Gods,Heroes,Myths Greek Mythology Homer's epics,Expeditions

She was the most beautiful of the goddesses. She belongs to the twelve gods of Olympus where she resides.

A myth considers her to be the daughter of Zeus and Dione. Another claims that she was born from the foam of the sea and some pieces of the flesh of Uranus, when his son Cronus injured him. However, her cult seems to have come from the east and passed on to Greece from Cyprus.

She was the goddess of beauty, love and fertility. She was always followed by the Graces and the Hours. Wherever she stood, he brought love. Gods and people asked for her favor. Paris gave Aphrodite the apple of beauty cast by Eris. In order to reward him, she urged him to visit Sparta. There he met the beautiful Helen, stole her and thus caused the Trojan War.

Her husband was the lame god Hephaestus, but she cheated on him with Ares. Hephaestus was informed of the deception by Helios, who sees everything. To avenge them, Hephaestus wrapped their bed with invisible nets and when the couple met, they were caught inside and could not move. Then Hephaestus called all of the gods to see the spectacle.

Children of Aphrodite and Ares are Deimos (terror), Phobos (fear), Harmony and maybe Priapus.

Apart from Ares, Aphrodite also loved Agchises, the brother of the king of Troy, Priam. With Agchises she had Aeneas and for his sake she stood by the Trojans during the Trojan War.

He also loved Adonis. When her lover was killed by a wild boar, the goddess implored Zeus for him to be resurrected every spring and summer and to stay with her.

The cult of Aphrodite was widely spread, especially at ports, where she was considered a protector of sailors. Her most ancient and most important center of worship was at Cyprus. Also she was worshipped at Kythera, Cnidus, Corinth, Thebes, Attica, Sicily and elsewhere.

Her symbols are the dove, the myrtle, the rose. In the works of art she is depicted as young beautiful, sometimes naked and sometimes dressed, occasionally to bathe and often to groom. God Eros is often depicted next to her.