Aphrodite goddess of love coloring page. The Greek goddess of love and beauty - Aphrodite: myths, photos, pictures, video of the daughter of Zeus emerging from the foam of the sea. Aphrodite – goddess of love in Ancient Greece
Venus, or Aphrodite, is the ancient goddess of love, whose name became a symbol of beauty and youth. Since ancient times, artists and craftsmen have embodied the image of an eternally young goddess in their creations. The collection of the State Hermitage contains several dozen works of art from Antiquity to modern times with images of Aphrodite/Venus, many of which are true masterpieces.
Born in snow-white sea foam from the seed and blood of Uranus castrated by Kronos, the goddess of Beauty and Love Aphrodite was first carried by sea waves to the shore of the island of Cythera, and then to the island of Cyprus. At the same time, Erinyes and giants emerged from the blood of Uranus, personifying the terrible impulses of the unconscious.
This myth traces the primordial principle of Aphrodite, not so much the goddess of Love, but the patroness of childbirth, the sea, eternal spring and life that gives abundance. She is much more ancient than the god-ruler Zeus, she is the guardian of life. But gradually, for people, the love itself between a man and a woman became more and more important, and not numerous offspring, and Aphrodite assumed the functions of the goddess of love. In mythology she is now called the daughter of Zeus and Dione, her birth from the blood of Uranus is almost forgotten. The goddess takes on more and more flirtatious features, her image becomes more erotic, and the attitude towards her becomes affectionately ironic. When Hellenic culture is replaced by the ascetic Middle Ages, Venus, as the goddess of carnal love, retreats into the shadows. It is becoming unpopular to show sinful flesh naked. Women in medieval paintings are not objects of desire, and a naked figure can only be seen in images of Adam and Eve and among sinners tormented in hell. Beginning with the Renaissance, when a wave of fascination with ancient history and culture began, the image of Venus again takes on its usual features, returning its personification female beauty, love and youth.
Since ancient times, artists have strived to create an ideal type of goddess of beauty, which would combine and embody all the charming qualities and beauty that the imagination of the ancient Greeks, those passionate admirers of beauty, so generously endowed with the goddess Aphrodite.
Paleolithic "Venus". 22–23 thousand years ago, site Kostenki I
Paleolithic “Venus” is a general concept for prehistoric figurines, reliefs and figurines depicting a certain female image. Naturally, they have nothing to do with the ancient goddess and are the embodiment not of beauty and eroticism, but of the image of a woman-mother, the keeper of life and ideological foundations primitive kind. Ancient artists created these works with special emphasis on female characteristics- these are, as a rule, obese, pregnant women, with sagging breasts, the milk of which has fed many children, with large hips, ensuring easy childbirth. Such figurines are distributed throughout Eurasia, from Lake Baikal to the Pyrenees. Some of them were carefully stored, others were deliberately broken into fragments, depriving them of vitality.
The Hermitage collection contains several “Venuses”, one of which is a real masterpiece. A female figurine, carved from limestone and decorated with engraving and polishing, was found at the Kostenki site in Voronezh region. More than 20 thousand years ago, a skilled craftsman created it using stone tools, demonstrating knowledge of proportions, symmetry and the ideals of beauty that were in demand at that time. Particular attention was paid to the hairstyle and jewelry.
The most famous sculptors of Greece and Rome turned to the image of Aphrodite, and vase painters, who in many respects were influenced by the great creations of their era, did not escape this hobby. The Hermitage collection contains a wonderful red-figure pelica with an image of Aphrodite riding on a swan, carrying her out of the sea foam. The swan as a sacred bird is known as an attribute of the goddess. The earliest depiction of the goddess on a swan dates back to the middle of the 5th century BC.
The Hermitage has a unique collection of gems (jewelry stones with carved images), the basis of which was created by Empress Catherine the Great, a passionate admirer of glyptics.
The cameo “Aphrodite with an eagle” is a true masterpiece of the carver Sostratus; it can be considered an example of “painting in stone”. The black and blue background with light inclusions seems to give a picturesque reproduction of the night sky. The entire surface of the stone is occupied by the figure of Zeus's eagle, carved in a bluish-gray layer. Standing in front of him, raising her head in a kiss, is Aphrodite, hugging him. Her fragile figure is made in white and warm pinkish tones. The cameo is an elegant, like a Greek epigram, expression of the view of royal power: the earthly ruler receives the blessing of the heavenly ruler. But, as in any genuine work of art, one can see in it the expression of the theme of the power of love, beauty, humanity, victorious over the most powerful and terrible forces of the universe.
Statue of Aphrodite (Venus Tauride). Roman copy of the 1st century AD from a Greek original of the 3rd–2nd centuries BC
This statue is one of the first ancient sculptures to appear in Russia. It was found in the vicinity of Rome in 1717 and given to Peter I in 1719 by Pope Clement IX, possibly in exchange for the relics of St. Brigid. The sculpture arrived in St. Petersburg on March 13, 1721, it was placed in the gallery of the Summer Garden, and then moved to the Grotto. From 1827 to 1850 it was located in the Tauride Palace, which is why it received the name “Tavricheskaya”.
