LCT8: Aphrodite Flashcards
How is Aphrodite born?
sprung from foam (aphros) around Ouranos’ severed genitals
Who does Aphrodite marry?
Hephaistos
Characteristics
- goddess of beauty, love, sex, desire, and harmony
- often depicted as riding elegant birds
- artistic representations often emphasizes sensual/sexual aspects
Attendants of Aphrodite (2)
- The Graces
- The Erotes = winged attendants of Aphrodite (aka, Cupids)
Who does Aphrodite have power over? Who does she not?
Everyone (including Zeus) besides three goddesses -
- Athena (goddess of war and wisdom)
- Artemis
- Hestia (goddess of hearth fire)
All virgin goddesses
Tired of her boasting, what does Zeus do?
causes Aphrodite to lust for a mortal man
Who does Aphrodite lust for?
Anchises - a handsome, unsuspecting herdsman near Troy
Eos and Tithonos story
Eos falls in love with mortal Tithonos, begs Zeus to allow Tithonos to live forever, but forgets to ask for eternal youth. Tithonos is overcome by old age; Eos shuts him away in a chamber and stays away
What happens if Anchises reveals Aphrodites identity?
Zeus will blast him (ends up revealing her identity after getting drunk and blurts out secret to drinking buddies)
Who is king Theias’ daughter?
Smyrna
Who is she in love with?
Her own father - tells her assistant Hippolyte’s (rejected all other men beforehand)
What happens with Theias finds out he is sleeping with his daughter?
Smyrna prays to Zeus for deliverance –> Zeus changes her into a tree and Theias kills himself
What does Zeus do with Theias and Smyrna’s child?
preserves it - allows him to grow in the tree and has a birth like normal from the tree
How is Adonis killed?
By wild boar while out hunting
The Rose and the anemone
Adonis blood = rose
Aphrodite’s tears = anemone
