Aphrodite

Greek mythology – Present

Goddess of love and beauty; in some poems born from the sea, in others a daughter of Zeus, and a force that starts wars as well as romances.

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Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love, beauty, and desire. Poets disagreed about her birth: Hesiod says she rose from the sea; Homer often calls her a daughter of Zeus. That disagreement is useful in class: Greek myth is a library of versions, not one official biography. Her most famous epic role is in the Judgment of Paris, when a mortal prince names her the fairest goddess and she promises him Helen. That bargain helps start the Trojan War, the war Odysseus later ends with the Trojan Horse. Love, in Greek storytelling, can be as dangerous as a storm from Poseidon. How we know. Her great sanctuary on Cyprus and countless vase paintings are historical evidence of worship. Read her as a power, not a celebrity crush, then return to the Odyssey journey.

Aphrodite

Further reading

Aphrodite

Further reading