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Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and sexual desire, may have originated from the Semitic goddess Ishtar or Astarte. She is often depicted as capricious and deceitful, causing the Trojan War. Depictions of her in art often show her naked, representing sexual freedom.
Aphrodite (Venus in Roman mythology) is best known as the Greek goddess of love, one of the twelve deities who lived on Mount Olympus. Indeed, she is not only a goddess of love, but also of sexual desire, eroticism and feminine power. The goddess’s origins probably go back to the Semitic goddess Ishtar or Astarte, and her reign in Greece may have begun with her worship among the Phoenicians.
Many who study the emergence of Greek gods and goddesses suggest that nomadic and conquering tribes tended to bring their particular god or goddess to an area and thus create a relationship between their god (usually a god of storm or weather) with the local goddess. This explains Zeus’s many extramarital affairs with local mother or harvest goddesses. Aphrodite’s origin is somewhat different, for she was probably a central goddess, Ishtar/Astarte gradually absorbed into the Greek tradition.
Although Zeus is the ruler of Mount Olympus, Aphrodite’s relationship with him is like an aunt. While Zeus was the son of Cronus, Aphrodite is notably the daughter of Uranus. She is said to have emerged from sea foam caused by Cronus’ castration of Uranus. This makes her somewhat superior to her, or at least on par with Zeus, but she defers to him, or is given special province over her love, beauty, and eroticism.
He does not hesitate, however, to ignore his own marriage to Hephaestus, the blacksmith of the gods and brother of Zeus. She’s in fact she’s constantly aligned with Ares and she’s in an ongoing relationship with him. In one tale, Hephaestus discovers the affair and sets a net trap to capture the two lovers, which she succeeds in. The gods then appear to laugh at Aphrodite and Ares in a very compromising position.
In Greek mythology, Aphrodite is often seen as capricious and deceitful, perhaps like sexual love itself, not exactly trustworthy. She is the cause of the Trojan War. When she vies with Hera and Athena to be named the most beautiful goddess, in Paris’ judgment, she promises him the love of the most beautiful woman in the world. Unfortunately this woman is Helen, who is already married. She keeps her promise, which condemns Troy.
You will find numerous depictions of Aphrodite in both modern and ancient art. Perhaps most recognizable of all is Botticelli’s 15th-century work, The Birth of Venus, in which the goddess is seen rising naked from the sea on an open shell. In many artistic representations, whether painted, drawn or sculpted, Aphrodite is depicted without clothes. As such, she represents the sexual freedom and sass for which she has been praised or censured.
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