AphroditeAphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, lust, procreation, sexual reproduction and fertility. Her Roman equivalent is the goddess Venus. She is also the protectress of the sailors and the myrtle, the dove, the sparrow, the swan, the apple, the scallop shell and the mirror are sacred to her. She is accompanied by the winged godling of love called Eros. Aphrodite the goddess of love has her origins from ancient civilizations. Her origins can be traced from the old Asian Goddesses like the Mesopotamian Ishtar and the Syro-Palestinian goddess Ashtart i.e.the ancient Semitic goddess of love Ishtar-Astarte. So the Greeks were not the first to worship the goddess of love. Matter of fact the ancient Greeks themselves believed that Aphrodite was both Greek and foreign in origin. It is said that she was in fact “Cyprian” and many of her attributes reflect the origins of Asian Mycenaean times. She is a mix of pre-existing Hellenic or Aegean Goddess. She also latter got identified with Venus the Roman goddess of love. Her offspring’s are said to be the founder ruling clan of the roman civilization. Aphrodite: The dual birth story The Goddess of love has two birth stories and one relates to her birth from Uranus and here she is called as the Aphrodite Urania or Celestial Aphrodite and through this birth she manifests all higher quality of love that is pure and spiritual. In this manifestation she is linked to the creation of the world and that makes her one of the oldest divinities who is present from the beginning of time. On the other hand there is another birth story attributed to her where she is known be the daughter of Zeus and she is called as the Aphrodite Pandemos. In this manifestation she is linked to the basal nature of love, lust and physical satisfaction. Therefore Aphrodite seems to be a goddess who can manifest all the qualities of love from the most basal and physical to highest order of spiritual love. Aphrodite: In Mythological manifestations She is patron deity of love and she has assisted both human and divine lovers. She was involved in bringing together the most famous couple of Greek myth that is Paris and Helen. She was also a goddess who was personally involved with lot of lovers both divine and human. She was considered as a unique and powerful deity with tremendous powers in the matter of love, freedom and human feelings. Aphrodite: Hidden powers Her domain of influence included the innermost feelings of the heart and the reservoir of human passion. Such power was revealed through her actions both towards her faithful followers and those who incited her anger. She was particularly wrathful against those who tried to disrupt or prevent the natural workings of love and sexuality. Her abilities where not just a tool for creating petty love but a real instrument of power which could kindle and awaken the innermost hidden passions of love in all beings. Aphrodite: True meaning of her manifestations In her basal manifestation, she was the symbol of freedom and liberated sexuality. She was a rebel in true sense and her seductive abilities where of the highest order. Nobody could resist her charms that came from her magic cestus, an embroidered griddle that, in both gods and men aroused passion for the wearer. She was in fact feared and that’s why anybody who opposed the workings of love and sexuality condemned her reputation. She had lovers among both God and human. Her affairs with the God of War, Ares and creation of many children is the most well known affair with the divine. On the other hand she is also credited in giving birth to the founder of the nation of Italy and the mystical founder of the Roman people, Aeneas who is one of the most well known mortal children she had. Aeneas was born with her liaison she had with the shepherd Anchises. Her control over love and passion was complete and with this power she could influence both the divine and the mortal in a profound manner. Aphrodite: A glimpse of the War Goddess Aphrodite may have been also projected as a war goddess especially in Sparta which was a militaristic state and where even girls where raised in militaristic traditions. She was also paired with the god of war, Ares in mythology and worship. Even when her origins are traced to the ancient goddesses we find the attribute of goddess of war being projected. Astarte the ancient goddess to whom she is linked was a goddess of war and fertility. Aphrodite: Her celebration in art and festivals As a Greek goddess of love, beauty, fertility and passion she had rich presence in numerous myths, poems, plays and stories. She was richly depicted in Greek sculpture and vase painting. She was often depicted nude. Vase paintings of antiquity have shown her associated with the dove and the goose on which she is seen riding. She has also been painted riding the giant scallop shell. Venus de Milo, the statue with a lost arm is one of her famous representations. In ancient Greece her festival the Aphrodisiac was celebrated in various centers and her priestesses were considered to be goddess and sexual intercourse with them was considered as a way of worship of the goddess. Aphrodite: The true symbolization Aphrodite was truly a powerful and influential goddess of the Greek who symbolized love, passion and freedom. Her worship was a celebration of the most primal instincts of the human nature as well as the highest ideals of love and emotion. She represented the most basal passions of physicality as well as the most scared, pure, compassionate and spiritual manifestation of love. She was a goddess to whom humanity could closely relate to in terms of fertility, nurturing and growth. 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