Premium Essay

Aphrodite: The Greek Mythology

Submitted By
Words 811
Pages 4
Mythology is a collection or study of myths.While greek mythology is the body of myths and the teaching of the greek gods, their history, and significance. Although Aphrodite is known as the goddess of love and beauty, she is also known for her act of destruction and a myth in influence on modern world.

Aphrodite's general background can consist of her birth, family, where she came from, her love life and the type of goddess she is. Aphrodite's birth has two stories to it. The first story was Uranus's son Cronus, a titan, had chopped off Uranus's sex organs and threw them into the sea. Shortly after Aphrodite had emerged.(Wickersham) "Her name comes from Aphros, the Greek word for foam."(Wickersham) The other story is that she had simply came …show more content…
The first is that she belongs in the timeline with the Gods before Zeus. While the second theory is that she was simply placed underneath the authority of Zeus himself.(pirenne-Delforge407) Aphrodite had many lovers in her life but her spouse was Hephaestus or the god of metal working.(Wickersham) But had proven to be unfaithful various time with Ares, Hermes, Dionysos and Adonis.During her marriage Aphrodite had loved Ares so when Hephaestus discovered this he came up with a scheme. He had caught the pair in bed he then embarrassed the guilty pair by showing and inviting the other gods to see. While having these affairs she had some children as well from the others Gods. Ares had two children from Aphrodite they were Deimos which was terror and Phobos which was fear. Her other child was Eryx who was the son of Poseidon. Aphrodite also had another child named …show more content…
It had started when Eris had thrown the apple of discord, which is where it had all started.It was said you ever got it was shown to be the fairest of them. The apple had been caught between Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena. They had gone to Zeus so he could declare who was the one but he had denied them an answer. He then sent them off to Paris to decided. That's when the three goddess had started to bribe him. Hera had told him he could be the lord of Europe and Asia. Athena had then offered him to be an amazing military leader and to charge and attack Greece. Lastly Aphrodite had offered him to have the most beautiful wife there is. After hearing all three choices Paris had chose Aphrodite's offer. After hearing this the other two goddess were now against him. The goddess who had proven to have the most beauty was Helen. But Helen was also the wife of Menelaus or other wise known as the King of Sparta. Soon after Paris when to go get Helen and on the way he took some of Menelaus' money as well. And in the end the two had battled long and hard for what they thought was

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

The Creation Of Aphrodite In Ancient Greek Mythology

...In Ancient Greece, people had believed in immortals as gods like monsters and heros. One of them was called Aphrodite which is the goddess of love , beauty and sexual rapture. Although Aphrodite was beautiful she was married to one of the ugliest and least popular gods Hephaestus, she was married to him by her father.(“Aphrodite”) Aphrodite was one of the goddess from ancient greek, she was born in water of Paphos in the island of Cyprus when her father Cronus threw his severed genitals into the ocean which Aphrodite rose from and was carried either from Cyprus or Cythera.Homer calls her daughter of zeus and Dione. After Aphrodite was born she was born beautiful which Zeus believed that all the gods would fight for her and end in destruction....

Words: 328 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Aphrodite: Goddess of Love

...Aphrodite: goddess of love I am a big fan of the movie Troy and so many more movies around the 13th BC. I also can’t deny that Brat Pitt is another factor why I like that movie so much. I know the very basic details about the tragic story of Troy. I didn’t know that one of the famous goddess was also involved in this historical event. I only know about this piece of information while researching about all the goddesses in the Greek Mythology. Who was it that helped Paris in kidnapping Helen? In this short paper, I will talk about Aphrodite, goddess or beauty, love, and fertility. Frist of all, most of gods and goddesses had multiple incredible stories about how they were born. Aphrodite is no different. The most popular version of her birth is how she were form from the sea-foam after the genital of the sky-god Ouranos got castrated and fell into the ocean. "Out of the sea was rising lovely-crowned Kypris, foam-blossoms still upon her hair; and round her hovered smiling witchingly Himeros (Desire), and danced the Kharites (Graces) lovely-tressed"( Quintus Smyrnaeus, Fall of Troy 5. 72 ff (trans. Way) (Greek epic C4th A.D.), "STORIES OF APHRODITE 1 : Greek Mythology." STORIES OF APHRODITE 1: Greek Mythology. Web. 21 Mar. 2015. .) Another version is Aphrodite is the daughter of Zeus and Okeanis Titanis Dione. We all love the first version of her story much better because it sounded a lot more unbelievable and almost impossible. It is mythology after all, the more...

