What does Aphrodite, the goddess of love, look like? Aphrodite in culture. Goddess of love Aphrodite

02.04.2024

Love and beauty. Initially, Aphrodite was probably the personification of the productive forces of nature, but subsequently the features of the deity changed under Eastern (Phoenician) influence, so that Aphrodite became in many ways akin to the Phoenician Astarte or the Syrian Asherah. Like Astarte, she was sometimes represented as a warlike goddess and depicted armed, for example, on the island of Cyprus, the center of her cult, where in many places (Pafa, Idalia, Salamis, etc.), she had ancient sanctuaries. Aphrodite received the nickname from Cyprus Cyprus. She was also highly revered on the island of Kiethera, hence her nickname Cytharea, in Sparta, Acrocorinth, etc. Aphrodite is the beloved of the god Ares (Ares) and is herself called Ares. With Ares, as the god of the winds that fertilize the earth, she, the goddess of creative forces, should have been in close connection from the very beginning. According to Hesiod, she gave birth from Ares to Deimos and Phobos (“Fear” and “Horror”) and the personified agreement - Harmony. The reason for the emergence of the myth about the origin of Aphrodite from sea foam or the genitals of Uranus, cast into the sea, was probably the relationship of the initial letters of her name with the Greek word Aphros (foam).

The three kingdoms in which the creative power of nature is manifested corresponded to the three names of the goddess: Aphrodite Urania (Venus coelestis) - the heavenly Aphrodite, Aphrodite Thalassa (Pontia) - the sea Aphrodite, and Aphrodite Pandemos - the goddess who rules on earth.

Aphrodite floating on the sea in a shell. Artist G. Bezzuoli, 1830s

Like Urania, Aphrodite is the daughter of Zeus and Artemis, who in dual form - male and female - embody the heavenly kingdom. Like Aphrodite Pontia, she is the goddess of the sea and especially the calm and serene sea conducive to happy sailing (Euploia). In this meaning, she was honored along with Poseidon, and the dolphin was considered her sacred animal. Finally, as the goddess of the earth, Aphrodite has as her lover Adonis, born from a tree and personifying the magnificent blossoming and dying of nature. Just as in the animal and plant worlds Aphrodite Pandemos promotes growth and reproduction, so among people she retains a similar significance, being the patroness hetaera. The introduction of the cult of Aphrodite Pandemos in Athens was attributed to the hero Theseus. The constant companions of Aphrodite, as the goddess of charm and love par excellence, were considered Pitho, Pothos, Himeros, Charites, Hymen, but above all Eros, in which the legend saw her son. The Romans identified the ancient Italian goddess Venus with Aphrodite.

Ancient art with particular love focused on the image of the goddess of beauty. During the first flowering of the artistic genius of the Greeks (Phidias), Aphrodite was represented in full robes, seated on a throne or standing, but in a later era ( Praxiteles) began to depict her naked, as if emerging from the sea foam, and, finally, even later they stopped connecting the goddess’s nudity with her origin, but embodied in her the ideal of the beauty of the female body. The features and facial expression of the goddess acquired in later works the character of delicacy, voluptuousness and coquetry. A charming oval face, a smile on her lips, narrow, languid eyes breathing softness - these were the features that Aphrodite was depicted in the eyes of artists of the post-Fidia period. On the famous statue of Praxiteles, the so-called Aphrodite of Cnidus, the full forms of the goddess still breathe health, but already on her Munich copy the line of delicacy clearly appears. The statue enjoyed great fame in ancient times Apelles– Aphrodite Anadyomene.

Aphrodite de Milo. Statue approx. 130-100 BC.

Of the surviving statues of Aphrodite, the first place in terms of beauty of design is occupied by Aphrodite de Milo (found in 1820 on the island of Milos, in the ruins of a theater), whose creator and era of creation have not been established. Aphrodite was also depicted sitting in a shell, surrounded by a crowd Nereids, or in a warlike pose with Ares (steppe painting of Pompeii), flirting with Eros, in a host of charites dressing her up, or, finally, a mediator in the love between Paris and Helen. The last myth, like the Judgment of Paris, was especially lucky in ancient art. In Pompeii, artists preferred the cycle of tales about Adonis. On antique vases there is an image of Aphrodite among the wedding ceremony of dressing up brides.