The statue is a Roman copy, going back to the famous Greek original - the statue of Aphrodite of Knidos, sculpted by the sculptor Praxiteles in the second half of the 4th century BC. The sculptor was originally commissioned by the citizens of the island of Kos, who rejected the nude Aphrodite on moral grounds; then the Cnidians acquired a sculpture of Praxiteles, which later glorified the island. Aphrodite of Knidos is considered to be the first nude Greek goddess statue, known from written sources and copies from Roman times. The ancient Greek sculptor aroused general surprise with his statue and, according to legend, even the surprise of the goddess Aphrodite herself, who, at the sight of her, exclaimed: “Paris and Adonis saw me naked, but where and when could Praxiteles see me?” The creation of images of naked Aphrodite became one of the most important phenomena in Hellenistic art.
The Hermitage sculpture has been preserved in fragments: the hands, added to in the 18th century, have not survived to this day. In the original composition, Aphrodite's hands covered her womb in a chaste gesture. The style of Greek sculpture was somewhat modified in accordance with the Hellenistic taste of the second half of the 3rd century BC, which was reflected in somewhat elongated proportions, a reduced size of the head and an overly energetic turn of the neck.
In 1851, through the Venetian antiquarian A. Sanquirico, the Hermitage received a beautiful statue of Aphrodite, which had previously been part of the collection of the Venetian Nani family. In a rare edition of the era Napoleonic wars- “The collection of all the antiquities kept in the Venetian Museum of Nani” - we read about this sculpture: “It lay prostrate for a long time in neglect ... but was recalled from oblivion when Mr. Jacopo Nani saw it and placed it in his famous museum, presenting it to the court of the famous Canova, who strongly praised the new acquisition.”
The special charm of the statue of Aphrodite is the complexity of body movement and exquisite harmony of proportions, as well as emphasized youth, which distinguishes it from the Tauride Venus or Venus de Milo.
Aphrodite with Eros. 2nd century
The Hermitage has a magnificent collection of terracottas - figurines made of baked clay. The figurine depicting Aphrodite with her son Eros, whom she entertains with a spinning top toy, is a unique work, known today only in a single copy. This sculptural group showed characteristic Hellenistic art - a tendency towards genre. The coloring, applied over a white coating, has been preserved so well that you can mentally recreate the original bright and warm color scheme.
"Venus and Cupid". Lucas Cranach the Elder, 1509
Cranach's masterpiece was a revolutionary step for the art of Germany at the beginning of the 16th century towards the monumental depiction of the nude and towards secular painting. For the first time in the north, a pagan goddess appears, painted full-length and naked. A narrow piece of transparent fabric rather emphasizes her nudity. What was natural for the Italians, the direct heirs of ancient art, seemed impossible for northern Protestants. But the artist, fascinated by the painting of the Italian Renaissance, was able to overcome the boundaries of strict Protestant morality.
The appearance of a melancholy-gloomy Venus with full sensual lips, heavy eyelids, a necklace emphasizing the whiteness of her skin, with loose hair, a strand of which falls onto her bare chest, is intended to affirm the fatal inevitability of such feelings as passion, lust, and the associated bitterness. Her right hand is patronizingly lowered towards little Cupid, who is pulling the bowstring, from whose well-aimed arrows no one can escape. The black background, against which the light, well-sculpted body of the goddess looks especially erotic, adds internal energy and expression to the image. Images of an erotic nature in Cranach's work were often supplied with edifying tests. IN in this case The epigram reads: “Drive away Cupid’s voluptuousness with all your might, otherwise Venus will take possession of your blinded soul.”
The Hermitage collection contains a copy of the famous painting by the greatest Venetian artist Titian, “Venus with Two Cupids in Front of a Mirror,” acquired in 1814 from the collection of Empress Josephine in the Malmaison Castle near Paris. The original painting was also kept in the Hermitage since 1850, however, in 1929–1934, when the USSR government authorized the sale of paintings from the Hermitage collection, “Venus” was purchased by the American collector and Minister of Finance of that period Andrew Mellon, after whose death it became part of the collection of the National art galleries in Washington, where it is kept to this day.
The painting depicts a beautiful half-naked Venus seated on a rich bed, with an embroidered and fur-trimmed cape lightly draped over her luxurious body. She involuntarily put her hand to her chest, as if surprised by the beauty she saw in the mirror supported by her faithful companions- cupids. The lively, warm color of the goddess’s body becomes the main organizing principle in the painting, which Titian sought in search of sonority and expressiveness of the texture of painting.
The fierce god of war, Mars, knelt before the naked goddess of love and beauty sitting next to him. With a gentle and careful movement of her left hand, Venus takes hold of the belt on which the god’s sword is suspended, and right hand touches the hilt of the sword, clearly intending to disarm Mars. Four putti are also busy appeasing the warlike god, taking away his military equipment: the first of them unties the spurs on the legs of Mars, the second rolls away his battle shield, the third removes the helmet from his head, and the fourth bridles the heated horse. Addressing the heroes ancient mythology, Rubens plays on an allegorical motif popular in the art of Western Europe since the Renaissance, personifying the idea of the omnipotence of love.
