To name just three mortals...
1. Adonis, the son of the incestuous union of Cinyras and
Myrrha. Aphrodite found this boy so beautiful that she took him to
be her lover. However, Persephone also loved Adonis, and these two
goddesses fought for ownership of him. It was decided that Adonis
would be with Aphrodite for one half of the year, and with
Persephone for the other. Unfortunately, Adonis was killed on a
hunt by a boar, and Aphrodite was left to weep over his body.
2. Anchises, the Trojan mortal. He was a handsome man in his
youth and Aphrodite fell in love with him. Some accounts say that
the affair was brought about by Zeus, who was tired of hearing
Aphrodite mock other gods who had fallen in love with mortals. In
the form of a mortal girl (the daughter of the Phrygian king
Otreus) she lay with him, and later bore their son, the famous
Aeneas. Anchises later bragged about the affair, however, and was
subsequently struck lame by Zeus.
3. Melanion or Hippomenes (this mortal boy goes by both names).
He was a man who was in love with Atalanta, but knew he would be
unable to beat her in a footrace, which was the requirement to
marry her. He prayed to Aphrodite for assistance, and she gave him
three golden apples. During the race, he threw them off the side of
the track, causing Atalanta to be distracted and run off course to
retrieve them, thereby allowing him to win the race.