Beautiful traditions and legends about the ancient gods, when people lived in harmony with nature, and saw a divine reason and plan in everything that happened, still excite the imagination of creative people. The goddess Aphrodite, the most beautiful inhabitant of Olympus - this article is dedicated to her.

Who is Aphrodite

The influence of neighboring peoples, as well as trade with other countries, left an imprint on the beliefs and religion of the ancient Greeks; sometimes similar cults merged and existing gods were enriched with new characteristic features. Who is Aphrodite in Greek mythology - historians and archaeologists believe that the cult of the Cypriot goddess was originally of Semitic origin and brought to Ancient Greece from Ascalon, where the goddess Aphrodite was called Astarte. Aphrodite is one of the pantheon of the 12 main gods of Olympus. Spheres of influence and functions of the goddess:

fertility of nature;
at his own discretion bestows beauty on people;
patronizes lovers, marriages and the birth of children;
voluptuousness;
love;
sensuality;
sends erotic fantasies and dreams;
punishes those who reject the feeling of love.

What does Aphrodite look like?

With the advent of the cult of the goddess of love, there was a leap in the development of art: the Greeks began to pay great attention to the reproduction of the naked body in paintings, frescoes and sculpture. The goddess Aphrodite, at the initial stage, differed from the images of other gods of the Greek pantheon in that she was completely naked. The appearance of the goddess spoke for itself:

a beautiful maiden with long hair the color of gold;
delicate and delicate facial features;
forever young;
graceful and graceful as a doe;
eyes the color of emeralds.

Aphrodite's attributes:

Golden cup of wine - a person who drank from the cup became immortal and gained eternal youth.
Aphrodite's Belt - bestowed sexual charms and strengthened the one who wore it. In myths, Aphrodite sometimes gave the belt to other goddesses at their request to seduce husbands or lovers.
Birds - pigeons and sparrows, a symbol of fertility.
Flowers - rose, violet, daffodil, lily - symbols of love.
The apple is the fruit of temptation.

The goddess of beauty Aphrodite is often accompanied by companions:

nymphs - spirits of nature;
choirs - goddesses of time and order in nature;
Eros is an archer deity who strikes with arrows of love;
the Harites, the goddesses of fun and joy, serve the goddess, dress her in beautiful outfits and comb her golden hair.

Aphrodite - mythology

The myths according to which the ancient Greek goddess Aphrodite appeared interpret this event differently. The traditional method of birth described by Homer, where Aphrodite’s mother is the sea nymph Dione, and her father is the supreme thunderer Zeus himself. There is a version in which the parents of the goddess are the goddess Artemis and Zeus - as a union of the masculine and feminine principles.

Another myth, more archetypal. The Earth Goddess Gaia was angry with the husband of the Sky God Uranus, from whom terrible children were born. Gaia asked her son Kronos to castrate his father. Kronos cut off Uranus's genitals with a sickle and threw them into the sea. Snow-white foam formed around the severed organ, from which the already adult goddess of love emerged. This event happened at Fr. Cythera in the Aegean Sea. The wind carried her on a sea shell to Cyprus, and she came ashore. The choirs put a golden necklace and a diadem on her and took her to Olympus, where the gods looked at the goddess in amazement and everyone wanted to take her as his wife.

Aphrodite and Ares

Aphrodite in Greek mythology is known for her love, including gods and mere mortals among her lovers. Historical sources indicate that Aphrodite’s husband, the god of blacksmithing Hephaestus, was lame and did not shine with beauty, so the goddess of love often consoled herself in the arms of a courageous and warlike man. One day, Hephaestus, wanting to catch Aphrodite in connection with the god of war, forged a thin bronze net. In the morning, when the lovers woke up, they found themselves entangled in a net. Hephaestus, in retaliation, invited those who wanted to look at the naked and helpless Aphrodite and Ares.