John Joshua Proby, who visited St. Petersburg in 1785–1787, ordered and presented to G. A. Potemkin the author’s repetition of the painting “Nymph and Cupid” that he had. A significant difference between the Hermitage version and the original is the absence of the snake lurking at the elbow of Venus, or the “nymph”, as the artist mentioned it, and which gave rise to the second name “Snake in the Grass”.
There is no reliable information about who served as the model for Venus. In the features of her face, partially hidden under the arm, which allows her to maintain anonymity, as well as in the plasticity of her figure, one can, if desired, see a resemblance to the scandalously famous beauty Emma Hart (Lady Hamilton), who willingly posed for Reynolds and George Romney in flirtatious and sometimes quite provocative poses. The painting was one of Reynolds's most popular and most frequently copied works, both during his lifetime and later.
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Ancient Greek mythology is familiar to each of us since childhood thanks to the school curriculum. Modern children read fascinating stories about the adventures of the gods living on Olympus no less than their parents and grandparents did. It is difficult to meet a person today who does not know who Zeus, Poseidon, Athena or Ares are. Most famous heroine ancient myths is Aphrodite - the goddess of love and beauty, the eternally young inhabitant of Olympus. The ancient Romans associated it with Venus.
Sphere of influence of the goddess
The Greeks considered Aphrodite the patroness of spring, flowering and fertility. They were sure that all the beauty that exists on the planet is the work of her hands. The lovers asked the goddess for her favor, hoping to preserve their feelings for the rest of their lives. She was praised by artists, poets and sculptors, glorifying beauty and love in their works. Aphrodite was treated as a goddess who preferred peace to war and life to death, so all those who dreamed of calm prosperity and deliverance from death turned to her. She was so powerful that not only ordinary people and animals, but also the inhabitants of Olympus obeyed her will. The only characters who were not affected by the charms of the beautiful goddess were Athena, Artemis and Hestia.
Appearance
According to ancient myths, Aphrodite was incredibly beautiful. The Greeks imagined her as tall, stately, with very delicate features. The goddess had long hair golden color that framed her head like a wreath. She was served by the Oras and Kharites, who patronized beauty and grace. They combed her golden locks and dressed her in the most beautiful clothes. When Aphrodite descended from Olympus, flowers bloomed and the sun began to shine brighter in the sky. Wild animals and the birds, unable to resist the incredible beauty of the goddess, ran to her from all sides, and she calmly walked on the ground surrounded by them.
Aphrodite is an ancient Greek goddess, famous for her romances both with her own kind and with ordinary people. She had the power to make many men fall in love with her. Being the wife of the ugly and lame god Hephaestus, the patron of fire and blacksmithing, she consoled herself by having affairs on the side. Without giving birth to a single child to her husband, she gave heirs to her other admirers. From her relationship with the god of war Ares, Aphrodite had 5 children (Deimos, Phobos, Eros, Anteros and Harmony). From her relationship with the patron of winemaking, Dionysus, she had a son, Priapus. The god of trade, Hermes, was also struck by the beauty of Aphrodite. She gave him a son, Hermaphrodite. Among her lovers were not only the powerful inhabitants of Olympus, but also mere mortals. So, having started an affair with the Dardanian king Anchises, Aphrodite gave birth to another son - the hero of the Trojan War Aeneas.
Aphrodite is a goddess who personified incredible eroticism and voluptuousness. Unlike ordinary women, she never allowed herself to become a victim of love. All her relationships occurred solely according to her will. She had no constancy in her relationships with men; she was always open to new feelings.
The story of the birth of the goddess of love and beauty
The myth about the goddess Aphrodite, which tells about her birth, is very interesting. According to ancient legend, the titan Kronos became very angry with his father Uranus (the patron of the sky), cut off his genitals with a sickle and threw them into the sea. The blood from the reproductive organs mixed with sea water, resulting in the formation of snow-white foam, from which the beautiful Aphrodite was born. The goddess of love was born near the Greek island of Cythera, then a light breeze carried her along the waves to Cyprus, where she came ashore (for this reason she is sometimes called Cypris). It is noteworthy that Aphrodite was never a child; she was born from the sea foam as a completely adult. Having ascended Olympus, the daughter of Uranus conquered all its inhabitants with her beauty.
There is another version of the birth of the ancient Greek goddess. According to her, Aphrodite's parents were the main Olympian god Zeus and the sea nymph Dione, and she was born on the very traditional way. The author of this version is the ancient Greek legendary poet Homer.
Character
Aphrodite is the goddess of Ancient Greece, who became the heroine of many ancient myths. Like any woman, she tends to be different. In some legends, Aphrodite is a magnanimous mistress of human lives, in others she is a capricious beauty, and in others she is a cruel arbiter of destinies, whose wrath cannot be avoided.
