus’s departure.

During a date between Aphrodite and Ares, a net made by Hephaestus falls on the lovers and they are trapped. Then Hephaestus appears with Zeus and other gods and begin to laugh loudly at the helpless lovers. When they were finally released, they went in different directions, Aphrodite went to her homeland, Cyprus, Ares - to Thrace, to war.

Aphrodite and Adonis

Aphrodite, in order to punish the wife of the king of Cyprus, Smyrna, because she considered her daughter Mirra the most beautiful, inspired Mirra to love her father. On a dark night, she came to her father’s bed, who had come from a feast and was drunk.

In the morning, Mirra realized the horror of her mortal sin, ran into the forest and hid there. Aphrodite found her and turned her into a tree, later Adonis was born from the bark of the tree. Aphrodite was amazed at the boy’s extraordinary beauty and, in order to protect him, gave him up to Persephone to be raised in the dark kingdom.

When Adonis grew up, he became handsome man with a beautiful body and a divine face. Persephone fell madly in love with him and refused to give him back to Aphrodite. The goddesses began to argue, Zeus had to intervene and resolve their dispute. Zeus said that Adonis would spend a third of his time next to Aphrodite, the other third next to Persephone, and the remaining time at his discretion. As a result, it turned out that Adonis lived in the kingdom of the dead for four months and with Aphrodite for eight months, who successfully used her magic belt.

Every time the time came for Adonis to emerge from the kingdom of the dead, nature came to life: the fields turned green, flowers and trees bloomed, and a wonderful aroma filled the atmosphere. Aphrodite rarely appeared on Olympus and lived with her young lover in the mountains and forests. Adonis became a hunter and he and Aphrodite rejoiced at their closeness.

Soon Ares learned about Aphrodite's love for Adonis. He was able to forget his love for her, blinded by passion and jealousy, he turned into a boar and killed Adonis.

Aphrodite's grief knew no bounds, the goddess's tears dripped to the ground and white anemones and red poppies immediately sprouted...

Aphrodite (Anadyomene, Astarte, Venus, Ishtar, Ishtar, Cypris, Cameo, Millita) - the goddess of beauty and love, sky, wind and sea.

The golden and eternally young Aphrodite (Venus), who lives on Olympus, is considered the goddess of the sky and sea, sends rain to the earth, as well as the goddess of love, personifying divine beauty and unfading youth.

Aphrodite is considered the most beautiful of all the goddesses of Olympus and remains there forever.

An eternally young girl, tall and slender, with pearlescent white skin and deep dark blue eyes. Aphrodite's face with delicate features is framed by a soft wave of long curly golden hair, adorned with a shining diadem and a wreath of fragrant flowers, like a crown lying on her beautiful head - no one can compare in beauty to the most beautiful of all goddesses and mortals.

The goddess Aphrodite is dressed in flowing thin fragrant gold-woven clothes, spreads fragrance upon her appearance, and where her beautiful legs step, the Goddesses of Beauty (Ora) and the Goddess of Grace (Charita) accompany Aphrodite everywhere, entertain and serve her.

Wild animals and birds are not at all afraid of the radiant goddess, they meekly caress her and sing songs to her. Aphrodite travels on birds: swans, geese, pigeons or sparrows - the light wings of birds quickly carry the goddess from place to place.

The goddess of love and beauty, sea and sky - Aphrodite gives happiness to those who serve her: she gave life to a beautiful statue of a girl with whom Pygmalion fell endlessly in love. But she also punishes those who reject her gifts: this is how she cruelly punished Narcissus, who fell in love with his reflection in a transparent forest stream and died of melancholy.

The golden apple from the distant gardens of the Herespides is a symbol of Aphrodite, which she received as confirmation of her beauty from the mountain shepherd Paris (son of the king of the great Troy), who recognized Aphrodite as the most beautiful, more beautiful than Hera (the wife of her uncle Zeus) and Athena (the sister of Zeus).