Words: 897 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Aphrodite: The Well-Known Greek Goddess Of Love

...Aphrodite is the well known goddess of love, beauty and procreation. She is identified with the planet Venus (Greek Goddess Aphrodite). In the picture above, she is shown with her son, Eros; like in most of his artwork, he is in the sky holding his bow and arrow. There are numerous myths telling of her proclaiming love and beauty. Aphrodite is not only the most powerful above both mortals and immortals, but she also represents the love between the two. According to Homer's Iliad, Aphrodite was the daughter of Zeus, god of the sky and Olympian of all the gods. Her mother, Dione, was known as the mother of the Roman goddess of love (By Dione He [Zeus] Had Aphrodite). However, in Myths Encyclopedia, it is said that Aphrodite was, “Born from the foam of the sea”. This myth is believed by many, because her name, Aphrodite or Aphros, is the Greek word which means foam. As oddly as it seems, legends say that Titan Cronus castrated Uranus, his father, throwing his genitals into...

Words: 712 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Greek Mythogly

...The Greek Mythology The Greek Mythology has a lot of tributes, but who do you think is going to win? I think that Aphrodite will win because Aphrodite is the goddess of love, desire, and beauty. Her natural gifts are a magical girdle that compels anyone she wishes to desire her. Aphrodite is the wife of Hephaestus. Her favorite lover is the god of war, Ares. She represented the attraction that binds people together. Aphrodite’s roman name was Venus. Aphrodite lived on the Mount Olympus. Aphrodite Hera, Queen of Olympus, took Paris aside and told him that she would help him rule the world. Athena, goddess of war, said that she would make him successful in the battle. Aphrodite ranged Paris up and she decided he would be more fascinated with the guaranteed love of the most beautiful woman in the world. Aphrodite was represented a beautiful woman. Aphrodite’s sacred animal was the dove. The Greeks were not the first to name a goddess of love and worship her with a cult. Aphrodite’s power was revealed in her actions toward both her faithful followers and those who incited her anger. Aphrodite was a very old goddess from other lands, surrounded by the active Greek gods, she was forced in the weaken role. Many statues of Aphrodite were also created. The most celebrated statue was carved by Praxiteles. Aphrodite’s statue has never been found by archaeologists. Do you know what the most famous known carving is? Well, it is called, Aphrodite of Melos. In other words, Venus de Milo...

Words: 394 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Polytheism

...Polytheism Ancient Greek theology was based on polytheism, the beliefs in many Gods and Goddesses. Breaking the word down, “poly” comes from the Greek word for “many,” and “theism” from the Greek word for “God.” These divine entities tend to distinguish particular functions, and often took on human characteristics. The gods acted like humans, and had human voices. They would interact with humans, sometimes even spawning children with them. Even though the Gods were immortal, nor some of them are not all powerful. Fate is what they had to obey, which overrode all. The number of the deities would expand as the culture’s belief system developed. The Greek Gods/Goddesses directly took on human activities. The divine entities would also take on human form and personality. Man learned to accept or fear the powers of nature, such as the deities. Humans tended to see the divine entities as storms, seasons, the sun, and the moon as personal beings. However the earliest humans believed the main deities were An, Enlil, Enki, and Ninhursaga. In ancient Greece there were twelve deities that sat on top of Mount Olympus: Hermes, Poseidon, Apollo, Artemis, Hephaestus, Ares, Athena, Demeter, Aphrodite, Hestia, Hera, and Zeus, king of the gods. Under them sat Zeus' brother Hades, king of the underworld. Since its miraculous beginning in mainland Greece around 1800-1500 BCE, when Poseidon was the chief God and not Zeus, the deities were worshiped wherever Greeks lived or had a concept...

