Aphrodite is the Greek Goddess of love, beauty, passion, and pleasure. She was an important deity in the Greek pantheon and had several centres of worship. She even had her own festival, Aphrodisia, which was celebrated in midsummer.
She was the daughter of Zeus and Dione, and married to Hephaestus, the God of blacksmithing. However, she was a lover of many, one of her main affair partners being Ares, the God of war with whom she had a daughter named Harmonia. Aphrodite was a great beauty among the Gods, and was much desired by many. It is said that Zeus hastily married her off to Hephaestus to prevent the other Gods from fighting over her, rather than Hephaestus being the lover she chose. In a different tale, it is said that Hephaestus forged Hera (Zeus' wife/sister and the Queen of the Gods) a golden throne, but when she sat on the throne she became entrapped. He would only release her if she gave him Aphrodite's hand in marriage, to which Hera agreed.
Another of Aphrodite's main lovers was Adonis. She found him as a baby and took him to the underworld to be cared for by Persephone. She returned when he had grown and was struck by how handsome he was, but Persephone wanted to keep him for her own. It was eventually agreed that Adonis would spend a third of his time with Persephone, a third of his time with Aphrodite, and a third of his time with anyone of his choosing. He chose to spend that extra third with Aphrodite.
Scholars are unsure as to where her name originates from, and believe it could be possible that her cult was derived from that of the Phoenician goddess Astarte. The Greek poet Hesiod wrote that her name means 'sea foam', and he also wrote that Aphrodite was actually born from the sea foam rather than from a union between Zeus and Dione. However, many scholars believe this is just Hesiod stretching his 'artistic licence' as far as the origins of this Goddess go.
She was the daughter of Zeus and Dione, and married to Hephaestus, the God of blacksmithing. However, she was a lover of many, one of her main affair partners being Ares, the God of war with whom she had a daughter named Harmonia. Aphrodite was a great beauty among the Gods, and was much desired by many. It is said that Zeus hastily married her off to Hephaestus to prevent the other Gods from fighting over her, rather than Hephaestus being the lover she chose. In a different tale, it is said that Hephaestus forged Hera (Zeus' wife/sister and the Queen of the Gods) a golden throne, but when she sat on the throne she became entrapped. He would only release her if she gave him Aphrodite's hand in marriage, to which Hera agreed.
Another of Aphrodite's main lovers was Adonis. She found him as a baby and took him to the underworld to be cared for by Persephone. She returned when he had grown and was struck by how handsome he was, but Persephone wanted to keep him for her own. It was eventually agreed that Adonis would spend a third of his time with Persephone, a third of his time with Aphrodite, and a third of his time with anyone of his choosing. He chose to spend that extra third with Aphrodite.
Scholars are unsure as to where her name originates from, and believe it could be possible that her cult was derived from that of the Phoenician goddess Astarte. The Greek poet Hesiod wrote that her name means 'sea foam', and he also wrote that Aphrodite was actually born from the sea foam rather than from a union between Zeus and Dione. However, many scholars believe this is just Hesiod stretching his 'artistic licence' as far as the origins of this Goddess go.
She had many attendants, including Eros who was the God of lust (in later mythology, Eros was said to be her son), Himeros, the three Charites (Aglaea, or 'splendor'; Euphrosyne, or 'good cheer'; and Thalia, or 'abundance'), and the three Horae (Eunomia, or 'good order'; Dike, or 'justice'; and Eirene, or 'peace').
As the Goddess of love and beauty, there are several symbols associated with her, including seashells (she is often depicted with a scallop shell), roses, swans, doves, and hearts. However, she wasn't all love and light; in my experience, Aphrodite has quite a jealous streak, and her rage was well known. In one tale the women of the island of Lemnos refused to make sacrifices to her, so she cursed the women to always smell so their husbands would never want to touch them again. In another, she wanted to mate her horsese to those of Glaucus of Corinth but he refused. During the chariot race at the funeral games which were held for King Pelias, she drove the horses mad, and in their madness they tore Glaucus apart.
Many depictions of her show her surrounded by water, often the sea, and she is often shown partially, if not completely naked. She is a great Goddess to work with to help you realise your inner and outer beauty, to realise your passions, and find opulence and luxury in the world around you, but do be careful; she can also be indulgent and jealous. Ways to work with an honour Aphrodite and mostly centred around these themes. Dedicate your favourite perfume and jewellery to her, burn rose incense, carry crystals such as garnet, ruby, and pearls, ask her to bless your beauty creams and potions, write her poetry and music, send love into the world, and revel in the love that you receive.
As the Goddess of love and beauty, there are several symbols associated with her, including seashells (she is often depicted with a scallop shell), roses, swans, doves, and hearts. However, she wasn't all love and light; in my experience, Aphrodite has quite a jealous streak, and her rage was well known. In one tale the women of the island of Lemnos refused to make sacrifices to her, so she cursed the women to always smell so their husbands would never want to touch them again. In another, she wanted to mate her horsese to those of Glaucus of Corinth but he refused. During the chariot race at the funeral games which were held for King Pelias, she drove the horses mad, and in their madness they tore Glaucus apart.
Many depictions of her show her surrounded by water, often the sea, and she is often shown partially, if not completely naked. She is a great Goddess to work with to help you realise your inner and outer beauty, to realise your passions, and find opulence and luxury in the world around you, but do be careful; she can also be indulgent and jealous. Ways to work with an honour Aphrodite and mostly centred around these themes. Dedicate your favourite perfume and jewellery to her, burn rose incense, carry crystals such as garnet, ruby, and pearls, ask her to bless your beauty creams and potions, write her poetry and music, send love into the world, and revel in the love that you receive.