Valeria Salazar G
English
November 27-2007
English
November 27-2007
APHRODITE
· Aphrodite is the goddess of love, beauty and sexual rapture.
· Roman name Venus
· She was born when Uranus (the father of the gods) was castrated by his son Cronus. Cronus threw the severed genitals into the ocean which began to churn and foam about them.
· After her birth, Zeus was afraid that the gods would fight over Aphrodite's hand in marriage so he married her off to the smith god Hephaestus, the steadiest of the gods.
· Aphrodite loved and was loved by many gods and mortals. Among her mortal lovers, the most famous was perhaps Adonis. Some of her sons are Eros, Anteros, Hymenaios and Aeneas.
· Aphrodite was very generous in using her powers to help her followers.
· Aphrodite also used her powers to destroy those who tried to disrupt or prevent the natural workings of love and sexuality.
MAIN STORY
The Judgement of Paris
The gods and goddesses as well as various mortals were invited to the marriage of Peleus and Thetis (the eventual parents of Achilles). Only the goddess Eris (Discord) was not invited, but she arrived with a golden apple inscribed with the words "to the fairest," which she threw among the goddesses. Aphrodite, Hera and Athena all claimed to be the fairest, and thus the rightful owner of the apple. The goddesses chose to place the matter before Zeus, who later put the choice into the hands of Paris. Hera tried to bribe Paris with Asia Minor, while Athena offered wisdom, fame and glory in battle, but Aphrodite whispered to Paris that if he were to choose her as the fairest he would have the most beautiful mortal woman in the world as a wife, and he accordingly chose her. This woman was Helen. The other goddesses were enraged by this and through Helen's abduction by Paris they brought about the Trojan War.
References
· Micha F. Lindemans. “Aphrodite”. http://www.pantheon.org/articles/a/aphrodite.html.%20%20July%201999
· Skidmore. Joel. “Aphrodite”. http://www.mythweb.com/gods/Aphrodite.html
· Anne J. Lombardi. “Aphrodite, her power and her art”. http://www.arthistory.sbc.edu/imageswomen/papers/lombardiaphrodite/aphrodite.html