Words: 1334 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Greek Gods Research Paper

...Angelica Avalos Mrs. Cox English 14 May 2018 Greek Gods Three important gods that are known in Greek mythology would be Poseidon, Aphrodite, and Hera. The first god I talk about is known to the people who would know about Greek mythology. My second god is probably not considered to be known or thought of when they here about Greek gods. My last god is mostly the same as my second on how she is not really noticed as other more famous gods are noticed. But of course to me these gods are important to know because in some stories they have a big impact with it. My first god that I will be talking about is Poseidon which everybody should know about. Even if they do not know they probably heard of the name or even seen movies to know who he is....

Words: 577 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Power Structures in Greek History

...Name] [Tutor’s Name] [Class] 03 August 2010 Power Structures in Greco-Roman Mythology: The Power and the Powerless of Women Introduction Greco-Roman mythology is rich in names, characters, and events. Dozens of gods, goddesses, and mortal women and men participate in a variety of activities that reflect or exemplify behaviors and power relations in Greek and Roman societies. A wealth of literature was written about the relationships between mortals and immortals in Greco-Roman mythology. Much was written and said about the place humans occupy in the complex mythical hierarchies. However, the role and place of women remain the topic of the hot literary debate. In Greco-Roman mythology, the image of woman is always accompanied by the image of slave. Slavery connotations reflect the basic norms of patriarchy that dominated Greek and Roman societies. Like slaves, women were often excluded from the public life and were destined to carry the burden of male discrimination on their shoulders. It would be fair to say, that in Greco-Roman mythology, women (both mortal and immortal) reflect and exemplify the two radical sides of femininity – female subordination and submissiveness to male power, and female rage and monstrousness as a rebel against the existing power and social order in their society. Greco-Roman mythology is an excellent source of knowledge about power relations between men and women. Greek and Roman myths provide abundant information about the place women occupied...

Words: 1780 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Athena: Goddess of War

...fantastical birth, her decision to remain chaste and her semi-feud with Aphrodite. T he first thing I noticed about the infamous goddess of wisdom was her undeniable beauty. Her very essence had fascinated me for years. The fact that she remained faithful to herself and her beliefs as well as the fact that she wielded her power with such grace and elegance made her my favourite deity by far. Goddess: Let’s start out first with your incredible birth. Unlike any other mortal or immortal, you were born from your father’s head. Do you think that gave you a closer relationship with him? Athena: [Nods] Certainly. I never knew my mother. He was everything to me. I believe the fact that I was born from his head allowed my father to feel a closer connection to me than any of my many other siblings. That being said, my father did initially swallow my mother, Metis, to prevent my birth. [Laughs] “I never knew my mother. He was everything to me. I believe the fact that I was born from his head allowed my father to feel a closer connection to me than any of my many other siblings.” Goddess: [chuckles uncomfortably] Speaking of your siblings, it has been said that you weren’t too fond of Aphrodite and in fact you had quite an aversion towards her. Athena: Ah, Aphrodite. My sister and my polar opposite. Of course there was tension. She stood for everything I fought against. I believed in justice and equality while Aphrodite pursued frivolity...

Words: 1544 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Mythology Lesson Plan

...From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia In the ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, the Twelve Olympians are the major deities of the Greek pantheon, commonly considered to be Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Hermes, and either Hestia or Dionysus.[1] Hades and Persephone were sometimes included as part of the twelve Olympians (primarily due to the influence of the Eleusinian Mysteries), although in general Hades was excluded, because he resided permanently in the underworld and never visited Olympus. Contents 1 Concept 2 Membership 3 List 3.1 The major Olympians 3.2 Other Olympians 3.3 Minor residents of Mount Olympus 4 Genealogy 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References Concept The Twelve Olympians, also known as the Dodekatheon (Greek: Δωδεκάθεον from δώδεκα,[3][4] dōdeka, "twelve" and θεοί, theoi, "gods"), were the principal deities of the Greek pantheon, said to reside atop Mount Olympus. The Olympians gained their supremacy in a war of gods in which Zeus led his siblings to victory over the Titans. Fragment of a Hellenistic relief (1st century BC – 1st century AD) The concept of the "Twelve Gods" is older than depicting the Twelve Olympians carrying their attributes in any extant Greek or Roman sources.[5] The procession; from left to right, Hestia (scepter), Hermes (winged cap gods meet in council in the Homeric epics, but and staff), Aphrodite (veiled), Ares (helmet and spear), Demeter the first ancient reference to religious ...

