Aphrodite

Aphrodite is the Olympian goddess of love, beauty, sexual pleasure, and fertility. She is regularly attended by a few of her children, the Erotes, who are capable of stirring up passion in both mortals and gods at the goddess' will. Portrayed as both insatiable and unattainable, Aphrodite was born near the coast of Cythera out of the foam Uranus' castrated genitals created when they fell into the sea. Even though married to Hephaestus, she had affairs with all Olympians except Zeus and Hades, most famously Ares, the god of war. She also had famous romances with two mortals, Anchises and Adonis.

Aphrodite and Anchises

There was a time when Aphrodite desired a beautiful young man from Troy. His name was Anchises. Wanting to seduce him, Aphrodite decided to transform herself into a mortal woman. So she went to her homeland Paphos, in Cyprus, where the Graces bathes and perfumed her. Then she dressed up nicely and transformed herself into a young princess from Phrygia, in modern Turkey.

Cheerfully, she went to Mount Ida to meet Anchises, who was herding his cattle there, stoof before him and said:

"Anchises, my father wants me to marry you because you are noble. I have come a long way just for you. And I know how to speak your language because I was raised by a Trojan nurse."

Seized with love, and not really knowing what he was doing, Anchises laid next to Aphrodite. The couple gave birth to two sons, Aeneas (the mythical ancestor of the Romans) and Lyros.

But one day, Aphrodite decided to put back her actual clothes and reveal her true identity. Slowly, she went to Anchises' bed and asked him:

"Tell me, do I look the same like the day you first saw me?"

Anchises got terrified and begged the goddess to spare his life.

"You don't have to be afraid, as long as you promise not to tell anyone that you slept with a goddess...," Aphrodite told him.

However, soon came the day when Anchises got drunk and started boasting to friends that he was loved by the goddess Aphrodite herself.

When Zeus, the king of the gods, found out about his arrogance, he became very annoyed. Angrily, he struck Anchises with his smoking thunderbolt and crippled the hero.

Aphrodite's Symbols

Aphrodite's main symbols were myrtles (a species of flowering plant), roses, doves, sparrows, and swans. Other less notable symbols associated with the goddess were dolphins, scallop shells, girdles, mirrors, and pearls.