As a reward for his choice, Paris received the help of the goddess in conquering the most beautiful of mortals - Helen (daughter of Zeus and his beloved Leda, wife of the king of Sparta Minelaus) and constant support in all his endeavors.

The daughter of her parents - the goddess of the sea and sky - windy Aphrodite with her unearthly beauty awakens love in hearts and love passion, and therefore reigns over the world. Any appearance of Aphrodite in fragrant clothes makes the sun shine brighter and bloom more magnificently.

Aphrodite lives on Olympus, sits on a rich golden throne forged by Hephaestus himself, and loves to comb her lush curls with a golden comb. Golden furniture stands in her divine home. Only love is created by the beautiful goddess, without touching any work with her hands at all.

Birth of Afordita

The story of the birth of the goddess of love and beauty has several true versions, as well as answers to the question about the reasons for the emergence of a feeling of love between people on Earth.

Aphrodite - daughter of Uranus

The beloved and last daughter of the sky god Uranus, Aphrodite, was born near the island of Cythera from the snow-white foam of sea waves. A light, caressing breeze brought her to the island of Cyprus.

Sea foam was formed from the mixing of the blood of Uranus, which fell into the salty waters of the Aegean Sea during the battle between the god of the sky Uranus and the son of the titan, the insidious Cronus (Kronos, Chronos) - the god of agriculture and time.

This story of Aphrodite's birth suggests her virgin conception from a single father.

Aphrodite - daughter of Kron

According to the Orphics, sea foam was formed from the blood of Cronus himself during his bloody battle with his son Zeus - the god of thunder and lightning - for power in the sky.

Therefore, Aphrodite may be the last and beloved daughter of the god of agriculture and time, Kronos (Kronos, Chronos).

According to these two versions, we can conclude that love appears as a result of struggle, it arises just like that...

Aphrodite - daughter of Zeus and Dione

According to Greek mythology, Aphrodite is the daughter of the thunderer Zeus and his beloved Dione (goddess of rain), who was born as a pearl from a mother-of-pearl shell.

Zeus is the son of Cronus (Cronus, Chronos), that is, Aphrodite for him can be a half-sister (if she is the daughter of Cronus) or an aunt (if she is the daughter of Uranus and the half-sister of Cronus).

When did love begin?

Wherever Aphrodite stepped, flowers grew magnificently. The whole air was full of fragrance. Having set foot on the island of Cyprus, young Aphrodite ascended to Olympus and began to help gods and mortals in matters of love and passion.

Love of Aphrodite and Adonis

Adonis (Adon, Dionysus, Tammuz) - the son of the king of the island of Crete named Minir and his daughter Mirra, who secretly sinned with her father without his knowledge and was forced to leave Cyprus.

Adonis is a wonderful man, but not a god, because he was born from mere mortals, although with the help of the gods.

The gods took pity on Myrrh and turned her into a “myrrh” tree with fragrant resin. From the trunk of the myrrh tree, with the help of the goddess Aphrodite, the baby Adonis appeared, who “was reputed to be the most beautiful of babies.”

Aphrodite instantly fell in love with him at first sight and hid the baby with a golden casket, and then handed it over to Persephone (the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, and the goddess of the underworld) to the kingdom of the invisible god Hades (Pluto), who also immediately fell in love with the beautiful boy and did not want to let go him back to earth.

Having matured, Adonis turned into a beautiful young man and none of the mortals was equal to him in beauty, he was even more beautiful than the Olympian gods. Two beautiful goddesses began to argue for the right to spend their time with Adonis and came to Zeus, and Zeus sent them to his daughter, the muse of science and poetry, Euterpe, who was more knowledgeable in matters of love.

The muse of science and poetry, Euterpe, on behalf of her father Zeus, decided that the young man would spend a third of the year with Aphrodite, the second third with Persephone, and the third at his own request.

