The portrayal of the Goddess of Love, the famous Aphrodite, which was created over time, is a stunning long hair goddess. Aphrodite is a goddess who is pictured riding upon a shell, to offer her wonders to the world of mortals and the Olympus. This emblem of femininity and beauty, was the most beautiful goddesses out of all the Greek goddesses in sculpture. But this almost beautiful image of delicacy and sensual pleasure is far from ideal.  In reality, looking a little closer, the mien of Aphrodite is blurred, her charm turning out to be her curse. Throughout this essay, I will inform you with facts on Aphrodite; who she is, how she came to be, and pivotal events in her life.

In Greek mythology, there is a specific connection to every god or goddess. For example, Zeus, the god of thunder and lightning, is known as the King of all gods. Hades is known as the god of the underworld, and Aphrodite is known as the goddess of beauty, love and fertility.

Aphrodite is one of the most popular mythical figures since she represents the most desirable woman. Understanding how Aphrodite was conceived is limited to only two theories. One theory is that she is the result of the fight between the Titan Uranus and Cronus. Cronus, who is the son of Uranus, cut off the genitals of his father, Uranus, and cast them into the sea. When the flesh of the immortal mixed into the sea foam, Aphrodite, as a result, was conceived. The other theory is she is believed to be the daughter of Zeus and Dionne, who was a Titan goddess in Greek mythology, and according to some sources, was the first wife of Zeus, with whom she had a daughter, the goddess Aphrodite. (Dione, 2020) Aphrodite's birthplace was said to be in 'Petra tau Romiou'. Which has an interesting geological formation of huge rocks along one of the most beautiful coastlines on the island, located on the southwest coast of the Pafos (Paphos) district. (Birthplace of Aphrodite - Petra tau Romiou, 2020) Since Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love and beauty, she has immense control among humans as well as immortals. It should therefore come as no surprise that she is depicted in various stories, poetry, and plays; as well as Greek art such as sculptures and paintings. Although numerous stories of Aphrodite highlight the themes of romance and lust, several of the most fascinating stories deal with the consequences of becoming the victim of romance and lust, which is experienced by the goddess herself.

When Aphrodite arrived upon Mt. Olympus, Zeus forced her to marry any god of his choice. He, without question, chose his son Hephaestus, the god of fire, metalworking, stone masonry, forges and the art of sculpture. ("Hephaestus: The God of Design & Creativity") Hephaestus, known as the ugliest of all the gods, believed Aphrodite was chosen to marry him due to his hard-working nature. However, Zeus chose his son because he felt it would control the urges of every man, including himself if she was married.

Aphrodite, forced into marriage with a man she did not love, caused her to seek out sexual liaisons with both mortals and gods. Hephaestus, oblivious in her multiple sexual encounters, blindly embraced their marriage and felt so fortunate to have the most beautiful goddess as his wife. So fortunate, Hephaestus felt that he showered Aphrodite with the most beautiful gifts. One of the most famous items, a gift constructed by him, was the magic girdle. This girdle was known to make any god or mortal attracted to whomever was wearing it. Despite the gifts given, Aphrodite remained unsatisfied with Hephaestus and continued to have many affairs, resulting in multiple children with various lovers.

Aphrodite's uncatchable mentality soon shifted once Hephaestus learned she was having an affair with the acclaimed god of war, Ares. Once Hepheastus knew about the affair, he was determined to not only catch the two, but humiliate Aphrodite in front of all the gods. He secretly constructed a net over their bed, and told Aphrodite he was going away for a couple of days.

Deceived by his departure, Aphrodite once again invited Ares to share her bed. Hephaestus, lurking in the shadows, watched as his wife and Ares became naked and entwined. Feeling humiliated and angry, he confined them into the net, and called upon all other gods to witness. Hephaestus then demanded Aphrodite to return all his gifts back to him. Poseidon, feeling sorry for Aphrodte, persuaded Hephaestus to forgive her, in which he did. Aphrodite, still not attracted to Hephaestus, requested for an open marriage. The request was declined, resulting in Aphrodite obtaining a polyandrous relationship with both Hephasteus and Ares.

