Encyclopedia of Mythology
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Myths about Aphrodite
A B C G D E F Z I K L M N O P R S T U F X C H W E Y I
Titans and Olympians Sisyphus and Bellerophon The Exploits of Theseus Odysseus and Circe The myths of Aphrodite The Myth of Daedalus and Icarus The Legend of Oedipus Odysseus and the Phaeacians The Legend of Prometheus The Legend of the Argonauts The Trojan War Odysseus in Ithaca The Exploits of Perseus The Exploits of Hercules Odysseus and the Cyclops The Wanderings of Aeneas
Do not interfere with the effeminate, windy goddess Aphrodite in bloody battles.
Her kingdom is the kingdom of love.
It awakens love in the hearts of gods and mortals.
Thanks to the power, the power of love, it reigns over the whole world.
It gives beauty and youth to girls and blesses them with a happy marriage, it ignites love in the hearts of young men with a bright flame and will give them happiness and joy.
No one can escape her power, not even the gods.
Only the warrior Athena, Hestia and the virgin Artemis are not subject to her power.
There are so many charms of love in one belt of Aphrodite that even the great Hera often asks Aphrodite to give her this belt for a while, in order to captivate Zeus more.
Aphrodite is beautiful, more beautiful than all the goddesses.
Her eyes burn with the wondrous light of love, deep as the sea from which she came.
Her body is white and soft, like the sea foam that gave birth to her.
Tall, slender, with delicate features, with a soft wave of golden hair, like a crown lying on her inexpressibly beautiful head, the whole personification of divine beauty and unfading youth, Aphrodite shines among the goddesses of Olympus.
When she walks, shining with her beauty, in shiny clothes, then the sun shines brighter, the flowers bloom more luxuriantly.
Wild forest animals run to her from the thicket of the forest, birds flock to her when she walks through the forest.
Lions, panthers, leopards and bears gently caress her, and they are subject to the power of the goddess of love.
Aphrodite walks calmly among the wild animals, proud of her radiant beauty.
Her companions, the mountains and harith, the goddesses of beauty and grace, serve her.
They dress the goddess in luxurious clothes, anoint her delicate body with incense, comb her golden hair, crown her head with a sparkling diadem.
Aphrodite was born near the island of Kifera from the snow white foam of the sea waves.
A light, caressing breeze brought her to the island of Cyprus.
There, the young mountains surrounded the goddess of love who came out of the sea waves.
They clothed her in a golden woven garment and crowned her with a wreath of fragrant flowers.
Wherever Aphrodite walked, flowers grew luxuriantly.
The whole air was full of fragrance.
Eros and Himeroth took the wonderful goddess to Olympus.
The gods greeted her loudly, amazed by her beauty.
Since then, the golden Aphrodite, the eternally young, the most beautiful of the goddesses, has always lived among the gods of Olympus.
PYGMALION
Aphrodite gives happiness to those who serve her faithfully, just as she gave happiness to Pygmalion, the great Cypriot artist.
Pygmalion hated women and lived in seclusion, avoiding marriage.
Once he made a statue of a girl of extraordinary beauty out of shiny, white ivory.
As if this statue stood alive in the artist's studio.
It seemed that she was breathing; it seemed that now she would move, walk and speak.
The artist admired his work for hours and finally fell in love with the statue created by himself.
Pygmalion embraced her; he kissed her cold, hard lips, talked to her as if she were alive, calling her the most tender names.
He gave the statue precious necklaces, wrists and earrings, dressed her in luxurious clothes, decorated her head with wreaths of flowers and made her a bed of Sidonian purple.
How often did Pygmalion whisper:
"Oh, if you were alive, if you could respond to my caresses, to my speeches, oh, how happy I would be!
But the statue was mute.
The days of celebrations in honor of Aphrodite have come.
Pygmalion sacrificed a white heifer with gilded horns to the goddess of love; he stretched out his hands to the goddess and whispered in a fervent prayer addressed to the goddess:
"Oh, eternal gods and you, golden Aphrodite!
If you can give everything to the one who prays, then give me a wife as beautiful as the statue of the girl I made.
Pygmalion did not dare to ask the gods to revive this statue, he was afraid of angering the Olympian gods with such a request.
The sacrificial flame flared up brightly before the image of the goddess of love Aphrodite, with this the goddess seemed to make it clear to Pygmalion that the gods had heard his plea.
The artist returned home.
He went up to the statue, embraced her and pressed his lips to her cold lips.
Suddenly it seemed to Pygmalion that the lips of the statue became warm, that her body seemed to tremble and became soft, like wax from the peaks of Hymet, warmed by the rays of the sun.
Pygmalion does not believe this miracle.
He touches the statue's body with trembling hands, looks into her face with hopeful eyes.
Oh, happiness, oh, joy!
The statue came to life.
Her heart is beating, life is shining in her eyes.
Praising the great goddess of love Aphrodite and full of gratitude to her for the happiness that she sent him, Pygmalion enthusiastically embraced the beautiful girl who came down to him from the pedestal.
He showered her with kisses.