Aphrodite abandoned her husband, the god of war Ares, for the sake of her beloved Adonis (the son of Zeus and her half-brother, according to the Greek version), the goddess forgot the shining Olympus, and the flowering islands of Patmos, Cythera, Paphos, Cnidus, Amafunts - she spent all her time with young Adonis , and only he began to matter to her.

Many gods sought her love: Hermes - the god of trade, Poseidon - the god of the ocean, and the formidable Ares tried to return his wife, but she loved only Adonis and lived only in thoughts of him.

Athena's first husband, the blacksmith Hephaestus (the son of Gaia and Zeus), with a wide torso and strong arms, forged a divine belt for his beautiful wife, thanks to which any man, both god and mortal, went crazy with passion and love. After parting with Hephaestus, the magic belt remained with Aphrodite. The beautiful Aphrodite constantly wore her belt to meetings with her beloved Adonis, so that he forgot the goddess Persephone and completely stopped going to the underworld of her husband Hades.

Every morning Aphrodite opened her beautiful blue eyes with the thought of her lover and every evening, falling asleep, she thought about him. Aphrodite always strived to be close to her lover, so she shared many of her dear friend’s hobbies.

Hunt of Adonis

Adonis and Aphrodite hunted in the Lebanese mountains and in the forests of Cyprus, Aphrodite forgot about her gold jewelry, about her beauty, but she remained no less beautiful even in a man’s suit, shooting from a bow, like the slender goddess of the hunt, the moon and a happy marriage, Artemis (Diana ), and setting their dogs on flattering animals and animals.

Under the scorching rays of the hot sun and in bad weather, she hunted hares, shy deer and chamois, avoiding hunting formidable lions and wild boars. And she asked Adonis to avoid the dangers of hunting lions, bears and boars, so that no misfortune would happen to him. The goddess rarely left the king's son, and every time she left him, she begged him to remember her requests.

One day, in the absence of Aphrodite, Adonis got bored and decided to go hunting to have fun. Adonis's dogs attacked the trail of a huge old and fearless boar (boar or wild pig) weighing under 200 kilograms and almost two (!) meters long. The dogs, barking furiously, raised the animal from the hole where he was sleeping sweetly, quietly grunting after a glorious breakfast, and drove him through the dense forest among bushes and trees.

The young handsome man died for a reason; there are several versions about those responsible for his death. The god of war and discord, Ares, abandoned by Aphrodite, or Persephone (wife of Hades and goddess of the kingdom of the dead), rejected by Adonis, or angered by the murder of her beloved doe Artemis (Diana), the mistress of all animals on the island of Crete, could turn into a boar.

Hearing the animated barking, Adonis rejoiced at the long-awaited entertainment and rich booty. He forgot all the pleas and requests of his beautiful friend and did not have a presentiment that this was his last hunt.

In excitement, Adonis began to urge his horse on and quickly galloped through the sunny forest to where loud barking could be heard. The barking of dogs was getting closer, and now a huge boar flashed among the bushes. The dogs of Adonis surrounded the huge beast and, growling, grabbed its thick, tarred skin with their teeth.

Adonis is already preparing to pierce the angry boar with his heavy spear, raising it above the beast and choosing the best place for striking among the armor (“kalkan”) made of resin and wool of an adult animal. The young hunter hesitated with his blow, the dogs could not restrain the strong, fearless beast, and a huge boar rushed at Adonis, very angry and irritated by the sudden awakening and rapid run through the forest.

Before young Adonis had time to jump away from the fast, evil beast, the “lone boar” mortally wounded Aphrodite’s favorite with its huge tusks, tearing the arteries on his beautiful thigh.

A young handsome man fell from his horse among tall trees and his blood irrigated the wet ground from a terrible lacerated wound. A few minutes later, the fearless and courageous Adonis died from loss of blood, and the trees rustled their leaves over his bright head.

Aphrodite's sadness and the appearance of the rose

When Aphrodite learned about the death of Adonis, then, full of inexpressible grief, she herself went to the mountains of Cyprus to look for the body of her beloved young man. Aphrodite walked along steep mountain rapids, among dark gorges, along the edges of deep abysses.