The Myth of Pygmalion
According to one legend, the talented artist Pygmalion once lived in Cyprus. He hated the fairer sex and lived as a hermit, not allowing himself to fall in love and start a family. One day he created an ivory statue of a woman of indescribable beauty. The sculpture was made very skillfully by the master, and it seemed that it was about to speak and move. Pygmalion could spend hours admiring the woman he created and did not notice how he fell in love with her. He whispered kind words to her, kissed her, gave her jewelry and clothes, but the statue remained motionless and mute. More than anything, Pygmalion wanted the beauty he created to come to life and reciprocate his feelings.
In the days when it was customary for the Greeks to venerate Aphrodite, Pygmalion made a rich sacrifice to her and asked her to send him as his wife a girl similar to the one he created from ivory. Almighty Aphrodite decided to take pity on the talented master: she revived the beautiful girl and instilled in her mutual feelings for her creator. Thus, the goddess rewarded Pygmalion for the sincere and devoted love that he felt for the statue.
The Story of Narcissus
The goddess of beauty Aphrodite was favorable only to those people who highly revered her. She mercilessly punished those who resisted her power and refused her gifts. This happened to the beautiful young man Narcissus, the son of a river god and a nymph. He was very handsome, and everyone who saw him immediately fell in love with him. But proud Narcissus did not reciprocate anyone's feelings.
Once upon a time, the nymph Echo fell in love with a handsome young man. However, Narcissus angrily rejected her, declaring that he would rather die than be with her forever. Failure also befell another nymph, who also had the imprudence to fall in love with him. Offended, she wished the proud Narcissus to experience unrequited love in order to understand how a rejected person feels. Aphrodite was very angry with the young man, because he neglected his beauty - a gift sent to him by the goddess. For his pride and coldness towards others, she decided to severely punish him.
While walking through the forest one day, Narcissus wanted to drink some water. Bending over a stream with clear clear water, he saw his reflection in it and fell passionately in love with it. His feelings were so strong that he stopped eating and sleeping. He thought about the beautiful young man constantly, however, seeing him in the water, he could not even touch him. And one day Narcissus realized that he had fallen in love with himself. This discovery made him feel even worse. Gradually, the handsome man’s strength left him; he realized that he was dying, but could not tear himself away from his reflection in the water. In suffering of his own accord, he died, and in the place of his death he grew up White flower with a fragrant aroma, which began to be called narcissus in his honor. This is how the young man paid to Aphrodite for his pride and neglect of the beauty given to him.
The sad story of Adonis
Aphrodite, who cruelly punished Narcissus, had to suffer from love and the unfavorability of fate herself. The Cypriot king had a son, Adonis. Although he was a mere mortal, he possessed divine beauty. One day Aphrodite saw him and fell madly in love with him. For the sake of Adonis, the goddess forgot about Olympus and all her affairs. Together with her lover, she hunted wild animals, and in their free time they rested on green grass. The goddess of beauty rarely left Adonis alone and every time asked him to take care of himself.
Once Adonis went hunting without Aphrodite, and his dogs were on the trail. big boar. The young man was delighted with such a prize and rushed at the beast with a spear. But he had no idea that this would be his last hunt. The boar turned out to be stronger than Adonis, he pounced on him and pierced him with his fangs. The lover of the goddess of beauty died from the wound he received.
Upon learning of the death of Adonis, Aphrodite began to mourn him greatly. Zeus the Thunderer, seeing how she was suffering, took pity on her and asked his brother, the god of the dead kingdom of Hades, to sometimes release the young man to the living. Since then, it has been like this: for six months Adonis comes to Aphrodite, and during this time everything in nature blooms, blooms and smells fragrant, and then he returns to the world of the dead, and the earth begins to flood with rain and snow - this is the golden-haired goddess yearning for her to the beloved.
Apple of discord
Aphrodite's favorite was the son of the king of Troy, Paris. The patroness of discord, Eris, decided to quarrel between the Greek goddesses and threw them Golden Apple with the inscription “To the most beautiful.” Aphrodite, Hera and Artemis noticed it and began to argue about who should get it. Paris was entrusted with judging the goddesses. Each of them tried to bribe the young man with all sorts of benefits. Aphrodite became the winner in this duel, promising to give him the most beautiful of earthly women as his wife. Having received the favor and support of the goddess of love, Paris overnight incurred the wrath of Hera and Artemis. The apple of discord served as the beginning of the Trojan War, because beautiful woman Elena was the wife of the Spartan king Menelaus. It was to her that Aphrodite ordered Paris to swim.
Eros and Hymen - assistants to the patroness of love and beauty
Although Aphrodite is a Greek goddess with great power, she could not do without helpers. One of them was her son Eros - a curly-haired boy flying over all lands and seas on his small wings. He had a small bow and a quiver of golden arrows. Whoever Eros shoots at will be overtaken by love.
The patron of marriage, Hymen, is another irreplaceable assistant to Aphrodite. He leads all wedding processions, flying ahead of the newlyweds on his white wings and lighting their way with a bright torch.
