Goddess Aphrodite | Lady of love and beauty

          In my English literacy class, we learned about Greek mythology. In this class, we also had Greek mythology project that every student need to complete. Each student was assigned to a god or a goddess and need to research closely about the god that they got. Below is my research paper about my god.

• Greek name/ Role/ Power  

         Aphrodite, The Ancient Greek goddess of sexual love and beauty, identified with Venus by the Romans. The Greek word aphros means “foam” Aphrodite was, in fact, widely worshipped as a goddess of the sea and of seafaring; she was also honoured as a goddess of war, especially at Sparta, Thebes, Cyprus, and other places, However, she was known primarily as a goddess of love and fertility and even occasionally preside over marriage. The secret power of her is transformative power–Love as magical powers of transformation that could cause both gods and mortals to do as she bid them.

          Like all the Greek Olympic gods, Aphrodite was immortal and very powerful. Her special powers were those of love and desire. She had a belt that had the power of love, it causes other to fall in love with the wearer. Some time other Greek goddesses, such as Hera, would borrow the belt from time to time. The belt had the ability to cause fighting couples to fall in love again.

• Family/ Relatives

  There are many of the gods were in love with Aphrodite, Zeus was afraid that there going to be a great battle would break out over her. Then he arranged a marriage between Aphrodite and Hephaestus. What was funny about this Greeks as Hephaestus was a lame and ugly god.

          These are all the known relatives of Aphrodite. Her mother was Dione and her father was Zeus. In the other story had been told that Aphrodite was born from the white foam produced by the severed genitals of Uranus(Heaven) after his son Cronus threw them into the sea. This is the two-story of Aphrodite birth that haven clarify. She had three main siblings Athena, Hera, and Helen. Aphrodite had a husband named Hephaestus but she cheated on him with Ares. She had nine children named Anteros, Eros, Deimos, Phobos, Harmonia, Eryx, Hermaphrodites, Priapus, and Aeneas. Aphrodite also had many consorts within the consort also had children with them too like Hephaestus,  Ares: Eros, Phobos, Deimos, Harmonia, Pothos, Anteros, and Himeros, With Hermes: Hermaphroditus, With Poseidon: Rhodes, Eryx, With Dionysus: Peitho, The Graces, Priapus, With Anchises: Aeneas.

          Of Aphrodite’s mortal lovers, The most important were the Trojan shepherd Anchises, by whom she became the mother of Aeneas, and the handsome youth Adonis, who was killed by a boar while hunting and was lamented by women at the festival of Adonis. the cult of Adonis had underworld features, and Aphrodite was also connected with the dead at Delphi (ancient town and seat of the most important Greek temple and oracle of Apollo).

          Aphrodite had many siblings like Aeacus, Angelos, Apollo, Ares, Artemis, Athena, Dionysus, Eileithyia, Enyo, Eris, Hebe, Helen of Troy, Hephaestus, Hercules, Hermes, Minos, Pandia, Persephone, Perseus, Rhadamanthus, the Graces, the Horae, the Litae, the Muses, the Moirai, or the Titans, the Cyclopes, the Meliae, the Erinyes (Furies), the Giants, the Hekatonkheires.

• Symbols/ Physical appearance

 Aphrodite was known as the highly attractive young god who dressed stylish and loved to wear jewelry. Her eyelashes were curled and she had a constant smile on her cute face. She had a tender neck and symbolized the feminine beauty. ♀ Aphrodite’s symbols were the girdle (which she was using to compel love), the seashell and the mirror. It is said that the female gender symbol is likely to represent the mirror of Aphrodite, the top half of the symbol representing the actual mirror and the bottom half it handles. The sacred animal was the dove.

          This the meaning of Aphrodite symbols, Her symbols were Dolphin, Rose, Scallop Shell, Myrtle, Dove, Sparrow, Girdle, Mirror, & Swan.