Sharp stones and thorns wounded the tender feet of the goddess. Drops of her blood fell to the ground, leaving a trail wherever the goddess passed. And where drops of blood fell from the wounded feet of the goddess, Aphrodite was everywhere. Therefore, the red scarlet rose is considered a symbol of eternal love at all times.

Finally, Aphrodite found the body of Adonis. She wept bitterly over the beautiful young man who died early, hiding his body for a long time in the thickets of lettuce, which to this day brings tears to everyone who touches him.

In order to preserve the memory of him forever, with the help of nectar, the goddess grew from the blood of Adonis a delicate blood-colored anemone - a flower of the wind, similar to red

The ancient Hellenes revered many gods, among whom was the beautiful Aphrodite. It is known that she was part of the pantheon of the twelve supreme gods of Olympus.

According to mythology, there are several versions of the birth of the goddess of beauty and love. Thus, in the myths of the ancient Greeks you can find information that Aphrodite is the daughter of the nymph Dione and the supreme god of Olympus Zeus. Another version is that she is the daughter of the goddess Artemis and the main god Zeus. The ancient Greeks recognized both the earth goddess Gaia and the sky god Uranus as parents.

How was she different from other gods in the pantheon?

With her beauty, the goddess Aphrodite surpassed all goddesses in the pantheon. She was distinguished by the fact that she was the only goddess who was depicted naked. Her incredible beauty captivated the hearts of not only the gods, but also mere mortal men.

The girl was often depicted among many blooming flowers, surrounded by birds and plants, and next to dolphins. Her main attribute was considered a belt - bringing love and passion, which she gave to women with the goal of reuniting hearts. Therefore, it is associated with fertility, beauty and love.

Aphrodite in mythology

Ancient Greek myths say that she was the wife of the god Hephaestus, who was engaged in blacksmithing. The goddess's husband did not have much beauty, and she sought consolation on the side. So, she fell in love with the god of war Ares. She gave birth to children from him. Hephaestus found out about his wife's betrayal and decided to teach them a lesson. He forged invisible nets and caught his wife and Ares in them.

The heart of the goddess of beauty was also conquered by a mere mortal youth named Adonis. He instilled in her a love of hunting. One day, while hunting a boar, Adonis died. The woman was very worried about the death of her lover. In the place where drops of Adonis’s blood fell, beautiful white flowers grew - anemones. Zeus saw how she was suffering for her beloved, and asked Hades, the god of the kingdom of the dead, to allow Adonis to stay there in the winter and to meet his beloved in the spring.

The Hellenes often associated Aphrodite and Apollo, considering them the feminine and masculine principles of life.

The ancient Romans liked the goddess of love and beauty so much that they began to call her Venus. The famous Roman commander Gaius Julius Caesar linked his kinship with the goddess Venus.

Legends also tell about the conflict between Athena and Aphrodite over hair. The first accused the goddess of beauty of encroaching on her possessions and powers. The girl, not wanting to get into a quarrel with the goddess of war, promised that she would never sit down to lock hair again.

The beautiful goddess was admired by many. The god of wine, Dionysus, has long been in love with the beauty. But winning her favor was not so easy. From the connection with Dionysus, a son was born, Priam, whom his mother abandoned because of his deformity.