From love with the god of destruction and war, the children of Aphrodite were born:

Phobos is the god of fear. His father's faithful companion in battle.
Deimos is the personification of the horror of war.
Eros and Anteros are twin brothers, responsible for attraction and mutual love.
Harmony - patronizes a happy marriage, life in unity and harmony.
Himeroth is the god of fiery passion.

Aphrodite and Adonis

Aphrodite - the Greek goddess experienced love and the torment of suffering. The beautiful young man Adonis, who surpassed even the gods of Olympus in beauty, won the heart of Aphrodite at first sight. Adonis's passion was hunting, without which he could not understand his life. Aphrodite accompanied her lover and became interested in hunting wild animals. One stormy day, the goddess could not go hunting with Adonis and asked him to heed her pleas to take care of himself, but it so happened that Adonis’ dogs attacked the trail of a wild boar and the young man hurried in anticipation of prey.

Aphrodite felt the death of her beloved and went in search of him, making her way through the thickets, all wounded from thorns and sharp stones digging into her tender legs, the goddess found Adonis lifeless with a terrible lacerated wound left by the fangs of a boar. In memory of her lover, Aphrodite created an anemone flower from drops of his blood, which became her attribute. Zeus, seeing the grief of the goddess, agreed with Hades that Adonis spends six months in the kingdom of the dead - this is the time of winter, the awakening of nature personifies the time when Adonis is reunited with Aphrodite for six months.

Apollo and Aphrodite

The myth about Aphrodite, the most beautiful of the goddesses of Olympus, is contrasted with the myths about Apollo, who personifies the most beautiful of the divine Greek pantheon. Apollo, the sun god, is dazzling in his beauty and loving. Aphrodite's son Eros, fulfilling his mother's will, often struck the brilliant Apollo with his arrows. Apollo and Aphrodite were not lovers, but were a kind of standards of masculinity, reflected in the Hellenic art of sculpture.

Athena and Aphrodite

The Greek goddess Aphrodite decided to try herself in some other craft other than love and chose spinning. Athena, the goddess of war and crafts, found the goddess at the spinning wheel, which made her indignation know no bounds. Athena considered this an encroachment and interference in her spheres and powers. Aphrodite did not want to quarrel with Athena, apologized and promised not to touch the spinning wheel again.

Aphrodite and Venus

The ancient goddess Aphrodite attracted the warlike Romans so much that they adopted the cult of Aphrodite and called her Venus. The Romans considered the goddess their ancestor. Guy Julius Caesar was proud and constantly mentioned that his family descended from the great goddess. Venus Victorious was revered as giving victory to the Roman people in battles. Aphrodite and Venus are identical in function.

Aphrodite and Dionysus

Dionysus, the god of fertility and winemaking, sought in vain the favor of Aphrodite for a long time. The goddess often found comfort in casual relationships, and luck smiled on Dionysus. The son of Dionysus and Aphrodite, Priapus, who appeared as a result of a passing infatuation, was so ugly that Aphrodite abandoned the child. The huge genitals of Priapus, which the vengeful Hera endowed him with, became a symbol of fertility among the Greeks.

Aphrodite and Psyche

The ancient Greek Aphrodite had heard a lot about the beauty of the earthly woman Psyche and decided to destroy her by sending Eros to hit Psyche with an arrow of love for the ugliest of men. But Eros himself fell in love with Psyche and made her his, sharing a bed with her only in complete darkness. Psyche, persuaded by her sisters, decided to look at her husband while he was sleeping. She lit the lamp and saw that Eros himself was in her bed. A drop of wax fell on Eros, he woke up and left Psyche in a rage.

The girl is looking for her lover all over the world and is forced to turn to Eros’s mother Aphrodite. The goddess gives the poor thing impossible tasks: to sort different types of grains dumped into one huge pile, get the golden fleece from maddened sheep, draw water from the Styx and in the underworld get a potion to treat Eros' burn. With the help of the forces of nature, Psyche copes with difficult assignments. The recovered god of love, touched by care, asks the celestials of Olympus to legitimize the marriage with Psyche and grant her immortality.

