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Myth

Birth

There exist two different legends on its birth. At Homère, it is the girl of Zeus and Dioné, one of the girls of Océan. The goddess calls Arès her “good brother”, whereas her husband Héphaïstos, after having surprised it with this same Ares, threatens to claim in Zeus the gifts that it offered to him in exchange of the hand of his daughter.

In the Théogonie of Hésiode and according to the most popular tradition, Aphrodite is born from the sea fertilized by the sex of Ouranos, sliced by Cronos: “around, a white scum [[sperm]] left the divine member. Of this scum a girl was formed”. For the Greeks, this legend falls under the name even of the goddess: she “was born from scum” ( ἀφρός / aphrós ) - however, it does not act in fact that of a popular etymology, without base. Pushed by the Winds, it sails until Cythère, then Cyprus. Thus are explained, according to Hésiode, its principal nicknames: “Cypris” and “Cythérée”, but also its epithet Homeric φιλομμειδής / philommeidếs , that he interprets like meaning “left the testicles” ( μήδεα / mếdea ).

Loves

Married to Héphaïstos, it has multiple extra-marital adventures. The principal one is that with Arès, from which are born Harmonie, Déimos and Phobos. Informed of the adulterous relation by Photogravure, which very sees its raised position, Héphaïstos creates a magic net which it places on the bed to imprison the couple. Convening Zeus and the Olympian ones, it reveals deception to them in front of the imprisoned lovers. Consequently, Aphrodite curses Hélios and her descent, i.e. Pasiphaé and her daughters ARIANE and Phèdre (curse which will be worsened by that with which Poséidon will afflict Minos, husband of Pasiphaé and father of ARIANE and Phèdre). At the time traditional, Arès is also famous being the father of Eros, that Hésiode depicted before as a paramount force - one allots also the paternity of the Love to Ouranos.

Aphrodite also has a connection with:

Hermes, from which is born Hermaphrodite, semi-man semi-woman.
Dionysos, from which are born Priape (paternity is allotted alternatively to Zeus or Adonis) and Hyménée, the god of the nuptial song (also known as born from one of the nine Muses);
Poséidon, from which is born Rhodos.

Aphrodite passes moreover to have distinguished from many heroes mortals, among whom:

the young person Phaéthon, wire of Éos and Céphale, of which it makes the immortal guard of its sanctuary and one of the two gods chairing alternatively the race of the planet bearing its Latin name Venus.
Argonaute Boutès which it returns father of Éryx, sanguinary king killed later by Héraclès.
the Trojan Anchise of which it has Énée, which it protects and helps to carry the Home of Troy as far as Italy, before obtaining for him the Immortality which Zeus grants to him.
Adonis, beautiful newborn of the myrrh tree into which his/her incestueuse mother Myrrha, is transformed. Perséphone disputes the child to him and Zeus must share the time of Adonis. A third of the year for each one and the third with its choice, which it always passes with Aphrodite, until it is mortally wounded by a wild boar. Priape passed sometimes to be born of this union, just as the nymph and heroin founder Béroé, one of the innumerable mistresses of Dionysos (Nonnos de Panopolis, Dionysiaques, various songs).

Eros and its double twin Antéros passes sometimes for his/her children, whereas according to Hésiode, Eros is one of the first divinities, not generated but resulting directly from the Chaos.

Relations with the mortals

The revenge on Aphrodite is terrible. For vindication, it yields it of nothing to Héra, but if the latter continues the women only by jealousy, Aphrodite strikes them only when they serve it badly or refuse to serve it, and the women are then as well her victims as its instruments intended for the men, more rarely by jealousy, inspiring sometimes to them by the difficult loves:

by jealousy it condemns Éos (Dawn) to the erotomania
to punish Hippolyte, which respects only Artémis, it causes the passion of Phèdre;
at the request of Poséidon, it causes the monstrous desire of Pasiphaé for a bull;
the girls of king de Chypre refuse to honor it: it forces them with prostituer;
for the same fault, it afflicts the women with Lemnos of an appalling odor which makes flee all the men;
it also tries to push Psyché to fall in love with a bad man thanks to an arrow from Eros, which disobeys and decides to marry it.

As for its protected, they hardly are parcelled out better. Helene complains bitterly about the favor of the goddess: “Unfortunate that I am, says him it, here you is still at my sides, full with perfidious intentions! ”

The most known legend concerning Aphrodite is perhaps that which tells the cause of the Trojan War. Éris, the only goddess not to be invited to the marriage of the king Shovelful and the nymph of the sea Thétis, throws by spite a gold apple in the room of the banquet with the inscription “With most beautiful”. Zeus refuses to choose between Héra, Athéna and Aphrodite, the three goddesses who, according to him, deserve apple. They ask Pâris, prince of Troy, to be the judge. All the three try to bribe it. Héra promises the royal power, Athéna to him, military glory, and Aphrodite, more the beautiful woman of the world. Pâris chooses Aphrodite and request rewards Helen of Troy for it, woman of the Greek king Ménélas. The removal of Helene by Pâris causes the Trojan War. During this war, the goddess will be slightly wounded by the Greek hero Diomède while carrying help with her Énée son.

Worship

Aphrodite is recognized by the Greeks like a Semitic divinity , and more precisely Phénicie nne. In fact, it most probably corresponds to the goddess Ishtar - Astarté, with which it divides many features: they are divinities androgynes; Astarté is the “queen of the sky” whereas Aphrodite is known as “the celestial one” ( Ourania ); their worship includes/understands the offering of Encens and the sacrifice of Colombe S. In addition, the name of Aphrodite was not found on the shelves of Linéaire B, testimonys written of the Civilization mycénienne. Its first place of worship is the city of Paphos, on the island of Cyprus, that the Odyssée mentions already like its place of stay.

On the Acropolis of Corinth, was a temple dedicated to Aphrodite, one practiced the crowned prostitution there.

August 1st

Artistic representations

The birth of Aphrodite left water is represented for the first time on the vases attics with red figures, towards 460 av. J. - C. It involves with its Eros continuation and of the allegorical divinities like Peitho (Persuasion), Pothos or Himéros (the Desire). But it is also often accompanied by the Nymphes, of the Heures, the Charites, the Tritons and the Néréides.

August 1st

Épiclèse S, attributes and sanctuaries

Épiclèses : It was at the same time the goddess of the celestial love ( Ourania ), vulgar ( Pandémos ), of the marriage ( Nymphidia ), or of the courtesans ( Hétaïra ), the marine goddess ( Pontia ), or the victorious goddess ( Nikêphoros ). It was still called Anadyomène , because it had left the floods, Euplea ( happy navigation ) like protective of the navigators, but also Cypris , Cythérée or Érycine , because of his famous temples of Cyprus, Cythère or the Mont Éryx;
Attributes : the Nudity, the Myrrh, the Myrtle, the pink and the magic belt, wedding gift of Zeus, which it sometimes lent to Héra to charm the love of her unsteady husband;
favorite Fruits : various fruits like the Apple or the grenade;
Animal favorites : animals of burning or prolific nature, like the ram, the goat, the hare, the swan, the turtle-dove or the dove;
Sanctuaries : Aphrodision of Aphrodisias, city bearing the name of the goddess; Paphos, on the island of Cyprus (Furnace bridge of Aphrodite Ourania); Olbia (Hyères).

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