Myths and legends

• The charming goddess did not tolerate competitors, and when she heard about the earthly beauty Psyche, she decided to deal with her. To realize her insidious plan, she sent her son, Eros. Psyche fell in love with Eros, but he left her. Without losing hope of returning her lover, Psyche turned to the mother of Eros, Aphrodite, for help. In turn, she came up with very cruel tests, which Psyche successfully passed. For his care, the god of love, Eros, asks Zeus to give Psyche immortality.
• Homer was also fascinated by the miraculous image of the beauty. In his work “The Iliad,” he mentioned her when talking about which of the three goddesses: Aphrodite, Athena or Hera is the most beautiful. Hephaestus gave the apple to Paris and asked the women to judge. Each of the women offered her own to Paris. He settled on Aphrodite's proposal - to gain the love of Helen the Beautiful. Gave the apple of discord to Aphrodite. She, together with Paris, kidnapped Elena and helped their union. This is how the Trojan War began.
• The god of the sea, Poseidon, also could not resist her beauty. He had been torturing bright feelings for her for a long time, but she did not reciprocate his feelings. Wanting Ares to make her jealous, the goddess responded to Poseidon's love feelings. They had a daughter, Rhoda, who became the wife of the sun god, Helios.

The image of the goddess of love, abundance and beauty also penetrated into other peoples and cultures. Whatever it is called, it is always associated with love, harmony and beauty, which unite loving hearts and give them joy.

The image of deity in world culture

Ancient Greek mythology penetrated very deeply into all branches of culture. The image of the goddess can very often be found in literature, sculpture, painting, and music. She represents luxury, fertility, and is the patroness of lovers.

The Hellenes claimed that the goddess had two images: on the one hand, she acted as the patron of lovers, and on the other, she cruelly dealt with those who did not recognize bright feelings or ignored them.

Nothing is known about her death. She is believed to be immortal.

There are many legends about Aphrodite of Ancient Greece. Is it true that she had several husbands, one of whom was her father? Did the magnificent city of Troy fall because of her machinations? What names are associated with Aphrodite in the myths of various civilizations of antiquity?

Myths of Ancient Greece about Aphrodite

Aphrodite in Greek mythology patronized beauty and love. She was the daughter of the almighty Zeus, and her mother was Dione, who lived at the bottom of the ocean. It was generally believed that Aphrodite also arose from sea foam.

Aphrodite was close in position to the cult of Astarte - she was revered as the guardian of fertility. Her symbol was worshiped in cities on the coast of Asia Minor and the Aegean Sea. The image of the idol was also found in the colonies of Greece in the Black Sea region. In Roman mythology, Aphrodite was incarnated as Venus. The most famous cult in ancient times was Aphrodite of Cnidus by Praxiteles from the 4th century. BC. and Venus de Milo from the 2nd century. BC.

Aphrodite had only one purpose - the creation of love. One day an argument arose between Athena and Aphrodite when the latter was seen spinning a spinning wheel. Athena considered that the other was interfering in her affairs and made predictions, after which Aphrodite left this craft and took up her duties.

The meaning of the name Aphrodite in Ancient Greece

The name Aphrodite comes from Asia Minor. Its meaning is unknown, but there are two versions of its origin. According to early tradition, she was born from the marriage and Dione. According to a later theory, Aphrodite was created from the blood of the Urals killed by Kronos, which fell into the sea, after which foam formed. In connection with this, her second name became Anadyomena, which means “appeared on the sea.”

The religious cult was assigned the functions of a complex cosmic mechanism endowed with the most powerful energy of love. She was given the following epithets:

• "Lady of the Mountains";
• "Defender of the Seas";
• "Patroness of Mothers."

Aphrodite married people and made childbirth successful. Her power covered both mortal people and heavenly inhabitants. Only Athena and Hestia and Artemis were not subordinated to the cult.

Those who disobeyed the cult were in danger of wrath. On the island of Lemnos, women refused to worship this idol, for which they were endowed with the smell of a goat. The husbands ran away from them, taking other wives as wives.

Incarnations of Greek Aphrodite

The following cults were endowed with similar meaning in ancient times:

• Astarte - in ancient Phenicia;
• Ishtar - in the Babylonian-Assyrian tradition;
• - in Egypt.

The cult of Aphrodite was depicted surrounded by wild animals - a bear, a wolf, a powerful lion. They were all pacified by loving caresses. The characteristics of a religious symbol are gradually evolving. From a fertile ruler, she becomes playful and shy, in this form she takes a place on Olympus.