Aphrodite and Paris

“The Apple of Discord” is the most ancient Greek myth about Aphrodite, Athena and Hera. Paris, the son of the Trojan king Priam, was having fun playing the flute and admiring the beauty of nature, when he suddenly saw that the messenger of the gods Hermes himself was walking towards him, and with him the three great goddesses of Olympus. Paris ran as fast as he could out of fear, but Hermes called out to him, saying that Zeus would order the young man to judge which of the goddesses was the most beautiful. Hermes handed Paris a golden apple with the inscription “To the most beautiful.”

The goddesses decided to bribe Paris with gifts in order to receive the fruit. Hera promised Paris power and rule over Europe and Asia. Athena promised eternal glory among the sages, and victory in all battles. Aphrodite approached and affectionately promised love to the most beautiful of mortals - Helen the Beautiful. Paris, who desired Helen, gave it to Aphrodite. The goddess helped kidnap Helen and patronized their union. For this reason, the Trojan War broke out.

Aphrodite and Poseidon

Aphrodite, the goddess of love, was also not indifferent to the god of the sea elements, Poseidon, who was inflamed with lust for her after seeing her naked in bed with Ares, at the moment when they were caught in Hephaestus’s net. Aphrodite, to shake up Ares' feelings of jealousy, responded to Poseidon with a mutual outburst of short-term passion. The goddess gave birth to a daughter, Rhoda, who became the wife of Helios, the solar deity.

Aphrodite (myth of ancient Greece)

Until now, no one knows exactly where the beautiful Aphrodite came from. Some consider her the daughter of Zeus and Dione, while others claim that the beautiful Aphrodite was born from sea foam. It was as if, when drops of the blood of the wounded Uranus fell to the ground, one of them fell into the sea and formed foam, from which the beautiful goddess arose. So in her name one can hear: Af-ro-di-ta - foam-born. But be that as it may, it is very good that there is Aphrodite in the world - the beautiful, golden-haired goddess of love and beauty. Aphrodite gives happiness to all who serve her faithfully.
This is how she gave happiness to the artist Pygmalion, who once lived on the wonderful island of Cyprus. He was a very good artist, but there was one strange thing about him. He simply could not stand women, spent all day doing his favorite work and lived in solitude among his magnificent sculptures.
One day he made a statue of a girl of extraordinary beauty out of shiny ivory. As if alive, she stood in front of her creator. It seemed that she was breathing - her white skin was so soft and transparent. It seemed that life was about to glimmer in her beautiful eyes and she would speak and laugh. The artist stood for hours in front of his wonderful creation, and it ended with him passionately falling in love with the statue he himself had created, as if it were a living being. He gave all the heat of his heart to his beloved. The loving Pygmalion even forgot about work. He gave the lifeless statue magnificent jewelry made of gold and silver, and dressed it in luxurious clothes. He brought flowers to his beloved and decorated her head with wreaths. Often Pygmalion touched her cool, snow-white shoulder with his lips and whispered:
- Oh, if you were alive, my beautiful, how happy I would be!
But the statue remained cold and indifferent to his confessions. Pygmalion suffered, but could not help himself. He stopped leaving the house and spent all his time in his workshop. And finally he decided to turn to the gods. Only they can help him.
Soon the festivities began in honor of the goddess Aphrodite. Pygmalion slaughtered a well-fed calf with gilded horns and, when the fragrant, aromatic smoke flowed in the air, he raised his hands to the sky:
- Oh, all-powerful gods and you, golden-speaking Aphrodite! If you hear my prayers, give me a girl as beautiful as my favorite statue as my wife!
Before he could say the words of prayer, the fire on his altar flared up brightly. This means that the gods heard his request. But will they fulfill it?
The artist returned home and, as always, went to the studio. But what does he see! Pygmalion was afraid to believe his eyes. A miracle happened! His statue came to life. She breathed, her eyes looked tenderly at the artist, and her lips smiled tenderly at him.
This is how the all-powerful goddess rewarded the artist Pygmalion for his loyalty.

