Aphrodite: Goddess of Love
Briana O’Brien
Final Research Project
ENG 230
Aphrodite: Goddess of love
In Greek mythology, each god or goddess has a unique affinity. For example, Athena is the Goddess of war, Poseidon is the God of the sea, and Aphrodite is a famous goddess known for representing beauty, love, and fertility. Aphrodite is quite popular in our world as she is the symbol of the infinitely desirable female. Aphrodite is very mysterious; there is no definite reason of how she was conceived, although there are two stories. One is that she is the result of a fight between the gods Ouranos and Cronus. Cronus rips off and throws Ouranos’ genitals into the sea and when his flesh mixes with the sea foam, Aphrodite is conceived. “And so soon as he had cut off the members with flint and cast them from the land into the surging sea, they were swept away over the main a long time: and a white foam spread around them from the immortal flesh, and in it there grew a maiden...and came forth an awful and lovely goddess, and grass grew up about her beneath her shapely feet. Her gods and men call Aphrodite...because she grew amid the foam- Theogony, 185 -200” (Lombardi)
The other story of how she was born is what the poet Homer believed, that she was the daughter of Zeus and Dione. Another mysterious fact is that there are no references to her growing up. We can infer that she was born as a grown female with overpowering sexual attractiveness and beauty beyond measure. (Emerson) Aphrodite has interfered with the lives of men and women through key events, such as the Trojan War and the journey of Odysseus. The Trojan prince Paris was asked to judge which Olympian goddess was the most beautiful. He picked out Aphrodite over Hera and also Athena. While they offered him political power and many war victories, Aphrodite had bribed Paris with the most beautiful woman in the world. This was Helen of Sparta, wife of Menelaus. The two eloped together to Troy, where the Trojan War commenced.
Final Research Project
ENG 230
Aphrodite: Goddess of love
In Greek mythology, each god or goddess has a unique affinity. For example, Athena is the Goddess of war, Poseidon is the God of the sea, and Aphrodite is a famous goddess known for representing beauty, love, and fertility. Aphrodite is quite popular in our world as she is the symbol of the infinitely desirable female. Aphrodite is very mysterious; there is no definite reason of how she was conceived, although there are two stories. One is that she is the result of a fight between the gods Ouranos and Cronus. Cronus rips off and throws Ouranos’ genitals into the sea and when his flesh mixes with the sea foam, Aphrodite is conceived. “And so soon as he had cut off the members with flint and cast them from the land into the surging sea, they were swept away over the main a long time: and a white foam spread around them from the immortal flesh, and in it there grew a maiden...and came forth an awful and lovely goddess, and grass grew up about her beneath her shapely feet. Her gods and men call Aphrodite...because she grew amid the foam- Theogony, 185 -200” (Lombardi)
The other story of how she was born is what the poet Homer believed, that she was the daughter of Zeus and Dione. Another mysterious fact is that there are no references to her growing up. We can infer that she was born as a grown female with overpowering sexual attractiveness and beauty beyond measure. (Emerson) Aphrodite has interfered with the lives of men and women through key events, such as the Trojan War and the journey of Odysseus. The Trojan prince Paris was asked to judge which Olympian goddess was the most beautiful. He picked out Aphrodite over Hera and also Athena. While they offered him political power and many war victories, Aphrodite had bribed Paris with the most beautiful woman in the world. This was Helen of Sparta, wife of Menelaus. The two eloped together to Troy, where the Trojan War commenced.