• What is the meaning?
  • Dolphin: Prayerfulness, Harmony, Gentleness, intelligence, playfulness, friendship and generosity. Dolphins are very social animals.
  • Rose: rose is ancient symbols of love and beauty. “Rose” means pink or red in a variety of languages(such as Romance languages, Greek, and French).
  • Scallop Shell: some versions of the birth of Aphrodite have her washing ashore on a large scallop shell. The scallop shell may also refer to the female genitals, as the ancient Greek word for scallop, kteis, may mean either.
  • Myrtle: The myrtle-tree and myrrh bush were sacred to Aphrodite because it was from one of these plants that her beloved Adonis was born.
  • Dove: Grace and beauty.
  • Sparrow: Creativity, Joy, and Protection.
  • Girdle (Belt): Sensuality and irresistible beauty.
  • Mirror: Self-image or outer beauty
  • Swan: Pure Beauty.

• Celebration

          This the festival that celebrates Aphrodite. The festival Aphrodite is Aphrodisia which is celebrated in Athens and Corinth. Aphrodite is not a patron god of any city or area. There isn’t any known information on the celebration. That’s all there is about this celebration.

• History/ War/ Myth

         When the goddess Eris was turned away from a party, she tossed a golden apple among the other goddesses that said: “To the Fairest” on it. The goddesses Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena all wanted the apple. Zeus Decided that a mortal name Paris would decide who deserves the apple.

          The three goddesses visited Paris and he had to decide who was the most beautiful. The three goddesses offered him with something, Hera offered him with power, Athena offered him wisdom and fame, and Aphrodite offered him love with the most beautiful mortal woman in the world, Helen. Paris had chosen Aphrodite. However, when Paris stole Helen from a Greek king and took her to Troy, he started the Trojan War.  

 Aphrodite sided with the Trojans in the Trojan War. This was because both Paris and her son, the hero Aeneas, were Trojans. She also persuaded the god of war, Ares, to support Troy during the war. Aphrodite was very involved in the war, protecting both Paris and Aeneas during battle. At one point she even gets injured and has to return to Mount Olympus for healing.

• Fun Fact
  • Aphrodite is known to have flings with other Gods, and mortals like Ares, Adonis, & Anchises. She is married to Hephaestus, and has over 20 children!
  • She is sometimes called the lady of Cyprus
  • The Greeks would not sacrifice a pig to Aphrodite as one tale tells how a wild boar killed a mortal she loved named Adonis
  • Aphrodite day of the week is Friday (which is the day that I was born

 

Works Cited

Aphrodite and the Gods of Love: Worship (Getty Villa Exhibitions), www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/aphrodite/worship.html.

“Aphrodite.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Mar. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphrodite.

“Aphrodite, the Greek Goddess of Beauty, Love and Eternal Youth.” Greek Gods, www.greek-gods.info/greek-gods/aphrodite/.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Delphi.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia

Britannica, Inc., 28 June 2016, www.britannica.com/place/Delphi-ancient-city-Greece.

“CELEBRATION.” Aphrodite, brittanywhitsell.weebly.com/celebration.html.

“FAMILY & RELATIVES.” Aphrodite, brittanywhitsell.weebly.com/family–relatives.html.

“Greek Festivals about Aphrodite.” Greek Gods, www.greek-gods.info/greek-gods/aphrodite/festivals/.

“Symbols.” Aphrodite’s Website, euniceaphrodite.weebly.com/symbols.html.

Whiteman, Karlee. “Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love Is Known for Being Mischievous.” Prezi.com, 14 Nov. 2013, prezi.com/fsrqblnde2m0/aphrodite-the-godess-of-love-is-known-for-being-mischievous/.

Whiteman, Karlee. “Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love Is Known for Being Mischievous.” Prezi.com, 14 Nov. 2013, prezi.com/fsrqblnde2m0/aphrodite-the-goddess-of-love-is-known-for-being-mischievous/.

“ p102  Aphrodisia.” LacusCurtius • Greek Festivals – Aphrodisia (Smith’s Dictionary, 1875), penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/SMIGRA*/Aphrodisia.html.