Why is Aphrodite famous?

Answer 1

Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love and beauty. She has been in many Greek myths. The Goddess of love and beauty was also known as the Goddess of flowers, and was mostly associated with the pink rose, a pleasantly fragrant flower with soft delicate petals. It has been noted that this association with flowers represents the sexualness found in nature, as well as in humans. Flowers are considered to be one of the world's most beautiful sexual organs. The symbolic association of flowers to the sexual organs of a woman can be seen in their delicate nature, and the manner in which a bud blossoms and opens up, making itself vulnerable to the pollination and fertilization of others. It is no wonder why flowers are the most common gift given to lovers, for they symbolize the beauty of human sexuality. Unfortunately, along with love comes pain, as one can see in the contrasting thorns found on the stem of the rose, reminding us that with sexual passion and longing comes pain and suffering. Aphrodite is commonly associated with gold and the finer things in life. Quite often she is depicted in golden robes, in Homer's Iliad with a golden apple, and many have described her as having "golden hair." Her relationship to gold can be seen as being symbolic of perfection, warmth and love. Still others see the golden jewelry she wears as being representitive of the seductiveness and aphrodisiacal powers of women. Her jewelry glistens and sparkles and calls to us just as her sensual nature and flawless beauty catches our eye. Artists depiction of the Goddess of Love and Beauty have varied immensely, although one of the most recognized interpretations is Sandro Botticelli's Birth of Venus, which interprets the goddess in such a way as to have her standing on a scalloped shell, floating upon the sea. Aphrodite as a work of art represents all that female sexuality and beauty possess. Sculptures and painters alike create images of the goddess in loosely draped robes or in the nude, accentuating the sensualness of her body and the exquisiteness of her form. One of the more well known statues of the Goddess is the Venus de Milo, which is on exhibit in the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. As for the love affairs of the goddess, Aphrodite was married to the God of Craftsmen or God of the Fire of the Forge, Hephaestus. While not handsome and physically crippled, he excelled in metalsmithing skills and created the most beautiful golden jewelry on all of Olympus. Aphrodite's association with gold and riches is played out in her relationship with Hephaestus. There is an identifiable connection between beauty and wealth, as well as attractiveness and ugliness. Disney's "Beauty and the Beast"is a prime example of the modern-day attraction between material possessions and attractiveness. There is a correlation between the sexually attractive woman and the man who is unattractive (or old, boring, or sick) but who pleases his wife or mistress with jewels and gifts, thus seducing her into letting him purchase the right to enjoy her beauty (Paris 22). Their relationship was one of desire: he desired her sensual nature and physical pleasures, while she desired the golden jewels which he fashioned for her. Aphrodite's inability to see past the superficial led her into the arms of Ares, the God of War. The passion from which their relationship was created is symbolic of the destructive attraction between men and women; love and war. Aphrodite and Ares are symbolic of the yin and the yang of universe. It is this polarity that makes for such a strong and passionate longing for one another. The attraction of Aphrodite to Ares may be in the belief that with courage comes virility, which gave him the ability to seduce her. The bond between the two divinities expresses the Greek belief that men fight for women and that the origin of war is fundamentally a rivalry for them. This can be seen in Homer's Iliad, which will be discussed later. In fact, this belief was so strong that even Herodotus the great historian himself felt that the Trojan War may have been caused by a rivalry for women. The destructive relationship between Aphrodite, Goddess of Love and Ares, God of War, can be seen, therefore, as the polar attraction of opposites or the relationship of the masculine with the feminine. The affair between Aphrodite and Ares caused tension amongst the Gods. It is told that once, when the two lovers slept too late, Helios, the sun, observed them and told Hephaestus, who plotted a trap out of anger. He positioned a bronze net upon her bed and caught the two in a naked embrace for all to see. This affair resulted in the eventual birth of three children: Harmony, Fear and Terror. Harmony was the oldest daughter of Mars and Venus, while Fear and Terror, the younger boys, followed after their father's footsteps and had a passion for battle. While Aphrodite bore several children by different fathers, she and Hephaestus never had any children of their own. Their union was one of beauty and craft out of which art is born.