Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love, beauty, and sexual rapture. She was born from the sea foam after Uranus's severed genitals fell into the ocean. Zeus married her off to Hephaestus to prevent fighting among the gods over her hand. She had many lovers among both gods and mortals, such as Adonis. In Roman mythology, she is known as Venus.

2. Aphrodite By Micha F. Lindemans
In Greek mythology,
Aphrodite is
the goddess of love,
beauty
and sexual rapture.

3. According to Hesiod, she was born when Uranus (the
father of the gods) was castrated by his son Cronus.
Cronus threw the severed genitals into the ocean which
began to churn and foam about them.

4. From the aphros (“sea foam”) arose Aphrodite, and the
sea carried her to either Cyprus or Cythera. Hence she is
often referred to as Kypris and Cytherea. Homer calls her a
daughter of Zeus and Dione.

5. After her birth, Zeus was afraid that the gods would fight
over Aphrodite’s hand in marriage so he married her off
to the smith god Hephaestus, the steadiest of the gods.

6. He could hardly believe his good luck and used all his
skills to make the most lavish jewels for her. He made
her a girdle of finely wrought gold and wove magic into
the filigree work.

7. That was not very wise of him, for when she wore her
magic girdle no one could resist her, and she was all too
irresistible already. She loved gaiety and glamour and was
not at all pleased at being the wife of sooty, hard-working
Hephaestus.

8. Aphrodite loved and was loved by many gods and mortals.
Among her mortal lovers, the most famous was perhaps
Adonis. Some of her sons are Eros, Anteros, Hymenaios
and Aeneas (with her Trojan lover Anchises). She is
accompanied by the Graces.

9. Her festival is the Aphrodisiac which was celebrated in
various centers of Greece and especially in Athens and
Corinth.

10. Her priestesses were not prostitutes but women who
represented the goddess and sexual intercourse with
them was considered just one of the methods of worship.

11. Aphrodite was originally an old-Asian goddess, similar to
the Mesopotamian Ishtar and the Syro-Palestinian
goddess Ashtart. Her attributes are a.o. the dolphin, the
dove, the swan, the pomegranate and the lime tree.

12. In Roman mythology, Venus is the goddess of love and
beauty and Cupid is love’s messenger.

13. Exercise (Page 110)
A
1. Aphrodite
2. Hephaestus
3. Aeneas
4. The Graces
B
1) Aphrodite’s son
2) Cyprus and Cythera
3) Ares’ son-in-law
4) Magic girdle
5) The three goddesses of
joy, charm, and beauty

14. APHRODITE
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