Scandalous Love Affairs: Venus vs. Aphrodite

Venus

 Aphrodite

Introduction

If you ever thought Game of Throne was dramatic, you should try reading Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. Bloody hell, I reckon this was like the early version of Riverdale in terms of dramas, love affairs and betrayals. And with Valentine’s Day just a few days away, I think it would appropriate if we looked at the multiple relationships that the goddesses of love and beauty had.

If you didn’t know already, the Greeks and their culture profoundly influenced Roman culture, art, mythology etc. especially after they invaded their territories. One example is the many gods that the Greeks worshipped. The Romans transferred the Greek gods, renaming them and making them relevant to Roman society. For example Zeus, who was renamed Jupiter; Aphrodite, whose equivalent is Venus in the Roman society and so on. 

Roles in both societies

Both goddesses played vital roles in their respective societies.

Aphrodite

Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of pleasure, love, beauty and procreation. In some places, she is said to be the goddess of war, such as in Sparta, Cyprus, etc. Although her temples in Greece are relatively small, she is still an influential goddess in Greek polytheism.

Venus

Venus is the Roman goddess of love, beauty, fertility, sex, prosperity, prostitution and victory. Although Venus had no worshipers in the early days of Rome, that later changed when Julius Caesar claimed that he was a descendant of Venus in a political campaign. This led to new festivals and shrines built in her honour. She became important to new brides who would leave offerings in hopes of a marriage. Her sacred month was April when many festivals were held in her honour.

Emperor Julius Caesar

Today

These goddesses also play a huge part in modern society. For example, if you paid attention in year 4 science, you would know that one of the planets is named Venus. This is apparently because it is the brightest and prettiest object in the night sky, besides the Moon of course, is Venus. Aphrodisiacs or love drugs, are substances found in food that increase sexual desire and are if you can’t see already, derived from Aphrodite. Venereal disease or an STI is named after Venus, though this isn’t nearly as nice as a planet.

The planet Venus

Origins

Venus

As aforementioned previously, many Roman deities are of Greek descent, due to the Greeks being invaded by the Romans, and Venus is no exception. Venus shares many of the same attributes and stories as Aphrodite. 

Aphrodite

There are two stories to how Aphrodite came into existence. In Homer’s Iliad, it is said that she is the product of the love affair between Zeus and Dione, a Titaness, which would make her a second generation Olympian goddess. However, in Hesiod’s Theogony, which is more popular, and which I think is way more messed up, says that Aphrodite was formed by the white foam from the severed genitals of Uranus that were cut off and thrown into the sea by his son Kronos. Like I said this is more messed up and dramatic than any modern TV show I have seen. This would make Aphrodite/Venus older than the Titans.

 

Aphrodite rising from the foam of the sea

Interactions with Gods

As both gods have the same stories and myths about them, I will only use the Greek gods, who you can substitute the Roman gods for; otherwise, it would be too confusing. It is said that the gods were concerned Aphrodite’s beauty would start many wars due to jealousy; therefore Zeus married Aphrodite to the god of fire, ‎Hephaestus as he was not seen as a threat due to his deformity and ugliness. Aphrodite did not have a say in this, which is pretty ridiculous and unfair. Their marriage was not a happy one as Aphrodite had many affairs, the most notable one being Ares, the god of war, who technically was Hephaestus’ brother as both their parents were Zeus and Hera. Products of this affair include Cupid in Roman mythology or Eros in Greek mythology. This was the worst kept secret in Olympus and made Hephaestus a laughing stock. There was one myth says Hephaestus trapped Aphrodite and Ares together in bed with an unbreakable net and called all the gods and goddesses to witness his wife’s infidelity and to humiliate them. The gods and goddesses laughed at them especially because Ares, the god of war, was trapped by the lame and physically inferior Hephaestus. Talk about dysfunctional families. Aphrodite also had many other relationships with Poseidon, Hermes, etc.

Ares and Aphrodite

Interactions with humans

As well as having multiple affairs with gods, Aphrodite/Venus also had relationships with mortals, notably, Adonis. The story goes that the goddess was jealous of the beauty of Adonis’s mother, Myrrha, and caused her to fall in love with her own father, King Theias, as revenge, which is pretty extreme. After tricking him into sleeping with her, her father tried to kill her. Myrrha begged the gods to help her, and they turned her into a tree. In tree form, she gave birth to Adonis, who Aphrodite/Venus hid in a chest and gave it to Persephone/Proserpina, the queen of the underworld. When the queen saw the child, she fell in love with him and refused to give him up. This caused a dispute between the two goddesses, which was settled by Zeus/Jupiter. He decided that Adonis would spend one-third of the year with each goddess, and the remainder by himself. Adonis chose to spend two third of the year with Aphrodite, which made Persephone/Proserpina very jealous. Eventually, Ares the god of war, became jealous and transformed into the boar that killed Adonis while he was hunting. This transported Adonis to spent to the underworld, where Persephone/Proserpina welcomed him with open arms. 

Aphrodite and Adonis

I don’t know about you, but it’s times like this that I’m glad that I’m not a god or goddess, there is way too much drama. I mean it’s fun to read about, I’m not going to get involved.

As always, happy reading and stay out of incestuous dramas and relationships.

XxX