She blushed with girlish shame and looked at the artist with eyes full of love.
The goddess rewarded Pygmalion for his love.
NARCISSUS
But whoever does not honor the golden Aphrodite, who rejects her gifts, who resists her power, the goddess of love mercilessly punishes him.
So she punished the son of the river god Kephis and the nymph Lavriope, a beautiful, but cold, proud Narcissus.
Everyone who has ever seen a beautiful young man, was possessed by love for him, he was so beautiful.
Once, when he got lost in a dense forest while hunting, the nymph Echo saw him.
The nymph could not speak to Narcissus herself.
The punishment of the goddess Hera weighed on her: the nymph Echo had to be silent and answer only questions, repeating only their last words.
Echo looked with delight at the slender, handsome young man, hidden from him by the forest thicket.
Narcissus looked around, not knowing where to go, and shouted loudly:
- Hey, who's here!
- Who's here!
Echo's loud reply rang out.
- Come here!
Narcissus shouted.
"This way!"
Echo replied.
The beautiful Narcissus looks around with amazement.
There's no one here.
Surprised by this, he exclaimed loudly:
- Here, come to me quickly!
And Echo responded joyfully:
- Hurry up to me!
Stretching out her hands, a nymph from the forest hurries to Narcissus, but angrily pushed her away by a beautiful young man, proudly saying:
- Put down your hands quickly, I'd rather die than always be with you.
He hurriedly left the nymph and disappeared into the dark forest.
Sadly, the words full of sadness sounded after him: "To be with you!"
The rejected nymph hid in the impassable forest thicket.
She suffers from love for Narcissus, does not show herself to anyone, and only responds sadly to every exclamation: unhappy Echo.
And Narcissus remained as proud and cold as before.
He rejected the love of everyone.
Many nymphs were made unhappy by his pride.
And once exclaimed one of the rejected nymphs:
- Love you, too, Narcissus!
And let the one you will love never reciprocate you!
The nymph's wish was fulfilled.
The goddess of love Aphrodite was angry that Narcissus rejected her gifts, and punished him.
One day, while hunting, Narcissus came to the stream and wanted to drink the cold water.
Neither a shepherd nor mountain goats have ever touched the waters of the stream; even a broken branch has not fallen into the stream.
Its water was clear and transparent.
Everything was reflected in it as in a mirror: the bushes, the slender cypresses, the flowers that grew on the shore, and the blue sky.
Narcissus bent down to the stream, leaning his hands on a stone that protruded from the water, and was reflected in the stream all in all its glory.
Then the punishment of Aphrodite befell him.
In amazement, he looks at his reflection in the water, and a passionate love takes possession of him for his own reflection.
With eyes full of love, he looks at the wonderful young man in the water, he beckons him, calls him, stretches out his hands to him.
Narcissus bends down to the mirror of the waters to kiss the young man, but only kisses the cold transparent water of the stream.
Narcissus has forgotten everything; he does not leave the stream, he does not stop admiring his reflection.
He doesnot eat, drink, or sleep.
Finally, full of despair , exclaims Narcissus:
- Oh, who suffered so cruelly!
We are separated not by mountains, not by seas, but only by a little water, and yet we cannot be together with you.
Come out of the stream, beautiful young man!
I see, and you stretch out your hands to me, when I stretch out mine to you.
When I bend down to the water to kiss you, and you strive all to me, and your lips are waiting for a kiss too.
When I smile, and you smile at me.
And when I shed tears in grief, you also cry, tears tremble in your beautiful eyes.
I see how you answer me, I see how your red lips move, but I donot hear your words.
Narcissus thought, looking at his reflection in the water.
Suddenly a terrible thought occurred to him, and he quietly whispers to his reflection, bending down to the water itself:
"Oh, woe!
I'm afraid I've fallen in love with myself!
After all, you are myself!
I love myself.
Oh, if there could be two Narcissists!
Oh, if I could separate myself from my body!
Suffering robs me of my strength.
I feel that I have not much left to live.
As soon as I blossom, I will wither and descend into the gloomy realm of shadows.
Death does not frighten me; death will bring me a rest from the torments of love.
Narcissus ' strength leaves him, he turns pale and already feels the approach of death, but still canot tear himself away from his reflection.
Narcissus is crying.
His tears fall into the clear waters of the stream.
Circles went wide on the mirror surface of the water, and the image of a beautiful young man disappeared.
Narcissus exclaimed in fear:
"Oh, you've disappeared!
Stay here!
Donot leave me, you cruel one!
Oh, let me at least look at you!
But now the water is calm again, the reflection has appeared again, again Narcissus is looking at him without looking away.
It melts like dew on flowers in the rays of the hot sun.
The unfortunate nymph Echo also sees how Narcissus suffers.
She still loves him; Narcissus ' suffering squeezes her heart with pain.
"Oh, woe!
Narcissus exclaims.
- Woe!
Echo replies.
Finally, exhausted, Narcissus exclaimed in a weak voice, looking at his reflection:
- Goodbye!
And even quieter, the response of the nymph Echo sounded faintly:
- Goodbye!