Attributes
The main symbol of the goddess Aphrodite is her belt. Anyone who wore it was endowed with extraordinary sexual attractiveness. We dreamed of getting it like simple women, and the goddesses who inhabited Olympus. In addition to the belt, Aphrodite had a cup made of pure gold filled with wine. Everyone who took a sip from it remained young forever. Rose, myrtle, and apple were also considered symbols of the goddess of love Aphrodite. Pigeons, sparrows, hares and poppies were identified with her as the patroness of fertility. Aphrodite also had sea symbols - a dolphin and a swan.
Famous ancient statues
Many sculptors were inspired to create masterpieces by the goddess Aphrodite. Photos of works of art presented in the article convey all the beauty and majesty of the patroness of love and beauty. In the works of some masters, the heroine of ancient myths is represented in the image of the Roman goddess Venus.
A famous ancient Greek statue dedicated to the goddess is Aphrodite of Cnidus (circa 350 BC, author - Praxiteles). In II Art. BC e. The sculptor Agesander created the figure of Venus de Milo, which is the embodiment of female beauty of the ancient period.
Goddess in paintings
The image of Aphrodite can be found in paintings written famous artists Renaissance. Titian painted the work “Venus and Adonis” (1553), the plot of which conveys the reverent feelings of the goddess for a simple mortal youth.
In the painting “Sleeping Venus,” painted by the Italian artist Giorgione approximately in 1505-1510, the patroness of love is depicted as a naked beauty resting against the backdrop of nature. The image of the ancient goddess created by the master became the personification ideal woman Renaissance.
Another work of art depicting Aphrodite is Sandro Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus” (1486). On it, the artist depicted the plot of an ancient legend, telling about the appearance of the majestic patroness of love and beauty from sea foam.
Thanks to works of art and Greek myths, it is possible to determine how the goddess Aphrodite was imagined by ancient people. Photos of sculptures and paintings depicting the golden-haired inhabitant of Olympus clearly convey her beauty, which even today inspires many artists to create new masterpieces.
Aphrodite (Greek Ἀφροδίτη) is the goddess of love, beauty and passion. According to numerous myths, she was born from foam in the waters of Paphos, on the island of Cyprus, after the reproductive organ of Uranus was thrown into the sea by his son Kronos. However, according to other legends, Aphrodite is the daughter of Thalassa (the personification of the sea) and Uranus, and in another interpretation, the daughter of Dione and Zeus.
In Rome, Aphrodite was revered under the name of Venus. Aphrodite, like other gods of the Pantheon, protects some characters in mythology. But her protection extended to people who had a strongly expressed sensual sphere - love and beauty - the attributes of Aphrodite.
One of the most famous heroes who earned Aphrodite's favor was the sculptor Pygmalion, from the island of Cyprus, who fell in love with the statue he created. The statue embodied the features of an ideal woman. Pygmalion decided to live in celibacy in Cyprus, avoiding the licentious courtesan morals of Cypriot women.
Aphrodite, feeling sorry for the artist, one day followed Pygmalion’s request to save him from loneliness and turned the statue he created into a beautiful woman, whom Pygmalion married.
And nine months later, Pygmalion and Galatea had a daughter named Paphos, who gave the name to the island. In addition to protecting loving hearts, the goddess protected her family members.
Aphrodite gave beauty to the Coronides, the two daughters of Orion, after the death of their mother. She also took care of the orphaned daughter of Pandareus, the favorite of Demeter, who tried to rob the temple of Zeus on Crete and was turned to stone by the gods.
His daughters, Cleodora and Merope, who also grew up without a mother, received the protection of Aphrodite, who raised and cared for them.
However, when to ask for happy marriage for girls, they were overcome by the Furies.
Adonis
One day, when Aphrodite and her son Eros were hugging, one of Eros' arrows wounded her.
Aphrodite thought there was nothing dangerous about it. But when she saw a mortal youth named Adonis, she fell in love with him. However, Persephone also loved him. There was a dispute between the goddesses, and Zeus found a solution.
Adonis spends a third of the year with Aphrodite, a third with Persephone, and another third with the one he chooses. Adonis was later mortally wounded by a wild boar, which was sent by Apollo out of revenge for Aphrodite, who blinded his son, Erymanthus.
Aphrodite bitterly mourns Adonis and turns him into a flower from the genus of anemones, sprinkling him with the nectar of shed blood. Beroe became their common child with Adonis (Aphrodite turned her into the goddess of the city).
Trojan War
It began with the deeds of Aphrodite. This happened when Aphrodite told Paris that she would grant him true love Helen, if he gives Aphrodite the title of the most beautiful goddess.
Paris chose Aphrodite, which caused a war between the gods. In addition, Helen was already married to the ruler of Sparta. Paris and Helen fell in love and their forbidden affair led to war between the Trojans and the Greeks.
Marriage to Hephaestus
According to the mythological version of the story of Aphrodite, due to the goddess's unmatched beauty, Zeus was afraid that the other gods would start fighting and arguing with each other. To avoid this, he forced Aphrodite to marry the blacksmith Hephaestus, who was lame and ugly.
According to another version of the story, Hera (Hephaestus’s mother) threw the child from Mount Olympus, believing that ugly people should not live with the gods. He took revenge on his mother by creating a throne of heavenly beauty that captured her. In exchange for his release, Hephaestus asked the gods of Olympus for the hand of Aphrodite.