Aphrodite - goddess of love and beauty in Greek mythology

Aphrodite was one of the 12 great gods of Olympus. Goddess of fertility, love and spring. Goddess of marriage and childbirth.

She possessed such a powerful love force that she had both people and gods under her control. She did not spare and punished those who rejected love. The Greeks imagined Aphrodite as a stately, tall, very beautiful woman with snow-white skin.

She had long golden hair, which she wore in an updo, framing her head like a wreath.

Attributes of Aphrodite

The symbols of Aphrodite, as the goddess of love, were roses, poppies, apples, anemones, violets, daffodils and lilies. As goddesses of fertility - sparrows and doves. Like sea goddesses - dolphins and swans. Aphrodite's attributes are a belt and a cup made of gold, which was filled with a wine drink.

The person who drank from this cup had eternal youth. And all women dreamed of owning her belt, as it was a source of extraordinary sexual attraction. All the birds, enchanted by the beauty of the goddess, flocked to her. She always walked surrounded by their company.

The sun, at the moment of Aphrodite's appearance, began to shine brighter and flowers bloomed as she approached. Aphrodite often walked surrounded by wild animals, for example, bears, wolves, lions. They were tamed and tame by the presence of love desires.

Birth of Aphrodite

Aphrodite was born near the island of Cythera from the seed and blood of Uranus. It formed snow-white sea foam. As a result of this, the belief arose that Aphrodite was “foam-born.” Then this foam was driven by the wind to the island of Cyprus, where Aphrodite emerged from the waves onto the earth.

Myths associated with Aphrodite

Zeus's wife Hera made sure that Hephaestus took Aphrodite as his wife. He was the most skilled craftsman, but he was the ugliest of all the gods. Along with external disgrace, Hephaestus was also lame. He worked at his forge, and in the meantime Aphrodite rested in her sleeping apartments or received friends.
Aphrodite was interested in attaching feelings of love to gods and people. She was not faithful to her husband. In any clothing, the goddess always wore her belt. It was in him that love, desire, seduction were contained. Absolutely everyone fell in love with its owner.
One day Hephaestus found out about Aphrodite’s connection with Ares. In his forge he forged a golden net, as thin as a spider's web, but very strong. The net was attached to the bed, coming down from the top. After that, he told his wife that he was going on vacation. As soon as Hephaestus left, Aphrodite immediately invited Ares. In the morning, the lovers realized that they were entangled in a net. Hephaestus invited the rest of the gods to look at this spectacle. Ares was rescued from the nets only on the condition that he pay a ransom. Aphrodite returned to Cyprus. There, having plunged into the sea, she again became a virgin.
Among Aphrodite's lovers was the Argonaut Booth, whom she saved from the sirens. The goddess Aphrodite was given only one duty - to create love.

Aphrodite's victims

Aphrodite helped those who loved her with great willingness and ease. At the same time, she punished everyone who did not support her cult of love:

She was the reason for the death of Hippolytus and Narcissus,
led Pasiphae and Mirra to unnatural love,
brought an ugly smell to the ladies from Lemnos.
punished Atalanta because she wanted to remain a virgin,
Glaucus, at the request of Aphrodite, broke his own horses, because he forbade them to cover their mares.

Helpers of the Goddess of Beauty

Aphrodite had two assistants who helped her in her love affairs - Eros and Hyminaeus. Eros was a little boy flying around the world with a bow and arrow. Whoever his arrow hit was overtaken by love. Hyminaeus was the patron saint of marriage. He was present at every wedding and flew next to the newlyweds, lighting their path to happiness and love with a torch.

Aphrodite in works of art

Aphrodite, with her beauty and stateliness, was a source of inspiration for many sculptors. In their works they tried to convey all the splendor of the image of the goddess. In painting, the image of Aphrodite can be seen in many paintings written by Renaissance artists. To this day, the goddess is a symbol of beauty and inspires art masters to create new creations.

