Exploring the Myth of Aphrodite: Goddess of Love

One goddess with whom almost everyone is familiar is Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, beauty, and sexual desire. But where Aphrodite came from remains a matter of great debate.

Some believe that she was formed from seafoam, fully-grown, a nubile young beauty who simply bypassed childhood altogether. Others, however, say she was the daughter of Zeus and Dione or Zeus and Thalassa. This seems to make some sense, because Zeus was constantly scolding and punishing her as a father might do with his child.

Aphrodite was a handful to say the least. All men desired her and Zeus was afraid that she would create havoc among the gods, with all of them vying for her hand in marriage. To avoid this, he promised her to Hephaestus, blacksmith of the gods.

The pairing was not popular with Aphrodite who was mischievous, glamorous, and every bit a party girl. She couldn't imagine life tied to a rather unattractive, dirty, god who she would see very little of since he was always working. So Aphrodite learned how play behind her husband's back.

By all accounts, Hephaetus was a loving husband at first, but he eventually felt the angry sting of jealousy. Trying desperately to hold on to his prize, he used every ounce of his considerable skills to make Aphrodite the very best jewelry and accessories. He even made her a girdle of pure gold, which was a bit of mistake. For when she wore it, no man could resist her. The problem was, men didn't do much resisting of her charms in the first place.

Aphrodite's lovers were numerous and included both gods and mortals. They included:

Adonis. Originally meant to be a punishment against Myrrah, for her disdain of Aphrodite, the resulting child Adonis was so beautiful that the goddess fell immediately in love with him. She gave the baby to Persophone to protect and raise but the queen of the underworld also fell for the young man.