Hephaestus successfully married the goddess of beauty and forged her with his beautiful jewelry, including the cestus, a golden belt that made her more irresistible to men. Aphrodite's dissatisfaction with this arranged marriage leads her to seek suitable lovers, most often Ares.
According to legend, one day the sun god Helios noticed Ares and Aphrodite secretly enjoying each other in the house of Hephaestus, and quickly informed the Olympian husband of Aphrodite about this.
Hephaestus wanted to catch the illicit lovers and therefore made a special thin and durable network of diamonds. At the right moment, this net was thrown over Aphrodite, who froze in a passionate embrace. But Hephaestus was not satisfied with his revenge - he invited the gods and goddesses of Olympus to see the unhappy couple.
Some commented on Aphrodite's beauty, others eagerly expressed their wish to be in Ares' shoes, but everyone mocked and laughed at them. Once the embarrassed couple were freed, Ares fled to his homeland of Thrace, while Aphrodite retired to Paphos in Cyprus.
After the destruction of Troy, Aphrodite asked her son, Aeneas, to take his father and wife and leave Troy. Aeneas did as his mother told him and traveled across the Mediterranean to reach the Italian peninsula, where his descendants built Rome.
This is stated in Virgil's epic poem "Aeneid", which became a pinnacle in Latin literature.
In Roman epic, Venus (in the Greek version Aphrodite) is now considered the guardian goddess of Rome. One myth tells how when Juno (or Hera) tried to open the doors of Rome to an invading army, Venus sought to thwart her plans with a flood.
Lovers
The most important names associated with the love affairs of the goddess Aphrodite, like Ares and Adonis, revolve around the story of Aphrodite's main enemy, Hero, who harbors hatred for her.
When Hera found out that Aphrodite was pregnant by Zeus, she sent a curse on her stomach, which is why the child was born deformed - Priapus. But other myths say that Priapus is the son of Dionysus or Adonis.
Aphrodite's other lovers are Hephaestus, Dionysus (with whom she had a brief love affair), Hermes (from whose relationship Hermaphrodite appeared) and Poseidon.
Poseidon had children Rod and Herophilus.
Aphrodite's longest romance was with Ares from the Iliad. They had seven children, the most famous of which are Phobos, Deimos, Harmony and Eros, although most myths depict Aphrodite giving birth to Eros. Among her mortal lovers, the most famous was Adonis, who was considered her great love and from whom the children Golgos and Beroya were born, who gave the name to the Lebanese capital.
Anchises, Prince of Troy, was another famous love, and some versions of the myth say that Aphrodite fell in love with him as punishment from Zeus for making the gods fall in love with mortal women. With Anchises, Aphrodite had children Aeneas and Lyros, and soon after that her passion for Anchises disappeared.
Other lesser-known mortal lovers include Phaeton from Athens, who took care of the temple of Aphrodite, and as a result of their love affair, Astynous was born.
Butes, one of the Argonauts, was rescued by Aphrodite, who took him to a separate island, where they made love (Erix appeared as a result of this relationship).
There is also Daimon (personification of desire), Aphrodite's constant companion, who was seen in some myths as the daughter of the goddess. However, the authors of this myth do not say who her father is.
Sphere of Control
Aphrodite is the goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, desire, sexuality. Even though she is only the goddess of love and beauty, she is one of the most powerful Olympians because she controls appearance, love and sexual desire.
At the beginning of the formation of Rome, she was considered the goddess of vegetation. The goddess protected gardens and vineyards, but after the Romans became acquainted with Greek legends, they realized that she should not be a deity Agriculture. While the Greeks saw Aphrodite as a proud and vain goddess of beauty, the Romans saw her as a supreme deity providing nourishment for her people.
Lusiads
Venus (Aphrodite) is introduced in the poem "The Lusiads" by the writer Luis de Camões, who tells the history of Portugal. The Portuguese patron goddess turns into Venus, who sees in the Portuguese the heirs of the Romans she loved and knew.
Camões was a passionate man who also celebrated love in his lyrics, and this may be why he chose a Roman goddess who felt the need to patronize the Portuguese. Venus asks Jupiter to protect the people she patronizes from the machinations of Dionysus. The King of the Gods agrees and gathers a council of the gods.
Personality and appearance
Aphrodite is a vain goddess, proud of her appearance and despising ugliness. She is arrogant and jealous. Aphrodite is also unfaithful and had relationships with many gods such as Ares, Poseidon, Hermes and Dionysus. She can make anyone fall in love with anyone, and even Zeus with his power is not immune to this. She has great power over lust. She is often depicted as a beautiful young woman taking off her clothes.
Aphrodite (Anadyomene, Astarte, Venus, Ishtar, Ishtar, Cypris, Cameo, Millita) - the goddess of beauty and love, sky, wind and sea.
The golden and eternally young Aphrodite (Venus), who lives on Olympus, is considered the goddess of the sky and sea, sends rain to the earth, as well as the goddess of love, personifying divine beauty and unfading youth.
