Aphrodite was unhappily married to Hephaestus, the god of fire and metalworking, but she famously had a passionate, adulterous affair with Ares, the god of war, leading to children like Eros, Phobos, and Deimos, and a generally loveless and deceitful marriage to Hephaestus.
Ares is the son of Zeus and Hera. He was disliked by both parents. He is the god of war. He is considered murderous and bloodstained but, also a coward.
Aphrodite was not happy with her quick marriage to Hephaestus and had no plans to cease her wondering eyes. Aphrodite subsequently committed adultery with other gods, most notably Ares and even mortals Anchises and Adonis.
Aphrodite, Goddess of Beauty and Love. Children: Aphrodite had no children with her husband Hephaestus, but did have children with her lover Ares, including Eros, the Erotes (the gods of love) and Phobos (the god of terror).
She was married to Hephaistos (god of fire and metalworking) but was famously caught sleeping with Ares (god of war). Other divine lovers included Dionysos (god of wine) and Hermes (god of travel and commerce), from whom she gave birth to the fertility deities Priapos and Hermaphroditos, respectively.
Bruce Lincoln argues that the myth is a description of the loss of Persephone's virginity, where her epithet koure signifies "a girl of initiatory age", and where Hades is the male oppressor forcing himself onto a young girl for the first time.
Aphrodite: Goddess of Love Who Loved Everyone
She's the mother of Hermaphroditus, a symbol of intersex divinity, and many LGBTQ+ groups have adopted her as a patron goddess of queer love in all forms.
Yes, many Greek gods had male lovers, with the norm being bisexuality, though figures like Zeus (with Ganymede), Apollo (with Hyacinthus), Hermes, Dionysus, and the hero Heracles are famous examples, often involved in pederastic relationships or deep bonds that modern interpretation calls homosexual or bisexual. While gods like Ares, Hades, and Hephaestus had fewer or no male lovers, same-sex relationships were common across the pantheon, with Zeus often cited as the prime example of a powerful god with male paramours.
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. Suidas s.v. Priapos (trans.
Anyway, if you've ever wondered why Aphrodite is curvy, it's because poverty was very common during the Ancient Greek period. If you were larger and carried extra fat on your body is was a sign that you had wealth and could afford to eat to your satisfaction. It was considered aspirational and beautiful!
He was known for being the lover of Aphrodite aka Venus, shown with him here, who was married to Hephaestus aka Vulcan, the God of Fire. Seen here with his shield on the ground, Ares is embracing Aphrodite.
Yet for all his mythical savagery, one striking detail stands out: the absence of sexual aggression in his mythology. Unlike many of his fellow Olympians, Ares—the god of war, known as Mars in the Roman world—is never depicted as a violator. His violence remains confined to the battlefield.
Ganymede in Greek Mythology: Zeus' Young Lover & Cupbearer. Ganymede, a beautiful Trojan young man, was aducted by Zeus to serve as his personal cupbearer and lover on mount Olympus among the other gods.
Ares was the Greek god of war. He was perhaps the most unpopular of all the Olympian gods because of his quick temper, aggressiveness, and unquenchable thirst for conflict. Ares famously seduced Aphrodite, unsuccessfully fought with Hercules, and enraged Poseidon by killing his son Halirrhothios.
In this story, Zeus is compelled to swallow Metis, who is pregnant with Athena, which leads to Zeus giving birth to Athena from his head. Some sources suggest that different deities assist Zeus in opening his head, including Hephaestus, Prometheus, or Hermes.
In return, he would offer Aphrodite (Αφροδιτη) the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation as a reward. Those who succeeded in bringing Hephaistos to Mount Olympus would be able to marry her. Aphrodite felt that her true love, Ares (the god of war), couldn't lose.
Aphrodite cursed the mother of Adonis, Myrrha, out of jealousy that she could be even more beautiful than the most beautiful goddess. Out of jealousy, therefore, she turned Adonis's mother into a myrrh tree.
Historically, Aphrodite's body was depicted as slightly curvy with a soft stomach, sloping hips, and small breasts. This was the ideal body type in ancient times, when Aphrodite was worshipped as the goddess of beauty. Today, Aphrodite's look is used to reject modern beauty standards that emphasize extreme thinness.
Apollo: The God of Bisexuality.
As New Testament Scholar Daniel Kirk has pointed out, Christians today would do well by the tradition of the apostles and our current witness in the world to recognize that theological abstractions aside, God has already clearly embraced LGBTQ+ people into full communion, and it is now the church's responsibility to ...
Many people interpret Artemis to be either lesbian or asexual and for the larger pop mythology community it's no longer interpretation. Artemis is the queer goddess.
Adonis was a handsome mortal with whom the Greek goddess Aphrodite fell in love. Adonis took many lovers and was closely associated with love, beauty, and lust. After his transition from mortal to god, Adonis was celebrated for his connection to death and rebirth.
Prostitutes considered her their patron. The poets called her the Lady of Cyprus. Legend has it that Aphrodite, the ancient Greek goddess of love and beauty, enchanted everyone she met.
Eros was born to Ares and Aphrodite. Jealous that they were worshiping a mortal girl instead of her, his mother ordered him, the god of love, to make Psyche fall in love with a hideous creature. Eros agreed to his mother's wishes, however, he fell in love with Psyche instead.