Aphrodite - 1027 Words

APHRODITE (a-fro-DYE-tee; Roman name Venus) was the goddess of love, beauty and fertility. She was also a protectress of sailors. The poet Hesiod said that Aphrodite was born from sea-foam. Homer, on the other hand, said that she was the daughter of Zeus and Dione. When the Trojan prince Paris was asked to judge which of three Olympian goddesses was the most beautiful, he chose Aphrodite over Hera and Athena. The latter two had hoped to bribe him with power and victory in battle, but Aphrodite offered the love of the most beautiful woman in the world. This was Helen of Sparta, who became infamous as Helen of Troy when Paris subsequently eloped with her. In the ensuing Trojan War, Hera and Athena were implacable enemies of Troy while†¦show more content†¦She was unfaithful to him with Ares, and Homer relates in the Odyssey how Hephaestus had his revenge. IN ART Elsewhere in classical art she has no distinctive attributes other than her beauty. Flowers and vegetation motifs suggest her connection to fertility. Aphrodite was associated with the dove. Another of her sacred birds was the goose, on which she is seen to ride in a vase painting from antiquity. Hesiods reference to Aphrodites having been born from the sea inspired the Renaissance artist Botticellis famous painting of the goddess on a giant scallop shell. Equally if not better known is the Venus de Milo, a statue which lost its arms in ancient times. WAR GODDESS? The ancient travel writer Pausanias describes a number of statues of Aphrodite dressed for battle, many of them in Sparta. Given the manner in which the militaristic Spartans raised their girls, it is not surprising that they conceived of a female goddess in military attire. She also would have donned armaments to defend cities, such as Corinth, who adopted her as their patroness. This is not to say that she was a war goddess, although some have seen her as such and find significance in her pairing with the war god Ares in mythology and worship. The two most recent editions of The Oxford Classical Dictionary are at variance over this aspect of the goddess. The 1970 edition sees her as a goddess of war and traces this to her Oriental roots. It is true that she has resemblances toShow MoreRelatedThe Characteristic Of Aphrodite871 Words   |  4 Pagesof the goddess that I chose is Aphrodite, a Greek mythology goddess of love, desire, and beauty. A characteristic that describes Aphrodite in a good way is joyful because she brought happiness and laughter to the mortals. Beauty is the second characteristic, she was very irresistible and brought beauty to everyone. An evil characteristic of Aphrodite is that she is disloyal. She did not love her husband, Hephaestus, so she decided to have an affair with Ares. Aphrodite is jealous, she did not wantRead MoreAphrodite: Goddess of Love702 Words   |  3 PagesAphrodite: Goddess of Love When anyone with a general knowledge of Greek mythology hears her name, their mind automatically shifts to images of beauty. Beauty is what Aphrodite stands for. She is the Greek goddess of love, beauty, and fertility. Aphrodite has a very loving, compassionate nature. Due to her nature, she has numerous powers. They include, but are not limited to, influencing birth, life, love, death and fate. She uses her beauty to her advantage and with it can leave her lover defenselessRead MoreAphrodite And The Victorian Era2248 Words   |  9 PagesAphrodite who is also referred to as Venus, was hugely admired in the Victorian-era and appeared to have kept much of her respected status that she had carried through with her from the 5th Century Greek and Roman mythology. Aphrodite from an early century is the goddess of love and beauty and is the subject to many art and literature forms in the Victorian-era. What Briton’s in the Victorian-era wrote about Aphrodite and how they illustrat ed her indicates what the average, educated Victorian-eraRead MoreEssay on Hera and Aphrodite1947 Words   |  8 PagesHera and Aphrodite. Two goddesses on two sides of the Trojan War. Both of them have their own personalities, and their own agendas. The two of them do have certain similarities. Both Hera and Aphrodite seem to believe in the cause they are fighting for. They do, however have very different ways about getting what they want. In The Illiad, both of these goddesses are on the opposing sides (as I stated before). Hera fights on the side of the Acheans, where Aphrodite has taken sides with the TrojansRead MoreAphrodite Essay examples1167 Words   |  5 PagesAphrodite The image that has been produced over time about the Goddess of Desire, the renowned Aphrodite, is one of a longhaired beauty, riding atop a scallop shell to bestow her beauteous wonders upon the mortal earth and Olympus. This is an icon of femininity and perfection, the most stunning of the already statuesque gods and goddesses. Doves and sparrows are her counterparts as is the sweet and playful Cupid in later Roman myths. However, this seemingly flawless picture of delicacy andRead MoreAthena And Aphrodite : Greek Mythology920 Words   |  4 PagesAthena and Aphrodite, two of the most well-known goddess’ from Ancient Greek mythology. Athena is the goddess of war strategy and wisdom, she never married or had relationships. Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty, she had a lot of relationships and had several children. Besides both of them being extremely popular and worshiped goddess’ it seems like these two goddess’ have nothing else in common. However , Athena and Aphrodite have a lot of similarities between the two of them. Some similaritiesRead MoreAn Analysis Of The Torso Of Aphrodite 870 Words   |  4 Pagespieces in the exhibit. In this paper, I will be describing The Torso of Aphrodite, using my own viewpoints and the elements of formal art analysis, in order to explain the uniqueness when compared to other pieces in The Classical World exhibit. The Torso of Aphrodite was constructed in the 1st century A.D. and is made entirely of marble. The torso used to belong to a life-sized version statue of The Greek goddess of love Aphrodite. From the moment I saw this piece, I knew I was attracted to it in aRead MoreAphrodite And Hera Mythology Essay817 Words   |  4 Pagesdifferent. For example the goddesses were seen as insanely beautiful but also vain. Two examples of this are Aphrodite and Hera, who were beautiful but very envious. These goddess were viewed upon as selfish because of their habits of being jealous of mortal maidens. In Aphrodites case, she was jealous of the human, Psyche, because the mortals saw her as so beautiful that was even more so than Aphrodite herself. This led to Aphrodites temples being neglected and her favorite towns falling in ruins. InRead MoreAphrodite : The Standard Of Femininity And Mortality Essay2220 Words   |  9 Pages Aphrodite: the Standard of Femininity and Mortality in the Iliad In the story of the Iliad, an epic focusing on mortality and its flaws, the immortal gods often contrast with the tragic and heroic nature of the story . No god shows this more than Aphrodite, the goddess of love and sexual relations. Her appearances on the battlefield are few and far in between, but when she does appear it leaves a lasting impression on our mind, since she acts so differently than the honor-filled men of the epicRead MoreHomers Relationship With Paris And Aphrodite1737 Words   |  7 Pagesfirst place† Under the leadership of Menelaus’s brother Agamemnon, the Greeks fight around Troy for ten years before finally succeeding in destroying the city and regaining Helen. But who was Helen and what was her relationship with Paris and Aphrodite? Is the Helen that is portrayed in pop culture today still representative of the one put forth by Homer in the Iliad? I will begin to answer these questions and explain how these relationships help to define her by utilizing source material from