Aphrodite is considered the most beautiful of all the goddesses of Olympus and remains there forever.
Forever young girl, tall and slender, with pearly white skin and deep dark blue eyes. Aphrodite's face with delicate features is framed by a soft wave of long curly golden hair, adorned with a shining diadem and a wreath of fragrant flowers, like a crown lying on her beautiful head - no one can compare in beauty to the most beautiful of all goddesses and mortals.
The goddess Aphrodite is dressed in flowing thin fragrant gold-woven clothes, spreads fragrance upon her appearance, and where her beautiful legs step, the Goddesses of Beauty (Ora) and the Goddess of Grace (Charita) accompany Aphrodite everywhere, entertain and serve her.
Wild animals and birds are not at all afraid of the radiant goddess, they meekly caress her and sing songs to her. Aphrodite travels on birds: swans, geese, pigeons or sparrows - the light wings of birds quickly carry the goddess from place to place.
The goddess of love and beauty, sea and sky - Aphrodite gives happiness to those who serve her: she gave life to a beautiful statue of a girl with whom Pygmalion fell endlessly in love. But she also punishes those who reject her gifts: this is how she cruelly punished Narcissus, who fell in love with his reflection in a transparent forest stream and died of melancholy.
The golden apple from the distant gardens of the Herespides is a symbol of Aphrodite, which she received as confirmation of her beauty from the mountain shepherd Paris (son of the king of the great Troy), who recognized Aphrodite as the most beautiful, more beautiful than Hera (the wife of her uncle Zeus) and Athena (the sister of Zeus).
As a reward for his choice, Paris received the help of the goddess in conquering the most beautiful of mortals - Helen (daughter of Zeus and his beloved Leda, wife of the king of Sparta Minelaus) and constant support in all his endeavors.
The daughter of her parents - the goddess of the sea and sky - windy Aphrodite with her unearthly beauty awakens love in hearts and love passion, and therefore reigns over the world. Any appearance of Aphrodite in fragrant clothes makes the sun shine brighter and bloom more magnificently.
Aphrodite lives on Olympus, sits on a rich golden throne forged by Hephaestus himself, and loves to comb her lush curls with a golden comb. Golden furniture stands in her divine home. Only love is created by the beautiful goddess, without touching any work with her hands at all.
Birth of Afordita
The story of the birth of the goddess of love and beauty has several true versions, as well as answers to the question about the reasons for the emergence of a feeling of love between people on Earth.
Aphrodite - daughter of Uranus
Beloved and last daughter god of the sky Uranus - Aphrodite was born near the island of Cythera from snow-white foam sea waves. A light, caressing breeze brought her to the island of Cyprus.
Sea foam was formed from the mixing of the blood of Uranus, which fell into salty waters Aegean Sea during the battle between the sky god Uranus and the titan son the insidious Kronos (Kronos, Chronos) - the god of agriculture and time.
This story of Aphrodite's birth suggests her virgin conception from a single father.
Aphrodite - daughter of Kron
According to the Orphics, sea foam was formed from the blood of Cronus himself during his bloody battle with his son Zeus - the god of thunder and lightning - for power in the sky.
Therefore, Aphrodite may be the last and beloved daughter of the god of agriculture and time, Kronos (Kronos, Chronos).
According to these two versions, we can conclude that love appears as a result of struggle, it arises just like that...
Aphrodite - daughter of Zeus and Dione
According to Greek mythology Aphrodite is the daughter of the thunderer Zeus and his beloved Dione (goddess of rain), who came into the world as a pearl from a mother-of-pearl shell.
Zeus is the son of Cronus (Cronus, Chronos), that is, Aphrodite for him can be a half-sister (if she is the daughter of Cronus) or an aunt (if she is the daughter of Uranus and the half-sister of Cronus).
When did love begin?
Wherever Aphrodite stepped, flowers grew magnificently. The whole air was full of fragrance. Having set foot on the island of Cyprus, young Aphrodite ascended to Olympus and began to help gods and mortals in matters of love and passion.
Love of Aphrodite and Adonis
Adonis (Adon, Dionysus, Tammuz) - the son of the king of the island of Crete named Minir and his daughter Mirra, who secretly sinned with her father without his knowledge and was forced to leave Cyprus.
Adonis is a wonderful man, but not a god, because he was born from mere mortals, although with the help of the gods.
The gods took pity on Myrrh and turned her into a “myrrh” tree with fragrant resin. From the trunk of the myrrh tree, with the help of the goddess Aphrodite, the baby Adonis appeared, who “was reputed to be the most beautiful of babies.”
Aphrodite instantly fell in love with him at first sight and hid the baby with a golden casket, and then handed it over to Persephone (the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, and the goddess of the underworld) to the kingdom of the invisible god Hades (Pluto), who also immediately fell in love with the beautiful boy and did not want to let go him back to earth.
Having matured, Adonis turned into a beautiful young man and none of the mortals was equal to him in beauty, he was even more beautiful than the Olympian gods. Two beautiful goddesses began to argue for the right to spend their time with Adonis and came to Zeus, and Zeus sent them to his daughter, the muse of science and poetry, Euterpe, who was more knowledgeable in matters of love.