How was Aphrodite born, what legends about the birth of the goddess still excite the minds of historians? How many husbands did Aphrodite have? Did Aphrodite have a relationship with her alleged father? Did Aphrodite cheat on her husbands? Did Troy fall due to the machinations of Aphrodite? In what countries do we find Greek Aphrodite and under what names?

Aphrodite, in ancient Greek mythology, the goddess of love and beauty. The daughter of Zeus and the oceanid Dione (according to another version of the myth, Aphrodite arose from sea foam). Apparently, Aphrodite was originally revered as a goddess of fertility, close in character and origin to the Phoenician goddess Astarte. Her cult was widespread, besides Greece, on the coast of Asia, the Aegean coast and in Greece. colonies of the Black Sea region. In ancient Roman mythology was identified with Venus. From antiquity The most famous images of Aphrodite are: Aphrodite of Cnidus by Praxiteles (mid-4th century BC), A. (Venus) de Milo (2nd century BC).

Aphrodite had only one divine duty - to create love. But one day Athena found her sitting at a spinning wheel, considered this an interference in her affairs and threatened to give up her duties altogether. Aphrodite apologized and has not touched any work since then.

Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty. Goddess of Asia Minor origin. The etymology of this non-Greek name for the goddess is unclear. There are two versions of the origin of Aphrodite: according to one, the later one, she is the daughter of Zeus and Dione; according to another, she was born from the blood of Uranus, castrated by Kronos, which fell into the sea and formed foam; hence the so-called folk etymology of her name, “foam-born,” and one of her nicknames, Anadyomene, “appearing on the surface of the sea.”

The myth reflects the ancient chthonic origin of the goddess, therefore, Aphrodite is older than Zeus and is one of the primary chthonic forces. Aphrodite possessed the cosmic functions of powerful, world-permeating love. Aphrodite was represented as the goddess of fertility, eternal spring and life. Hence the epithets of the goddess: “Aphrodite in the gardens”, “sacred garden”, “Aphrodite in the stems”, “Aphrodite in the meadows”.

She is always surrounded by roses, myrtles, anemones, violets, daffodils, lilies and accompanied by charites, oras and nymphs. Aphrodite was glorified as the giver of abundance to the earth, the summit (“goddess of the mountains”), companion and good helper in swimming (“goddess of the sea”), that is, the earth, sea and mountains are embraced by the power of Aphrodite. She is the goddess of marriages and even childbirth, as well as a “child-bearer.” Gods and people are subject to the love power of Aphrodite. Only Athena, Artemis and Hestia are beyond her control.

Not recognizing Aphrodite has always been dangerous. Thus, the women of the island of Lemnos did not perform the sacred rites of Aphrodite for several years. In anger, the goddess rewarded the women with the smell of goats. Because of this, their husbands left them and took other wives.

In her eastern origin, Aphrodite is close and even identified with the Phoenician Astarte, the Babylonian-Assyrian Ishtar, and the Egyptian Isis. Like these eastern goddesses of fertility, Aphrodite appears accompanied by a retinue of wild animals - lions, wolves, bears, pacified by the love desire instilled in them by the goddess. However, in Greece these Asia Minor features of the goddess, which also bring her closer to the mother goddess and Cybele, become softer. Gradually, the archaic goddess with her elemental sexuality and fertility turned into a flirtatious and playful Aphrodite, who took her place among the Olympian gods.

This classic Aphrodite is the daughter of Zeus and Dione, her birth from the blood of Uranus is almost forgotten. In the Homeric hymn, the goddess emerges from the airy sea foam near Cyprus (hence her epithet Cypris “Cypriot-born”). Although the appearance of the classical Aphrodite still inspires horror, she is constantly called “golden”, “beautifully crowned”, “sweet-hearted”, “many-golden”, “beautiful-eyed”. A vestige of the archaic demonism of the goddess is her belt. This belt contains love, desire, words of seduction, “everything is contained in it.” This is an ancient fetish, endowed with magical powers that conquer even the great gods.

