Aphrodite

Αφροδίτη





Aphrodite was the great Olympian goddess of beauty, love, pleasure and and procreation. She was depicted as a beautiful woman usually accompanied by the winged godling Eros (Love). Her attributes included a dove, apple, scallop shell and mirror.

 Birth 



After Kronos severed Ouranos' body, his genitals created sea foam. From that foam, Aphrodite was born. She later joined the Olympians after Zeus assumed power. Due to her immense beauty, Zeus was frightened that she would be the cause of violence between the other gods. Thus he married her off to Hephaestus, the dour, humourless god of smithing. Unhappy with her arranged marriage, Aphrodite began an affair with the violent but passionate Ares. She also had relationships with various mortals and other gods, resulting in many children.

 Trojan War 



Aphrodite contributed greatly to the cause of the Trojan War, which lasted ten years and caused the violent downfall of the city of Troy. She bribed Paris, prince of Troy, with the most beautiful woman in the world (Helen), in return for him declaring her the fairest of the goddesses; a title she vied for with Hera and Athena.

Aphrodite supported Troy in the war, and intervened many times on behalf of Paris and her favourite son Aeneas, who was also of Trojan royalty. She also sparked the conflict by causing the already married Helen to fall in love with Paris. Despite the fact that their affair caused the end of Troy, Aphrodite seems to view them as a tragic and sympathetic couple.

 Personality 



Aphrodite is on occasion temperamental and vain as well as crafty, flirtatious, and seductive. Despite these qualities, Aphrodite is both very loving and passionate, having a sincere faith in love that is absolute and true. She is very benevolent to those she favours (such as Percy) and deeply loves and cares for her children as well as their fathers. She has much insight into mortals' emotions, and knew that Piper's father would only truly recover if she gave him the potion to forget the supernatural world. She also left him without telling him the truth, so that he would only remember her as a mortal woman whom he lost forever, rather than a very much alive but unattainable goddess.