The muse of science and poetry, Euterpe, on behalf of her father Zeus, decided that the young man would spend a third of the year with Aphrodite, the second third with Persephone, and the third at his own request.
Aphrodite abandoned her husband, the god of war Ares, for the sake of her beloved Adonis (the son of Zeus and her half-brother, according to the Greek version), the goddess forgot the shining Olympus, and the flowering islands of Patmos, Cythera, Paphos, Cnidus, Amafunts - she spent all her time with young Adonis , and only he began to matter to her.
Many gods sought her love: Hermes - the god of trade, Poseidon - the god of the ocean, and the formidable Ares tried to return his wife, but she loved only Adonis and lived only in thoughts of him.
Athena's first husband, the blacksmith Hephaestus (the son of Gaia and Zeus), with a wide torso and strong arms, forged a divine belt for his beautiful wife, thanks to which any man, both god and mortal, went crazy with passion and love. After parting with Hephaestus, the magic belt remained with Aphrodite. The beautiful Aphrodite constantly wore her belt to meetings with her beloved Adonis, so that he forgot the goddess Persephone and completely stopped going to the underworld of her husband Hades.
Every morning Aphrodite opened her beautiful blue eyes with the thought of her lover and every evening, falling asleep, she thought about him. Aphrodite always strived to be close to her lover, so she shared many of her dear friend’s hobbies.
Hunt of Adonis
Adonis and Aphrodite were hunting in Lebanese mountains and in the forests of Cyprus, Aphrodite forgot about her gold jewelry, about her beauty, but she remained no less beautiful even in a man’s suit, shooting from a bow, like the slender goddess of the hunt, the moon and happy marriage Artemis (Diana), and setting their dogs on flattering beasts and animals.
Under the scorching rays of the hot sun and in bad weather, she hunted hares, shy deer and chamois, avoiding hunting formidable lions and wild boars. And she asked Adonis to avoid the dangers of hunting lions, bears and boars, so that no misfortune would happen to him. The goddess rarely left the king's son, and every time she left him, she begged him to remember her requests.
One day, in the absence of Aphrodite, Adonis got bored and decided to go hunting to have fun. The dogs of Adonis attacked the trail of a huge old and fearless boar (boar or wild pig) weighing under 200 kilograms and almost two (!) meters long. The dogs, barking furiously, raised the animal from the hole where he was sleeping sweetly, quietly grunting after a glorious breakfast, and drove him through the dense forest among bushes and trees.
The young handsome man died for a reason; there are several versions about those responsible for his death. The god of war and discord, Ares, abandoned by Aphrodite, or Persephone (wife of Hades and goddess of the kingdom of the dead), rejected by Adonis, or angered by the murder of her beloved doe Artemis (Diana), the mistress of all animals on the island of Crete, could turn into a boar.
Hearing the animated barking, Adonis rejoiced at the long-awaited entertainment and rich booty. He forgot all the pleas and requests of his beautiful friend and did not have a presentiment that this was his last hunt.
In excitement, Adonis began to urge his horse on and quickly galloped through the sunny forest to where loud barking could be heard. The barking of dogs was getting closer, and now a huge boar flashed among the bushes. The dogs of Adonis surrounded the huge beast and, growling, grabbed its thick, tarred skin with their teeth.
Adonis is already preparing to pierce the angry boar with his heavy spear, raising it above the beast and choosing the best place for striking among the armor (“kalkan”) made of resin and wool of an adult animal. The young hunter hesitated with his blow, the dogs could not restrain the strong fearless beast, and a huge boar, very angry and irritated, rushed at Adonis sudden awakening and a quick run through the forest.
Before young Adonis had time to jump away from the fast, evil beast, the “lone boar” mortally wounded Aphrodite’s favorite with its huge tusks, tearing the arteries on his beautiful thigh.
A handsome young man fell from his horse among tall trees and his blood irrigated the wet ground from a terrible laceration. A few minutes later, the fearless and courageous Adonis died from loss of blood, and the trees rustled their leaves over his bright head.
Aphrodite's sadness and the appearance of the rose
When Aphrodite learned about the death of Adonis, then, full of inexpressible grief, she herself went to the mountains of Cyprus to look for the body of her beloved young man. Aphrodite walked along steep mountain rapids, among dark gorges, along the edges of deep abysses.
Sharp stones and thorns wounded the tender feet of the goddess. Drops of her blood fell to the ground, leaving a trail wherever the goddess passed. And where drops of blood fell from the wounded feet of the goddess, Aphrodite was everywhere. Therefore, the red scarlet rose is considered a symbol of eternal love at all times.
Finally, Aphrodite found the body of Adonis. She wept bitterly over the beautiful young man who died early, hiding his body for a long time in the thickets of lettuce, which to this day brings tears to everyone who touches him.
In order to preserve the memory of him forever, with the help of nectar, the goddess grew from the blood of Adonis a delicate blood-colored anemone - a flower of the wind, similar to red