Words: 3807 - Pages: 16

Free Essay

Who Is Aeneas and How Does He Connect Homer (Iliad) to Roman Mythology

...Who is Aeneas and how does he connect Homer (Iliad) to Roman Mythology The Story of Aeneas has been the basis of Roman Literature. He is portrayed and often referred to as the first Hero of Rome. But who is Aeneas? Aeneas was a nobleman and a demigod as well (Demigod is a mythological being who is partly divine and partly human). His father was Anchises, a member of the Trojan Royal Family. His mother was Aphrodite, the goddess of love, beauty and pleasure, who is also known as Venus in roman Literature. Aphrodite was intrigued by Anchises when she saw him on the hills of Mount Ida that she seduced him and decided to bear his son, Aeneas. Aeneas was raise by nymphs until he was sent to live with his father at a young age (5 in roman mythology, 10 in Greek Mythology). Anchises was sworn to secrecy about his son being a demi god however he decided to break this promise, and after doing so, Anchises was struck by lightning and left blind as a punishment. As the Greeks invaded Troy, Aeneas is seen as being hesitant and not joining the war immediately. As Roman mythology states, Aeneas joined the war after the Greeks stole his cattle. Another reason why Aeneas did not join the war immediately was a personal conflict he had with King Priam of Troy. Aeneas did not receive the appropriate glory for being a member of the royal family, and had a dispute with Priam about this. Aeneas later on married Creusa, who was the daughter of Priam, where they had a son named Ascanius. As the...

Words: 854 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

The Trojan War

...Trojan War In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans (Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus king of Sparta. The war is one of the most important events in Greek mythology and has been narrated through many works of Greek literature, most notably through Homer's Iliad. The Iliad relates a part of the last year of the siege of Troy; its sequel, the Odyssey describes Odysseus's journey home. Other parts of the war are described in a cycle of epic poems, which have survived through fragments. Episodes from the war provided material for Greek tragedy and other works of Greek literature, and for Roman poets including Virgil and Ovid. The war originated from a quarrel between the goddesses Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite, after Eris, the goddess of strife and discord, gave them a golden apple, sometimes known as the Apple of Discord, marked "for the fairest". Zeus sent the goddesses to Paris, who judged that Aphrodite, as the "fairest", should receive the apple. In exchange, Aphrodite made Helen, the most beautiful of all women and wife of Menelaus, fall in love with Paris, who took her to Troy. Agamemnon, king of Mycenae and the brother of Helen's husband Menelaus, led an expedition of Achaean troops to Troy and besieged the city for ten years because of Paris' insult. After the deaths of many heroes, including the Achaeans Achilles and Ajax, and the Trojans Hector and Paris, the city fell to the ruse of the Trojan...

Words: 529 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Greek Mithology

...1. Introduction: Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece and are part of religion in modern Greece and around the world as Hellenisms. Greek mythology is known and learned everywhere around the world. A lot of people refer to everything that is happening in the world such as fire, light, water to the Greek mythology. The Greek mythology not only includes myths, but it also includes a lot of details of the lives and adventures of a wide variety of gods, goddesses, heroes, heroines, demigods, monsters and other mythological creatures. Greek mythology has exerted an extensive influence on the culture, the arts, and the literature of more than one civilization. Poets and artists from ancient times to the present have derived inspiration from Greek mythology and have discovered contemporary significance and relevance in these mythological themes. Also, beside gods and myths there are the two world-known epic poems The Iliad and Odyssey, that focus on events surrounding the Trojan War. Before entering upon the many strange beliefs of the ancient Greeks and the extraordinary number of gods they worshipped, first I would like to show what kind of beings these divinities were. Then I will tell the stories of some of the most famous gods that have left a mark...