Narcissus ' head bent down on the green grass of the coastal, and the darkness of death covered his eyes.
Narcissus died.
The younger nymphs were crying in the forest, and Echo was crying.
The nymphs prepared a grave for the young Narcissus, but when they came for his body, they did not find it.
In the place where Narcissus ' head was bent on the grass, a white fragrant flower grew the flower of death; narcissus is his name.
ADONIS
But the goddess of love, who so punished Narcissus, knew the torments of love herself, and she had to mourn her beloved Adonis.
She loved the son of the king of Cyprus, Adonis.
None of the mortals was equal to him in beauty, he was even more beautiful than the Olympian gods.
Aphrodite forgot both Patmos and the blooming Kyphera for him.
Adonis was dearer to her than even the bright Olympus.
She spent all her time with young Adonis.
She hunted with him in the mountains and forests of Cyprus, like the virgin Artemis.
Aphrodite forgot about her gold jewelry, about her beauty.
Under the scorching rays of the sun and in bad weather, she hunted hares, timid deer and sickles, avoiding hunting menacing lions and wild boars.
And she asked Adonis to avoid the dangers of hunting lions, bears and wild boars, so that no misfortune would happen to him.
After the hunt, Aphrodite rested on the lush grass of the green valleys with Adonis, leaning her divinely beautiful head on her knees to him.
The goddess rarely left the king's son, and every time she left him, she begged him to remember her requests.
Once, in the absence of Aphrodite, the dogs of Adonis while hunting came upon the trail of a huge boar.
They picked up the beast and drove it away with furious barking.
Adonis rejoiced at such a rich prey, he did not foresee that this was his last hunt.
The barking of dogs is getting closer, now a huge boar has already flashed among the bushes.
Adonis is already preparing to pierce the enraged boar with his spear, when suddenly the boar rushed at him and mortally wounded Aphrodite's pet with his huge fangs.
Adonis died from a terrible wound.
When Aphrodite learned about the death of Adonis, full of unspeakable grief, she herself went to the mountains of Cyprus to look for the body of her beloved young man.
Aphrodite walked along steep mountain rapids, among gloomy gorges, along the edges of deep precipices.
Sharp stones and thorns of thorns hurt the tender feet of the goddess.
Drops of her divine blood fell to the ground, leaving a trace wherever the goddess passed.
Aphrodite finally found the body of Adonis.
She wept bitterly over the beautiful young man who died so early.
In order to always preserve the memory of him, the goddess ordered a tender anemone to grow out of the blood of Adonis.
And where drops of blood fell from the wounded feet of the goddess, lush roses grew everywhere, scarlet as the blood of Aphrodite.
Zeus the Thunderer took pity on the grief of the goddess of love.
He ordered his brother Hades and his wife Persephone to let Adonis go to earth every year from the sad realm of the shadows of the dead.
Since then, Adonis has remained in the kingdom of Hades for six months, and lives on earth with the goddess Aphrodite for six months.
The whole nature rejoices when the young, beautiful favorite of golden Aphrodite, Adonis, returns to earth to the bright rays of the sun.
EROT
Golden Aphrodite reigns over the world.
She, like Zeus the Thunderer, has a messenger; through him she fulfills her will.
This messenger of Aphrodite is her son Eros, a cheerful, fast, playful, cunning, and sometimes cruel boy.
Eros quickly flies on his shiny golden wings over the lands and seas, fast and light as a breeze.
He has a small golden bow in his hands, and a quiver of arrows on his shoulders.
No one is protected from these golden arrows.
These arrows strike everyone, even the thunderer Zeus.
Eros does not spare his mother Aphrodite either; many times he pierced her heart with his golden arrows.
An arrow will sparkle in the air like a golden spark, it will plunge into the heart of the victim intended by Eros without pain, and the heart will burst into flames of love.
Eros hits the target without a miss; he, as a shooter, is not inferior to the golden haired Apollo himself.
When Erot hits the target, his eyes shine with joy, he throws his curly head high with triumph and laughs loudly.
Just approaching it makes you already feel its power.
Fish in the sea, forest animals, and birds in the air obey it, but most of all people.
The gods of Olympus themselves are mad if the arrows of Eros pierce their hearts.
But the arrows of Eros do not always bring joy and happiness with them.
They often bear suffering, torments of love and further death.
These arrows caused a lot of suffering to the golden haired Apollo himself, the cloud maker Zeus himself.
Zeus knew how much grief and evil the son of the golden Aphrodite would bring with him to the world.
He wanted to be killed at birth.
How could my mother allow this!
She hid Eros in an impenetrable forest, and there, in the forest wilds, two fierce lionesses nursed the baby Eros with their milk.
Erot grew up, rushes around the world, young, beautiful, and sows his arrows in the world that happiness, then grief, then good, then evil.
There is another assistant and companion of Aphrodite, this is the young god of marriage Hymen.
He flies on his snow white wings ahead of the wedding processions.
The flame of his marriage torch burns brightly.
Choirs of girls call Hymen during the wedding and pray to him to bless the marriage of the young and send them joy in their marriage life.
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