Aphrodite, the goddess of love, emerged naked from the sea foam and rode a shell to the shore. The first land on her way was the island of Cythera, but, finding that it was very small, she moved to the Peloponnese, and then finally settled in Paphos in Cyprus, which still remains her main sanctuary. Where Aphrodite walked, herbs and flowers grew. In Paphos, Seasons, the daughter of Themis, hastened to dress and decorate her.

Aphrodite bore the epithet Castnia - “patron of shamelessness.” Only this goddess accepted pig sacrifices.

The most famous sanctuary dedicated to her was in the city of Paphos, where the original white aniconic image of the goddess is still shown among the ruins of a grand Roman temple. Local priestesses of Aphrodite bathe in the sea every spring and emerge from it renewed.

Cythera was an important center of Cretan trade with the Pelononnese, and it was through this island that the cult of Aphrodite could reach Greece. This Cretan goddess had many associations with the sea. The floor of the Knossos palace-sanctuary was lined with shells. In a decoration found in the Idean Cave, Aphrodite is depicted blowing a newt's shell with a sea anemone lying at her altar. Sea urchins and cuttlefish were considered her sacred animals. A newt shell was found in her sanctuary at Phaistos. There were many such shells in early Minoan burials, and some of them were repeated in terracotta.

Aphrodite was very reluctant to give the goddesses her magic belt, which made anyone fall in love with its owner, and behaved this way because she valued her special position too much. Zeus gave her as a wife to the lame blacksmith god Hephaestus, but the true father of the three children she bore to him - Phobos, Deimos and Harmony - was Ares, the slender, frantic, always drunk and pugnacious god of war. Hephaestus knew nothing about the betrayal until the lovers one day stayed too long in bed in the palace of Ares in Thrace, and Helios, who had risen, found them engaged in a pleasant activity, told Hephaestus about everything.

According to the Greek philosopher Euhemerus, Aphrodite is the woman who invented prostitution. In large temples of Aphrodite, up to several hundred girls served and delighted the parishioners.

The angry Hephaestus, secluded in his forge, forged a bronze net as thin as a cobweb, but surprisingly strong, which he discreetly attached to the foot of the bed, lowering it from the ceiling with a thin cobweb. When the smiling Aphrodite returned from Thrace, explaining to her husband her absence on business in Corinth, he said: “Sorry, dear wife, but I want to relax a little on my beloved island of Lemnos.”

Aphrodite did not express the slightest desire to follow him, and as soon as her husband disappeared from sight, she sent for Ares, who did not keep himself waiting long. Both happily lay down on the bed, and the next morning they discovered that they were lying entangled in a net - naked and helpless. The returning Hephaestus found them online and decided to show all the gods how they dishonored him. He declared that he would not release his wife until her adoptive father Zeus returned all the rich wedding gifts he received for Aphrodite.

The statue of Aphrodite, sculpted by the famous sculptor Phidias, trampled a turtle with her feet. Plutarch interpreted this as a sign that women should remain homemakers and remain silent.

There were a great many of them from different men - both gods and mere mortals. Of the most famous children of Aphrodite, in addition to the Eros mentioned above, it is also worth mentioning Hymenius, Charites, Amazons and even the mortal Aeneas - one of the heroes of the Trojan War and the mythical ancestor of Julius Caesar. In addition to the famous temple of Aphrodite in Corinth, which we have already mentioned, her main sanctuaries were also located in the places of her supposed birth: in Kiethera and Cyprus.

Aphrodite was born from the foam of the sea and was the object of desire for all who dealt with her. The most famous story associated with Aphrodite caused the death of Troy. Being a rival of Hera and Athena in the famous dispute about the most beautiful of the three goddesses, Aphrodite promised the “judge” - Paris of Troy - the love of the most beautiful of earthly women - Helen. It must be said that she kept her promise, but the feeling that arose between the young people, as well as the fact that Helen was already the wife of the Spartan king, led to the Greek campaign against Troy and, ultimately, the fall of the city.