Words: 2864 - Pages: 12

Free Essay

Mythology

...Greek and Roman Gods | | | Roman Colosseum | | Roman Gods | | | Greek and Roman Gods * Facts and information the deities of the Romans and the Greeks * Religion and Mythology of the Romans and Greeks * Facts and interesting information about the gods and goddesses of the Greeks and Romans * History, Facts and Information about the religion and deities of the Greeks and Romans * Different Greek Names in the religion and Mythology of the Romans * List of Names and Table of Names |   | | | | | Greek and Roman Gods History, Facts and Information about Greek and Roman Gods The content of this article provides interesting mythology, facts and information about Greek and Roman Gods and Goddesses. The Greek and Roman Gods worshipped by the two nations had similar roles and duties. However, their names were different. The religion of the Romans differed in some respects from that of the Greeks. For information regarding the differences between the Greek and Roman religion please click the following link:Greek and Roman Religion  Different Names of Greek and Roman Gods - Mythology In the mythology of the Romans there are separate Latin and Greek names for one imagined divinity. Examples of these separate names are  "Ares" of the Greeks and "Mars" of the Latins, "Poseidon" of the Greeks is "Neptunus" of the Latins, "Aphrodite" of the Greeks is "Venus" of the Latins.  More names of Greek and gods of the Romans are shown in the list on the following table...

Words: 874 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Unit 2 Ip Huma205

...chose to compare are The Eros Sleeping at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and The Aphrodite at the Louvre Musuem. The Eros Sleeping is my first choice for a piece of art between 30,000 B.C. and 500 C.E. I think this is a beautiful piece of art. While looking through thousands and thousands works of art at several different museum sites this piece really caught my eye. The Eros Sleeping is a bronze statue from the Hellenistic period, and dated at the 3rd-2nd century B.C. It is one of a few bronze statues to have survived from antiquity. The statue is of a cute little chubby baby with wings asleep on a rock that was added at a later date. (Eros Sleeping, nd) The second work of art I chose was also from the Hellenistic period and was dated to 100 B. C is The Aphrodite. Aphrodite is a beautiful Greek sculpture of a half- naked woman sort of leaning to one side. (Aphrodite, nd) Two blocks of marble were used to make it. Her arms were never found. Both piece to me are masterpieces, but kind of hard to compare. The Eros Sleeping is made out of bronze whereas Aphrodite is made out of marble. Both pieces are three dimensional. Neither piece has any color but I have read that the Aphrodite once wore metal jewelry. She wore a headband, earrings, and a bracelet. The holes still remain. The Eros Sleeping and the Aphrodite are sculpted with so much detail it is amazing. Aphrodite is very life like and should be appreciated from all angles. She doesn’t have much...

Words: 563 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Mytholo

...What is a Myth? Before defining the term "mythology" one needs to define the meaning of the word "myth". The word itself comes from the Greek "mythos" which originally meant "speech" or "discourse" but which later came to mean "fable" or "legend". So the word "myth" is defined as a story of forgotten or vague origin, basically religious or supernatural in nature, which seeks to explain or rationalize one or more aspects of the world or a society. Furthermore, all myths are, at some stage, actually believed to be true by the peoples of the societies that used or originated the myth. The definition is thus clearly distinguished from the use of the word myth in everyday speech which basically refers to any unreal or imaginary story. A myth is also distinctly different from an allegory or parable which is a story deliberately made up to illustrate some moral point but which has never been assumed to be true by anyone. Some myths describe some actual historical event, but have been embellished and refashioned by various story tellers over time so that it is impossible to tell what really happened. In this last aspect myths have a legendary and historical nature. Definitions of Mythology The word mythology has two related meanings. Firstly it refers to a collection of myths that together form a mythological system. Thus one can speak of "Egyptian Mythology", "Indian Mythology", "Maori Mythology" or "Greek Mythology". In this sense one is describing a system of myths which were...

Words: 2019 - Pages: 9