A Study of the Mythology of Aphrodite

Aphrodite is the goddess of love, beauty and desire. The name Aphros means foam which is how Aphrodite was born. According to Greek Mythology, “she was born as an adult when Uranus' testicals fell in the sea, after Cronus castrated him.” Aphrodite rose from the foam, on the island Cyprus, as an adult after Uranus was thrown into the sea. Her parents are Zeus, king of the gods and Dione, an early mother goddess.

Aphrodite came to realize her beauty and started using it for bad. She was starting to sleep around and see a whole lot of people and her father noticed. He didn’t want her to cause problems in other relationships so he forced her to marry Hephaestus, as a way to calm her down. He wasn’t seen as a threat to others because he wasn’t very attractive. Aphrodite was faithful to him for a while but then she started sleeping around with others. After a while, Aphrodite thought she found the one, a mortal named Anchises. Aphrodite was sure of this and began to rethink her marriage.

One day she had a conversation with Hephaestus and told him, she was in love with someone else. Hephaestus was confused and wanted to know who. Aphrodite explained to him, he was the mortal she was caught with. Hephaestus was very upset and left. Later that day he told Zeus about the conversation he had with Aphrodite. Zeus immediately did not approve. The very next day he had a word with Aphrodite and told her how he felt. Aphrodite did not want to hear it and was very upset with Hephaestus for telling Zeus. Later that day, Aphrodite went to Anchises and told him what Zeus said. He then suggested they run away. Aphrodite thought about it and then was on board. They planned to meet up later that night and run far, far away.

Later that night, Aphrodite and Anchises meet up and began their trek. By morning, they had settled in a nice place and went on to gather foods. Aphrodite began to feel comfortable and stable with Anchises even more. One night while they were in bed, Aphrodite revealed she was having a child with him by the name of Aeneas. She also tells him Aeneas will be raised by nymphs until he’s five then she will bring him to him. Then she threatens Anchises to have Zeus strike him with a thunderbolt if he told anyone. Anchises agrees to her wish. And she leaves.

After a long time, Aphrodite begins to hear things about Helen being the “fairest in the land”. Aphrodite is not pleased and seeks out to find who is saying this. She learns it’s Paris, a low prince of Troy, and Aphrodite goes to find him. Once she’s in Troy she looks all around and she finally spots him. Aphrodite goes up to him in hopes of convincing Paris she’s the best. During that conversation she offers to give him Helen. The only problem is, is she’s married to Menelaus(king of Sparta) . So the conversation ended on a bad note.

Soon after the talk, there was a Greek wedding. All three sibling went up and Eris, upset about not being invited to the wedding brought an apple and claimed whoever got it would be declared fairest. Zeus disagreed and asked Paris to decide. Aphrodite had to think quickly because she wasn’t sure he was on her side. She then made a deal with him and said he could have Helen and they could run away together if she was declared fairest. Paris gave in and Aphrodite was declared fairest of them all.

Within minutes, Aphrodite had thought of a way to get Helen to go with Paris. She decided to drug her and give her to Paris. So that’s what she did. Paris and Helen then left the city and went far away. Soon after that, Menelaus found out Paris had “kidnapped” Helen. He was very angry and ordered war between the Greeks and the city of Troy. And that was how the Trojan war began.

Ten years later, the war ended.