#anchises

Aphrodite, Cupid and Ares; Lambert Sustris, 1548-1550

Aphrodite; also known as Cytherea (Lady of Cythera) and Cypris (Lady of Cyprus.)

Origin: Greek mythology.

Goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation.
Roman equivalent is goddess Venus.

Abode: Mount Olympus.

Symbol: Dolphin, Rose, Scallop Shell, Myrtle, Dove, Sparrow, Girdle, Mirror and Swan, the Sea, pomegranates, sceptres, apples, Rose trees, lime trees, clams, and pearls.

Lovers: Hephaestus, Ares, Poseidon, Hermes, Dionysus, Adonis and Anchises.

Parents: Zeus and Dione.

Siblings: Ares, Athena, Apollo, Artemis Dionysus, Hebe, Hermes, Heracles, Helen of Troy, Hephaestus, Perseus, Minos, the Muses, the Graces, The Tree Nymphs, The Furies and the Gigantes.

Children: Eros, Phobos, Deimos, Harmonia, Pothos, Anteros, Himeros, Hermaphroditos, Rhode, Eryx, Peitho, Eunomia, The Graces, Priapus, Aeneas and Tyche (possibly.)

Like many of the Greek gods and goddesses, there is more than one story about her origins. According to Hesiod’s Theogony, she was born when Cronus cut off Uranus’s genitals and threw them into the sea, and she arose from the sea foam. According to Homer’s Iliad, she is the daughter of Zeus and Dione. According to Plato (Symposium 180e), the two were entirely separate entities: Aphrodite Ourania and Aphrodite Pandemos.

Due to her beauty, other gods feared that their rivalry over her would interrupt the peace among them and lead to war, so Zeus married her to Hephaestus, who, because of his ugliness and deformity, was not seen as a threat.

She played a role in the Eros and Psyche legend, and later was both Adonis’ lover and his surrogate mother. Many lesser beings were said to be children of Aphrodite.

Ancient Greeks identified her with the Ancient Egyptian goddess Hathor.

Other names: Acidalia, Cytherea and Cerigo.