Tim Oberhelman
Mrs. Patrick
English 1310-01
10 October 2011
Stories of Aphrodite
Aphrodite was born near Phapos, on sthe island Cyprus. Aphrodite was more than just a “goddess.” She helped with wars during ancient Greek times. She was at first believed to be a goddess, but in later writings, she was a person as well as a symbol. The Greeks saw her as a symbol of fertility and love. As well as, “Aphrodite's association with the arts and wiles of seduction: Aphrodite the Persuasive, Aphrodite Who Contrives Ways and Means for Lovers, Aphrodite Who Turns the Hearts of Men to Love” (Kinsley 209).
According to the myth, there was a consequence of castration: Cronus cut Uranus’ genitals and tossed them into the sea below. Mysterious foam from Uranus’ genitals began to emerge; there she came to life Aphrodite, as she road in on a seashell. While another myth says that, Zeus and Dione made love and produced a daughter, as we know as, Aphrodite.
During the Trojan War, Aphrodite was with two other goddesses, Hera and Athena. “Eris, the goddess of discord, was so outraged that she was not invited, and she threw a golden apple labeled ‘"to the fairest"’ in the center of the floor. All three goddesses knew that they were the fairest, and fought over it. Since Zeus would not choose the fairest, the goddess looked upon Paris, the Prince of Troy, to make the award. Each goddess offered Paris a bribe for them to be the chosen one. Thus, the bribe he could not turn down was that of Aphrodite, as she offered him the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen of Troy. Helen, however, was the wife of the Greek king, Menelaus, so Paris's abduction of Helen led to the Trojan War” (Paris). During the war you see Aphrodite as a person, and not as a symbol as in the other stories. The interesting thing about Greek Mythology is that this was why polytheism was very common in B.C. times; you always have different interpretations thus, making it harder to believe in as a faith....