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Aphrodite, Goddess of Love and Beauty

Lady Saoirse
By Lady Saoirse
January 07, 2025
Aphrodite, Goddess of Love and Beauty
Aphrodite, Goddess of Love and Beauty

Aphrodite, Greek goddess of many things, was once one of the most adored and revered deities of the ancient world. Learn about Aphrodite, goddess of war, beauty, love, lust, and many other things, and how you can cultivate a relationship with her today.

Aphrodite is a name that calls to mind images of splendor, beauty, and sensuality. Even her name sounds beautiful. There was a time when great temples were built for her worship, and even sex workers were her devotees. Who is this goddess, and how can people today make a connection with her? Join Mysticsense to learn all about Aphrodite, and the sacred things she presides over. Read some of her myths and find out which goddesses she is likely to be connected with. If you feel called to have a relationship with the goddess, learn how to build an altar, pray to her, and give her offerings. Aphrodite isn’t everyone’s goddess, but if she’s yours, read on!

Who is Aphrodite?

Who is Aphrodite?

Aphrodite is a major Greek goddess of love, beauty, lust, fertility, and victory. Her name derives from the word aphros, which means “sea foam." There are different forms of Aphrodite. One form of her is Ouriana, or Aphrodite Urania. This aspect of her signifies her spiritual aspect and it calls her “queen of the heavens.” Another aspect of her is Aphrodite Pandemos. This aspect of her means “common to all people” and indicates her role in unifying the people. Some say that Aphrodite Ouriana is an elder goddess who has no mother, and Aphrodite Pandemos is associated with sex and sexual attraction. Other people say these are two different aspects of the same goddess. Read about love at first sight here; Is Love at First Sight Real?

Stories About Aphrodite

We learn the most about Aphrodite from stories about her. Stories of her birth say a lot about who she is as well as the stories about her relationship with lovers. Aphrodite was a female deity who has a male form though, and how she presents herself says a lot about her. She is associated with war and victory, and she sometimes lashes out in wrath. She also does wonderful things for people who she favors.

Aphrodite’s Birth

There are different stories about how she was born and where she was born. Some say she was born at a place in Cyprus called Paphos, and others say she was born near an island called Cytheria. One story says she was born when the God Cronus cut off the God Uranus’ genitals and flung them into the sea. Foam arose from this and from that foam, Aphrodite was born. This story may come from an ancient Hittite poem called the song of Kumarbi where the God Kumarbi overcomes his father, Anu, and bites off his genitals. Anu ended up giving birth to Kumarbi's children after this! Another story says that Aphrodite is the daughter of the God Zeus and Dione, who may have been a goddess.

Aphrodite’s Lovers

Aphrodite’s Lovers

Aphrodite was married to the Greek god of fire, Hephaestus, but he wasn't her only lover. She took many lovers besides him, including Ares. Hephaestus found out about the lovers, and cast a net over them when he caught them making love- in his own bed. He brought other gods into the bed chamber to laugh at the two trapped lovers. This eventually ended in a divorce between Aphrodite and her husband. Some stories say that she was not married though and was a lover to Ares the god of War. Read more about gods and goddesses of war here: Who is the Goddess and God of War?

She fell in love with one man because of Zeus. He was upset with her because she made gods and goddesses fall in love with human beings sometimes, so Zeus made her fall in love with a shepherd named Anchises. She hid her true form from the shepherd until after they'd made love, but once she revealed her true form to him, it terrified him. She reassured him that she would bear him a son and their son was the demigod, Aeneas. The god of wine, Dionysos was also a lover of Aphrodite’s, but this angered Hera. So, Hera cursed the child that resulted from their union to be born horribly ugly.

Aphrodite’s Male Self

There is a masculine version of Aphrodite, and his name is Aphroditus. He was revered in Athens and was said to originate in Cyprus. This god has a female shape, and dresses like a woman, but raises a skirt to reveal a phallus. He is associated with the moon and at ancient worship ceremonies, men and women exchanged clothing and dressed as one another. It is said this god is equated with the god Hermaphroditus who was the son of Aphrodite and Hermes. Some say a deity with both male and female attributes is a fertility deity, helping the people and the earth to regenerate. Read about how we can save the earth here: Environmentalism: How to Save the Earth

Aphrodite and War

Aphrodite has been associated with war by some people, possibly because of the role she played in the Trojan War. Peleus and Thetus had their wedding and invited all the gods- except for Eris, goddess of discord. Not to be trifled with, Eris got her revenge. She crashed the wedding by casting a single golden apple onto the ground there, and on it were the words, “To the fairest.” Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera all fought, all saying it was for them. Paris of Troy was called upon to decide who among the three goddesses should get the apple. They all offered him bribes to say they were the fairest, but Aphrodite offered him the hand of the most beautiful woman alive- none other than Helen of Troy and he accepted. Helen was married to the king of Troy- who waged war in response.

The cities of Thebes, Cyprus, and Sparta especially associated Aphrodite with war. Aphrodite Areia, meaning “Aphrodite the warlike” was one of her names. Multiple statues with armor and weapons have been found of her there. Once, the Spartan men were away attacking a place called Messene, and the women donned armor to defend Sparta from a group from the Messene army that attacked their city. So, if someone says you fight like a girl, take it as a compliment and fear not! Read about phobias here: Phobia- That Thing That Scares Us

Aphrodite’s Wrath

Some people say all is fair in love and war and other people say hell hath no fury like a woman! When Aphrodite gets mad, watch out, she rains down punishments! Sometimes, those punishments ended up being sexual. Hippomenes was a prince in Central Greece, and he angered Aphrodite by not thanking her properly when she helped him. She made him have sex with his wife at the sacred temple of the goddess Rhea- making Rhea turn him and his wife into lions! Menelaus, wed to Helen of Troy, lost his wife to Paris because he failed to provide proper tribute to Aphrodite. Tyndareus, a king of Southern Greece failed to provide proper worship for Aphrodite, and the goddess cursed him so that his three daughters were exposed for being unfaithful to their husbands. Never cross Aphrodite!

