Aphrodite: The enchanting Greek goddess of love and beauty

To begin with, the name ‘Aphrodite’ came from the word aphrós that means ‘foam,’ which fits one of her most famous origin stories. 

As a result, her name could be seen as a lasting reminder of her divine and stormy beginnings. 

In Roman mythology, Aphrodite was known as Venus. 

However, there has been some discussion about the origin of ‘Aphrodite,’ with some saying that her name might come from before the Greek language and have eastern roots, which possibly link to the Phoenician goddess Astarte or the Sumerian goddess Inanna. 

The origin of Aphrodite is a matter of interest and disagreement in Greek mythology, with two main stories that give different views of her birth. 

Both stories reveal different sides of Aphrodite’s character and influence on Greek society. 

The first and possibly more dramatic account comes from Hesiod’s Theogony, an ancient epic poem that tells the family history of the gods. 

According to Hesiod, Aphrodite was not born of two parents like most other gods; instead, she appeared from the sea foam at her full height and radiance. 

This unusual birth, unlike any other Olympian god, says a lot about Aphrodite’s supernatural attraction and power. 

In this version, Aphrodite is older than Zeus and most other Olympians, which shows her role as a basic force of attraction and reproduction. 

In contrast, Homer’s Iliad tells a more usual birth story, calling Aphrodite the daughter of Zeus, the king of the gods, and the sea nymph Dione. 

In this story, Aphrodite shares her family line with the other Olympians, which ties her more closely to the events of the other gods. 

These different stories add mystery and depth to Aphrodite’s character. 

Whether she came from the sea or from Zeus’s family, she was an important and powerful figure in Greek mythology. 

The image of Aphrodite in Greek mythology is as vivid as the stories around her birth and actions, since, as the Goddess of Love and Beauty, she shows physical and symbolic traits that highlight her power and attraction. 

Aphrodite’s appearance shows her as a perfect example of female beauty, with flowing golden hair, captivating eyes, and artists often depicting her nude or partly nude to underscore her role as a goddess of physical desire and attraction. 

Also, artists usually showed her as young and lively, with her divine beauty free from age or hardship. 

The Goddess of Love and Beauty also has many symbols that relate to her divine role. 

For example, the dove is one of her most common symbols. It functioned as her sacred bird and symbolised love and harmony. 

Other birds linked to Aphrodite include the sparrow, the goose, and swans, which illustrate her elegance and grace. 

In addition to bird symbols, Aphrodite is often linked with certain plants and fruits. 

Roses, myrtles, and apples are often linked to her, symbolising love, beauty, and temptation. 

For example, artists often depicted Aphrodite with the girdle, or magic belt, that she gives to Hera in the Iliad, which was called a ‘cestus.’ 

It was said to have the power to inspire desire. 

Aphrodite was honoured as the goddess of love in all its forms, with influence ranging from passionate love to family love, and from romantic desire to lust. 

This wide influence over love was divided into two main parts: Aphrodite Pandemos and Aphrodite Urania. 

Aphrodite Pandemos was seen as the goddess of physical desire and earthly love, representing the sensual and lustful sides of it. 

Aphrodite Urania, on the other hand, represented heavenly or spiritual love, which was seen as pure and beyond the normal, showing the Greek idea of love as having two sides, both physical and spiritual. 

Additionally, Aphrodite was also the goddess of beauty and personal adornment, inspiring and leading the sense of it in the ancient Greeks. 

Her power was said to give unmatched beauty and strong charm to those she chose. 

She acted as an embodiment of physical attractiveness and the appeal of it. 

Because Aphrodite was the goddess of fertility, she had a major influence on marriage and having children. 

Women who wanted to have children would call on her, and couples who wanted a happy and successful married life asked for her help. 

In a society that valued family lines and future generations, people often asked for her blessings in this area. 

She also had power over the sea because of her birth from the sea. So, sailors and people whose work depended on the sea asked for her protection during trips. 

This link with the sea broadened her influence and connected her to natural cycles and the basic forces of the world.

In the story of the Trojan War, she played a key role, and her actions started the conflict. 

When considering the myth of the Judgement of Paris, a golden apple labeled ‘to the fairest’ was to be given to the most beautiful goddess. 

Hera, Athena, and she each thought the apple belonged to her, which led to a contest judged by Paris, a prince of Troy. 

She won the contest after she promised Paris the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen of Sparta, who was already married to Menelaus. 

This promise led to Helen’s kidnapping and the ten-year Trojan War.

In this myth, her relationship with Adonis is another important story. Adonis was a mortal who had great beauty. 

She left him with Persephone to care for him. 

Persephone fell in love with him, causing an argument that Zeus had to settle. 

Zeus decided that he would spend one-third of the year with her and one-third with Persephone. He left the last third for him to choose. 

He chose to spend his free third with her. His choice shows how strong her attraction was. 

She and Ares had a romantic relationship, a story often told in Greek myths. 

She was married to Hephaestus, the blacksmith god who could not walk, yet she was often unfaithful with Ares. 

Ares and Aphrodite were caught in a special net that could not be broken. This event made their relationship a laughing matter among the other gods. 

This story shows her sensual side and highlights the strange connection between love and war. 

The story of Pygmalion shows another side of her power. 

Pygmalion was an artist who carved a statue of a woman so beautiful that he fell in love with it. 

Because of his devotion, she brought the statue to life, and Pygmalion named her Galatea. They had a son, Paphos, after whom the city of Paphos in Cyprus was named. 

This story shows that she had control over love, even in unexpected ways. 

She had wide control over love, beauty, having children, and the sea, so people worshipped her across ancient Greece. Their rituals and ceremonies matched the many sides of her influence. 

For example, they offered simple gifts and built large temples, and this worshipping of her had a big impact on Greek society. 

Her main places of worship included the islands of Cyprus and Cythera, both connected to her birth and seen as holy because of her. 

In particular, Cyprus was especially important, with a large temple in the city of Paphos. 

They worshipped the goddess there as a pointed stone, a statue common in nearby ancient religions that suggests worship of her may have roots outside Greece. 

Aphrodite’s temples were often the centres of popular festivals and ceremonies. Many Greek cities held the Aphrodisia each year, which was one of the most important festivals in her honour. 

The ceremonies included offerings of incense, flowers, and phallic symbols. These items showed her role as a goddess of love and having children. 

They also worshipped her at home, especially women, and small statues of her were common household items. They often used these statues when they wanted help with love, beauty, or childbirth. 

She also had a big role in city and state worship. 

She was honoured as a protector of cities and harbours because of her sea links as the goddess of Corinth, one of the richest Greek city-states, where people kept an important shrine for her. 

Her worship was unusual because her followers came from many parts of life: young women who wanted good husbands and children, men preparing for war or sea trips, artists seeking ideas, and courtesans who made her their goddess.

They were as varied as the areas of life she ruled.