Beloved of Aphrodite, the goddess of love

Greek mythology is a real storehouse of information about the world, its laws and phenomena. It's not just trying to explain everything around a person. This is a whole system in which there are heroes, their own joy and their tragedies. This is the story of the goddess of love and Adonis: beloved Aphrodite tragically died before the time, which greatly upset the beautiful Kiprida.

A little bit about the immortal goddess

Before we talk about who the beloved Aphrodite was, we'll pay attention to the goddess herself. She was the daughter of Zeus (according to the most widespread theory), or it appeared from sea foam. The birthplace of the eternally young and surprisingly beautiful goddess is the island of Cyprus. Today, on this amazing piece of land in the Mediterranean Sea you will be shown a beach and a lagoon, where, according to legend, Love herself came ashore for the first time. There is also a swimming pool, where Aphrodite beloved Adonis and she loved to spend their time.

The goddess entered the pantheon of the 12 gods who dwelt on Olympus. From this fact, we can conclude that love played an important role in the life of the ancient Greeks. The charm and power of Aphrodite (or Venus) could not be resisted by anyone - neither mortal nor god. But she herself was the object of desire, the character of many love stories that have come down to us from the past.

Beloved of Aphrodite

Who had the honor to be considered as such? The legal spouse of Kiprida was Hephaestus, a blacksmith-god who spent more time in his smithy than in his wife's bedchamber. It's no wonder that the most beautiful of the most beautiful missed and sought solace on the side. Venus (goddess of love from the Romans) met with Areya, the god of war, and bore him five children. But the husband learned about the treason and created a golden net to catch the infidels red-handed. After the exposure, Aphrodite left Hephaestus. She had a connection with Hermes, Dionysus, and also with mortal men. The latter include Anhiz, Aeneas' father, and Adonis. But neither the immortal, nor mortal beloved Aphrodite could make her absolutely happy. With Aream, she had an eternal confrontation, for war and love are elements that go hand in hand, but contradict each other. Hermes and Dionysus were puzzled by their own worries, and mortal men, alas, had a very short time.

Adonis and his death

Adonis is a beautiful youth, the beloved of Aphrodite, who was the son of the Cyprian king Kinir. Venus completely gave herself up to passion, forgetting everything in the world. Days and nights she spent with her beloved in bathing, playing and hunting. More than once or twice she asked the young man to be cautious and worried about him when she had to go away.

But not only passionate in love was a young man. Beloved Aphrodite loved hunting and spent a lot of time in the forest with his dogs. Once, when Venus was forced to leave him alone, he climbed into the thicket, hoping for prey. Suddenly an angry boar jumped out on him (according to one version, they could be Aray, who was consumed with jealousy). The beast rushed at the man and tore the tender body of Adonis with his fangs.

Mount Venus

Upon learning of the death of a loved one, Aphrodite rushed into the forest. Knocking tender legs on sharp stones, poking through thorns and other bushes, she searched the body of Adonis. The goddess did not feel the blood flow from the wounds, but on the place where she fell, scarlet roses of marvelous beauty grew up. Probably, since then they have become a symbol of hot and passionate love.

When the goddess finally found a place where the lifeless Adonis lay, bitter tears poured from her eyes. From the blood of a young man she grew a flower that was characterized by rare beauty. So beloved Aphrodite turned into a plant that was called his name, that is, adonis.

The grief of her daughter touched Zeus, and he decided to help her. The Thunderer turned with a personal request to his brother Aida, so that he at least briefly released Adonis into the world of the living. The grim lord of the underworld agreed. Since then, every year the young man is allowed to go upstairs, directly into the arms of Aphrodite. And then everything blooms on earth, summer reigns. In this part, the myth of Adonis and the goddess of love echoes another ancient history, which tells of Demeter and Persephone. According to her, the seasons change occurs because the daughter of the goddess of fertility goes to her husband - Aida. Demeter misses her very much, so everything stops on the ground. And when a girl comes to her mother, nature triumphs and comes to life.