Aphrodite’s Favor

It is far better to win Aphrodite’s favor, as many have known. Pygmalion was a sculptor from Cypress, and he was having difficulty finding a woman to love. He was deeply devoted to Aphrodite and began sculpting an ivory statue of her. He fell in love with it, and the goddess smiled upon him, turning the statue into a real woman who he married. She also favored Adonis. King Cinyras married a woman who bragged that their daughter Myrrha was more beautiful than Aphrodite. The goddess drove the daughter mad with lust with her own father, who impregnated her. She was banished and turned into the myrrh tree, but still gave birth to the beautiful Adonis, who Aphrodite loved and adored until his death. In heartbreak she grieved him. Read about dealing with grief here: How Can We Deal with Loss and Communicate with the Dead?

Is Aphrodite Venus?

Venus is a Roman goddess of love, beauty, and war whereas Aphrodite is from Greece. They are two separate goddesses, but the goddess Venus may have either been conceived from the idea of Aphrodite, or their myths blended. However, it is believed that Aphrodite originally comes from the goddess Astarte, Inanna, and Ishtar of Mesopotamia. Each of the five goddesses named above are from different places and are worshipped by different people. Experts believe, however, that as people are exposed to people from different places, they exchange cultural ideas and religious practices. So maybe Aphrodite and Venus came from the Middle Eastern goddesses Ishtar, Astarte, and Inanna and then the Romans took her from Greece, but the five goddesses are distinct goddesses of their own people.

Building a Relationship with Aphrodite

You don’t have to be an ancient person to have a relationship with Aphrodite. You just have to let her know you want to. Building an altar is one way to reach out to her and you can say prayers to her. You can also do good work in her name as offerings.

An Altar for Aphrodite

An Altar for Aphrodite

An altar is used as a magical working space where you can do sacred rituals or contact spirits or deities. On your personal altar, put something in honor of Aphrodite to create a space for her presence. Some of the symbols of the goddess are doves, sparrows, swans, roses, pearls, seashells, apples, and pomegranates. You can put a statue or a picture of her or a symbol of her on your altar, and light a candle for her. Not everybody has access to all of these things, so a piece of paper with her name written on it will do. Aphrodite’s name is powerful, and it is enough to call her to your altar. Read about the power of names here: All About the Power of Names

Prayers to Aphrodite

Prayers are just talking to a goddess or god. Talking to Aphrodite can be something simple. You don’t need fancy words because the goddess will hear you when you say her name. If you speak right from the heart, she will hear you and will answer your prayer. She can be called upon to help bring you together with someone you love or to help lovers who are struggling. She can be called to help you stand up for yourself- because nobody crossed her and did not pay dearly. She can also be called upon to help you open yourself to a new lover! Pray and Aphrodite will answer!

Offerings to Aphrodite

One way to establish a relationship with Aphrodite is to give her offerings. You can plant an apple tree for her, help some lovers, or help the doves!

Plant an Apple Tree

Apples are sacred to Aphrodite. Why not plant an apple tree in your garden for the goddess? What if you don’t have a place for a tree? You can find someplace. Some cities have programs where you can donate trees to public spaces. Donate an apple tree in honor of Aphrodite. Visit the tree often, pouring offerings of clean water during dry periods, and use fertilizer to feed it once or twice a year. When you see animals nest in the branches and eat the tree’s fruit, you will know the goddess sees your offering and has accepted it through the animals. Read about the spiritual meaning of fruits in dreams here: Fruit Meanings in Dreams | A Spiritual Guide

Help Lovers

Aphrodite is known for helping lovers who she favors by bringing them together. Do you know some lovers who could use some help? Is there a young couple who have just moved in together, but they have little furniture? Look around your home for furniture you aren’t using and gift it to them in Aphrodite’s honor. Do you know two people who you think would be a great couple? In the honor of Aphrodite, introduce them to each other. Is one of your employees trying to save money to visit their significant other who lives out of town? Give them some overtime and help them afford the trip faster! It is so easy to help lovers and it pleases Aphrodite!

Help the Doves

In honor of Aphrodite, help some of the birds that symbolize her-doves. Doves, like any animal, need help sometimes, and not everybody knows that. A lot of people think doves would make amazing pets, and other people pay for a single dove or a group of doves to be released at their event. What not everybody knows is that some people don’t take care of their pet doves properly, and when doves are released for show at an event the doves suffer. They may be harmed by predators while trying to find their way home, might be unable to find their way home at all, or may be injured during the release. To help doves in Aphrodite’s name would be a great way to honor her. To help doves, contact Palomacy here: Palomacy Pigeon & Dove Adoptions

Love, beauty, bringing people together, and the joys of sex are all things Aphrodite is the goddess of. She was born from the sacred body parts of another god, and arose from the sea, a miracle like none other. Some of her magnificent temples still stand, and images of her still amaze all who behold her. She can come into your life if you reach out to her by building an altar for her, praying to her, and giving her offerings. May Aphrodite smile upon you and bless you. May she help you to embrace your own beauty, enjoy fabulous lovemaking, and may she help you to come together with many people to love. So Be It.

If you want to know how to bring new love into your life, call to Aphrodite, just don’t forget you can also reach out to one of our psychics for guidance about love!

We have selected the most relevant psychics for this article, you can connect with any of them and get accurate advice on this subject.

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