Aphrodite, known for scandalous love triangles, was about to embark on a new game of manipulation, resulting in the commencement of the Trojan War. Although the Trojan War may have been triggered by a number of events, the story of Aphrodite's role, written by Horner, was one of the most popular stories recorded in Greek Mythology.

The story started with Helen, Aphrodites half-sister, and Aphrodite herself.  In accordance with most theories, both girls' shared the same father, Zeus, but had different mothers.

Aphrodite's mother was Dionne, a Titan goddess and Helen's mother was an unnamed mortal. Aphrodite grew up feeling aesthetically superior to her half-sister, and was never worried about finding a husband. Helen however, embraced a monogamous marriage to the king of Sparta.

Though Helen was an attractive woman, Aphrodite was by far the most beautiful goddess who ever lived. When Paris, the prince of Troy, had declared Helen the most beautiful woman who ever lived, Aphrodite was surprised and displeased. Shortly after prince Paris stated his opinion towards Helen 's beauty, a wedding had been announced within the god and goddess world.

Although Paris did not attend, many were invited, except for the Greek goddess Eris, the goddess of discord. Unwelcomed and determined to cause drama, Eris threw a golden apple of discord onto the table and exclaimed it was for the most beautiful woman. Immediately, goddess Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera reached for the apple, claiming their rights to it. To resolve the dispute,

Zeus sent for Paris, and exclaimed that he would decide which of the three was most beautiful. Though Paris could have chosen all three goddesses, he instead instructed each of them to persuade him into picking only one. Aphrodite, who knew how Paris viewed Helen, used her knowledge and promised her half-sister Helen, would fall in love with him if he chose her.

Another man falling victim to Aphrodites manipulation, Paris chooses her as the most beautiful. Aphrodite, remaining true to her word, orchestrated the union between Paris and Helen. The evening of the reception, Paris left Greece with Helen, who was still married to the king of Sparta, and traveled to the city of Troy. Shortly thereafter, rumors reached Sparta that Helen was kidnapped by Paris, the Prince of Troy. Determined to "rescue" his wife, the Spartan king pleaded for, assumed an alliance with numerous kings of Greece, and declared war on Troy.

Although Aphrodite may seem to be an unfaithful, manipulative, victimizing woman in her lustful relationship, there was a time when Aphrodite found a man she was extremely passionate about. For the first time, Aphrodite had a monogamous relationship with the mortal Adonis. She first glanced at him when he was only a baby and instantly fell in love with his beauty. She took him away from an incestuous relationship and placed him in the protection of Persephone, the goddess of the underworld, for a short time. As he grew, his inseparable relationship with Aphrodite grew as well. Aphrodite was so mesmerized by this breathtaking man that she began to ignore not only Olympus, but the concern of her own exquisite beauty. She was the faithful companion to Adonis, roaming with him through the woods, and cheering on his hunts. While she enjoyed watching and often taking part in hunting, she never understood or felt comfortable killing threatening animals, such as the boar. She would constantly tell Adonis to be rational in hunting and not to hunt for the beasts who are more heavily armed by nature.

Unfortunately, Adonis failed to abide by Aphrodites requests, resulting in his death. There are two theories of the death of Adonis. One theory is that Adonis encountered and fought a wild boar, who fought back against Adonis, killing him. The second, and most believed story was that the wild boar had been sent by Ares, or that Ares, who was still the husband to Aphrodite, was the boar himself. Whether or not Ares killed Adonis, or Adonis was killed in a tragic accident, Aphrodite was ultimately devastated, and to commemorate his death, Aphrodite created a cult called the "Adonin's cult".

Before arming myself with the knowledge I have now, I realized that Aphrodite was not the same person on the inside as she was on the outside. Ironically, Aphrodite who is depicted as the goddess of love, never truly knew love as others do. There are some questions that I still have answers to, such as; if the mortals knew who their gods and goddesses really were, would they still worship them in the same way, or at all? In my opinion, Aphrodite's beauty was the only reason she obtained many suitors. There is a quote by Audry Hepburn that reads, "The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but true beauty in a Woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she knows." ("A Quote by Audrey Hepburn") Maybe if Aphrodite had the chance to marry whom she truly loved, rather than by force, she might have lived up to her title "goddess of love" but, instead, in my eyes, the mien of Aphrodite is very much blurred. She is simply "goddess of beauty and a lot of fertility".