According to legend, Aphrodite was born near the coast of Cyprus. This event is reflected in Homer's Hymn to Greece. This is where her middle name comes from - Kipra, which means “born in Cyprus”.

The belt became a symbol of her power. It contains magical love spells, all-encompassing love, desire. Even the inhabitants of Olympus could not resist this witchcraft cult.

The first place of residence of Aphrodite, who reached the shore completely discovered on a sea shell, was the island of Cythera. But over time, his lands seemed too crowded for her, and she moved to the Peloponnese. Her last place of residence was Paphos on an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It was there that she created her first sanctuary, surrounded by fragrant gardens. The daughters of the patroness of justice, Themis, took care of her clothes and jewelry. Today in Paphos, within the walls of an ancient Roman temple, you can find an image of Aphrodite surrounded by priestesses, bathing in the sea for youth, beauty and renewal.

The Palace of Knossos, which has survived to this day, has a relief floor laid out in the shape of shells. Numerous ancient burials contained the shells of cuttlefish native to Aphrodite's environment. Some of them were made of terracotta.

Family and love affairs of Aphrodite

Aphrodite's father found her good husband- blacksmith Hephaestus, resident. She gave birth to three children from her marriage: Harmony, Deimos and Phobos. In fact, the father of her children was Ares - an unparalleled cult of war. Helios found them in the Frankish palace of Ares, but was in no hurry to reveal the secret to Hephaestus.

Aphrodite was believed to have invented brothels. Several hundred beautiful women lived in her temples, pleasing men.

Hephaestus suspected his wife’s adventures and forged a thin, invisible bronze net attached to the foot of the bed. It hung like a thin cobweb from the ceiling. During the next absence to Corinth, according to Aphrodite “on business,” the betrayal was discovered, and Hephaestus told his wife that he was going to the island of Lemnos to rest.

The woman immediately sent for Ares, and they reclined on the bed. Hephaestus found them naked and helpless, wrapped in a thin bronze net. In this form, he presented them to the inhabitants of Hephaestus. He asked for the return of all the gifts from Zeus given for the wedding, and only after that he promised to free Aphrodite from marriage.

Hephaestus limped and was ugly. Hera, the wife of Zeus, gave him in marriage. Her goals included a plan for revenge. A number of sources mention the marriage of Ares and Aphrodite.

The sources of antiquity also contain information about the love affairs of the daughter of Zeus with Dionysus and Hermes. There is certain information about the relationship with Zeus, for example, the origin of Eros is questioned. His father is named Ares, Hermes or Zeus according to different versions.

In art ancient Greece statues of Aphrodite were depicted as a woman stepping on a turtle. The philosopher Plutarch argued that in antiquity this gesture meant humility, silence and homeliness.
Aphrodite was distinguished by her fertility. The children she bore were both the descendants of mortal men and the inhabitants of Olympia. Among them were Hymenius, Amazons and Charites. Aeneas, hero of the Trojan War, was considered the ancestor of Julius Caesar.

Eros, also known as Cupid and Cupid in the Roman tradition, born from the union of Aphrodite and Ares, patronized war. He was armed with a bow with gold and lead arrows. By launching the golden one he bestowed love, with the lead one he killed feelings. In addition to joy and happiness, he brought torment to lovers.

Hymen became Aphrodite's companion, creating the bond of marriage. He descended from Aphrodite and Dionysus creating wine.

He lit the flame of the marriage torch and gave blessings to the young people.

The role of Aphrodite in the Trojan War

Every man who approached Aphrodite dreamed of becoming the husband of the daughter of Zeus. There are mythological sources pointing to the outbreak of war by the Greek ancestor.

She started an argument with Hera and Athena over which of them was more beautiful. Paris was chosen as their judge, who was promised as a reward the most beautiful of women and her love - Elena. At that moment, the woman had already been married to the king of Sparta, which led to the Greek military campaign against Troy and the destruction of the city.