Aphrodite, the goddess of love- the fifth Olympian
Aphrodite is the goddess of love, beauty, pleasure and procreation. Greek mythology has it that Aphrodite rose from the sea after Cronus cut of Uranus’s genitals and cast them into the sea. Aphrodite is the wife of Hephaestus. Their marriage was arranged by Zeus, for Aphrodite was soon becoming the cause of an inter-Olympian war. Hephaestus was given Aphrodite’s hand in marriage because everyone knew that he would be one of the most unfaltering of husbands. Aphrodite couldn’t stand being married to a crippled god and so went to start an affair with his brother, Ares. Hephaestus caught them in the act but instead of being humiliated. They were taken into good humor.
Another famous story of Aphrodite was the story of the apple. The god, Eris, having not been invited to a celebration of the gods, crashes the party and throws an apple for the fairest of all. Aphrodite, Hera and Athena all compete for this apple, asking the gods to be judges. The gods could not decide so they suggested asking a mortal man. The trio went to Paris, the son of King Priam of Troy. Paris asked the 3 ladies to stand in front of him naked, but he still couldn’t decide. So the trio stooped down to bribing.
Hera promised that if she got the apple that she would give Paris domain over Asia and Europe, while Athena offered wisdom, fame, and glory in battle. Aphrodite, on the other hand, offered the most beautiful mortal woman in the world as a wife, and he accordingly chose her. This woman was Helen, who was, unfortunately for Paris, already married to King Menelaus of Sparta. The other two goddesses were enraged by Paris’s choice, and through Helen's abduction by Paris, they brought about the Trojan War.
Another famous story of Aphrodite was the story of the apple. The god, Eris, having not been invited to a celebration of the gods, crashes the party and throws an apple for the fairest of all. Aphrodite, Hera and Athena all compete for this apple, asking the gods to be judges. The gods could not decide so they suggested asking a mortal man. The trio went to Paris, the son of King Priam of Troy. Paris asked the 3 ladies to stand in front of him naked, but he still couldn’t decide. So the trio stooped down to bribing.
Hera promised that if she got the apple that she would give Paris domain over Asia and Europe, while Athena offered wisdom, fame, and glory in battle. Aphrodite, on the other hand, offered the most beautiful mortal woman in the world as a wife, and he accordingly chose her. This woman was Helen, who was, unfortunately for Paris, already married to King Menelaus of Sparta. The other two goddesses were enraged by Paris’s choice, and through Helen's abduction by Paris, they brought about the Trojan War.