APHRODITE: Goddess of Love Aphrodite was the most beautiful of all the Goddesses and there are many tales of how she could encourage both Gods and humans to fall in love with her.
The name Psyche means "soul" and "butterfly" in Greek and was commonly referred to as such in Roman mythology as well, though direct translation is Anima (Latin word for "soul"). She was born a mortal woman eventually granted immortality, with beauty that rivaled even Aphrodite, goddess of love.
Winner of the Beauty Contest
Aphrodite's title of the most beautiful goddess was confirmed in a contest. It is hardly surprising that the Greeks described Aphrodite as a young, beautiful woman with long hair and a dress that accentuates her feminine curves. She was often portrayed with an apple, shell, dove or swan.
Basically in The Judgement of Paris, Hera and Athena are envious that Paris chose Aphrodite as “the most beautifull (τῇ καλλίστῃ)" of the goddesses.
At a party, during which Hades sees Persephone for the first time, he remarks that she is even more beautiful than Aphrodite.
Hestia in Greek Mythology
Hestia was regarded as one of the kindest and most compassionate amongst all the Gods. Perhaps the first example of a benign God or Goddess. Generally speaking, Hestia has a low key role in Greek Mythology.
In Greek mythology, Psyche was a mortal woman whose beauty was so great that it rivaled that of the goddess Aphrodite. Aphrodite became so jealous of Psyche that she sent her son, Eros, to make Psyche fall in love with the ugliest man in the world.
Her lovers included Ares, the god of war, and the mortal Anchises, a Trojan prince with whom she had a famous son, Aeneas. Her most famous lover, however, was the handsome and youthful mortal Adonis.
Aphrodite was a very attractive goddess; her body and desirable appearance was what really gave her the power she held over others. Her beauty was intimidating which enabled her to gain control.
Aphrodite and the Gods of Love: Goddess of Love and Beauty (Getty Villa Exhibitions)
Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty, was described as having blonde hair. In ancient Greece and Rome, blonde hair was frequently associated with prostitutes, who dyed their hair using saffron dyes in order to attract customers.
Aphrodite was the goddess of love and beauty in ancient Greek mythology. Stories said that she was born fully grown from the foam of the sea. The ancient Romans worshipped a similar goddess called Venus.
Aphrodite could be both generous and vengeful. She gave Paris the most beautiful woman in the world as payment for naming her the fairest of the goddesses. The women of Lemnos saw the other side of Aphrodite. These women failed to honor the goddess, so Aphrodite cursed the women with a bad case of body odor.
Like other gods, Aphrodite would punish anyone, mortal or god, for slights against her. Theseus' son Hippolytus became a devotee of the virgin goddess, Artemis, and thus shunned the pleasures of the flesh. This angered Aphrodite, who felt that Hippolytus did not worship her sufficiently.
She was depicted as a beautiful woman often accompanied by the winged godling Eros (Love). Her attributes included a dove, apple, scallop shell and mirror. In classical sculpture and fresco she was usually depicted nude.
The myths tell us that Aphrodite qualities are essential for the joy of life, but the shadow side of Aphrodite manifests when a woman is completely identified with Aphrodite's powers, when other archetypal qualities of the feminine are unimportant to her.
5 While that approach has certainly yielded important information on gender dynamics in late-Classical Greece, it tends to overlook the fact that though this Aphrodite is female, she is also divine.
Aphrodite was, in fact, widely worshipped as a goddess of the sea and of seafaring; she was also honoured as a goddess of war, especially at Sparta, Thebes, Cyprus, and other places. However, she was known primarily as a goddess of love and fertility and even occasionally presided over marriage.
Interestingly enough, there are a number of foods associated with Aphrodite, of which supposedly stir up attraction and powers of seduction. Asparagus, dark chocolate, honey, figs, and raw oysters have all be linked to Aphrodite as being her favorite foods.
Aphrodite later and of her own volition had an affair with Zeus, but his jealous wife Hera laid her hands upon the belly of the goddess and cursed their offspring with malformity. Their child was the ugly god Priapos.
Aphrodite was married to Hephaistos (Ἡφαιστος), the god of fire, smiths, and craftsmen. However, as we'll soon learn, this wasn't by her own choosing, and thus she had a longstanding affair with her true love, Ares (Αρης), The Greek god of War.
She commanded her son to shoot his magic arrows and force Psyche to fall in love with a hideous beast. Upon meeting Psyche, Eros himself fell in love with her. He disobeyed Aphrodite and instead took Psyche to his own hidden home to be his wife. When Psyche betrayed his trust one time, Eros abandoned her.
Zeus begrudgingly agreed, and so Aphrodite was married off to Hephaestus. Unsurprisingly, Aphrodite was not happy about this trickery, as she had been dating Ares, God of War. This led to a very unhappy marriage with many affairs. Eventually, Hephaestus divorced Aphrodite.
Aphrodite's enemies included Hera, Zeus' wife; Athena, the goddess of war; Helios, the sun; and Artemis; the goddess of the wilderness and virginity. Aphrodite was considered the most beautiful of all the goddesses, which naturally inspired jealousy and envy.