Aphrodite is one of the most famous figures of Greek mythology, because Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love, beauty, and sexual rapture. She was desired by nearly all of the Greek gods. Aphrodite was one of the twelve main gods on Mt. Olympus, and she was the most powerful goddess when it came to members of the opposite sex. "The most common origin of her birth is her being foam-born, which is what her name means" (Parin 45). This origin says that Aphrodite arose nude and full-grown out of the foam of the sea and riding into the shore of Cythera on a scallop shell. She found Cythera to be too small of an island, so she went to live in Paphos, in Cyprus, which is still the principal seat of her worship.
Although Aphrodite was the goddess of love and beauty, she had a magic girdle that she wore that made everyone fall in love with her.
Aphrodite and Adonis. Attic red-figure squat lekyt...
Aphrodite on a swan. Tondo from an Attic white-gro...
Crouching Aphrodite, 1st–2nd century AD, from Sa...She could hardly ever be persuaded to lend it to anyone. Since Aphrodite had the magic girdle and was so beautiful, all of the gods fell in love with her. All of the goddesses were jealous of Aphrodite because all of the gods loved her instead of the other goddesses. Because of this, Zeus arranged a marriage for her with Hephaestus, the lame smith-god.
Aphrodite, already regretting the trouble she had caused, took Adonis, and put him in a chest. She gave the chest to Persephone, asking her to hide it in a dark place. Persephone couldn't stand not knowing what was inside the chest, so she opened the chest and found Adonis. Persephone found Adonis to be a very cute baby, so she took hi into her own palace to raise him. Aphrodite did not find out about...