Aphrodite (R2)

Aphrodite was believed to be the goddess of love and beauty in Greek mythology. She was known for getting involved with all of the social lives of the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus. 

She was the daughter of Zeus and Dione. She is also sometimes seen as being born from Uranus’s severed body in the sea. In this version, she was seen as appearing from foam in the sea. Dione was an ancient Greek goddess, known for being in Homer’s The Iliad. She is sometimes called the ancient wife of Zeus. In other versions and interpretations of this myth, Aphrodite was believed to be the daughter of Uranus, the first Titan god. Her symbols are mainly seen as the scallop shell, the mirror, and a rose. She is the equivalent of the Roman god, Venus. The ancient Greeks also identified her with the Egyptian goddess, Hathor. 

Because Aphrodite had so much beauty, she was seen as a threat to others. The gods and goddesses believed that if there was a rivalry with her, that it would interrupt the peace and lead to war. For this reason, Zeus married her to Hephaestus, god of fire and metalworking. Hephaestus was deformed from being thrown off Mount Olympus by Zeus and his mother, Hera. Because of this, he was not seen as a threat making it possible for him to marry Aphrodite. She is known for cheating on Hephaestus with Ares, the god of war, or Adonis. It was believed that she liked the god of war’s violent nature. 

The goddess is known for causing the Trojan War in the Odyssey, making Paris fall in love with Helen of Troy, making him capture him. She is also known for being caught cheating on Hephaestus with Ares, after Hephaestus finds out and traps them.