Aphrodite (Mythology)

Aphrodite is the Olympian goddess of Love and Beauty in Greek mythology. It is theorized that she is the daughter of Zeus and Dione, whilst another theory claims that she was born from the severed genitals of Ouranos when Kronos slew him. Despite being known to have frequent affairs against her husband Hephaestus (especially with her lover Ares, the God of War), she is often portrayed in myths as a friendly, kind, benevolent, and even generous entity. The sites of Cythera and Cyprus are often associated with her, as they claim to be her place of birth. She is also frequently portrayed in many works of art, often nude.

Birth
There are two forms of Aphrodite's birth. The first, and most common, is that after Kronus slew Ouranos, he threw most of Ouranos' body parts into Tartarus, one of which, Ouranos' genitals, fell into the sea. These divinities caused the sea foam to turn into a goddess, resulting in Aphrodite.

A second story however suggests a different origin. It states that Aphrodite is the daughter of Zeus  and Dione.

Appearance and Beauty
Upon sight of the gods, Aphrodite's strikingly beautiful body began to attracted the attention of the many male gods. Zeus, fearing that her beauty would cause tension between the Olympian gods, had her married almost immediately to his son, Hephaestus, who was pleased greatly at this action. The Greek goddess Aphrodite, however did not want to be stuck with the rather plain Hephaestus for the rest of her life, and because of this, Aphrodite began her well renowned love affairs she had which resulted in many offspring by her various lovers. Her most notable lovers were the gods Ares, Dionysus, Hermes, Poseidon, and the mortal, Adonis. Hephaestus became quite jealous at times after learning of these affairs, however he seemed to accept this arrangement most of the time, happy to just have and hold her when he had the chance. Indeed, their marriage seemed companionable, with little passion perhaps, but little conflict as well.

Lovers
Aphrodite has had many significacant lovers, being both gods and mortals. Her primary lover was Ares, who's belligerent and violent personality attracted her. Hepheastus, upon learning this, became furious and seeked justice for Aphrodite's affair. Using his wit, he crafted skills an indesructible net and trapped the two lovers while they were in bed, then dragged them to Olympia. Upon arrival, Hepheastus demanded punishment amongst the Gods, Zeus included, but they just laughed off his statement. In the end nothing was done and things went back to the way they were beforehand, and Hepheastus learned to accept Aphrodite’s adulterous affairs.

Another serious affair was with the mortal Adonis, as it caused great suffering on her part (since mortality and immortality never mix well). When Adonis was killed by a wild boar, his cries were heard by Aphrodite and joined him at this side at his dying moments. She grieved deeply and cursed the Fates ordained his demise. In memorial to his love Aphrodite turned Adonis’ dripping blood into wildflowers.