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| “ | Kratos, it's been far too long. Even though you are no longer the God of War, you can still share my bed. | „ |
| ~ Aphrodite to Kratos in God of War III. |
| “ | The Gods have truly blessed you, Kratos. | „ |
| ~ Aphrodite to Kratos in God of War III. |
Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love and beauty, and one of the many supporting characters in the God of War series.
Mythology
In Greek mythology, Aphrodite is the goddess of Love, Beauty, Seduction, Pleasure, and Happiness. There is more than one story about her origins. According to Hesiod's Theogony, she was born when Cronus cut off Uranus's genitals and threw them into the sea, and she arose from the sea foam (aphros). According to Homer's Iliad, she is the daughter of Zeus and Dione. Because of her beauty, other gods feared that their rivalry over her would interrupt the peace among them and lead to war, so Zeus married her to Hephaestus, who, because of his ugliness and deformity, was not seen as a threat.
Aphrodite had many lovers - both gods, such as Ares, and men, such as Anchises. One day, the sun god Helios caught Ares and Aphrodite in their affair. When he told Hephaestus, the smith god decided to plan his revenge. He created an invisible net, which he set over the marriage bed. No sooner had Hephaestus left their home, that Aphrodite called her lover and Ares snuck into the house and in bed with the naked goddess; but, just in the midst of their lovemaking, the net fell upon the two lovers, trapping and immobilizing them, locked in a very private embrace. Hephaestus immediately walked back to his bedchamber with a host of other gods and exhibited them as they were naked and wrapped in each other's arms.
Her Roman equivalent is Venus.
History
God of War
Aphrodite appeared in the first game in the city of Athens, presenting one of the tasks Kratos must pass: killing Medusa by decapitating her, and using her gaze as a weapon. Once the task is complete Kratos must then use the gaze to turn a few minotaurs into stone. She then allows Kratos to pass and continue his quest.
God of War III
Aphrodite was seen in bed, with her handmaidens, but when she sees Kratos, she tells them to leave. She attempts to seduce Kratos, telling him, "Even though you are no longer the God of War, you can still share my bed." But Kratos was not amused. Annoyed, she reveals how she yearns for a "real man" to meet her, but since Zeus refused to let the imprisoned Daedalus finish the bridge, she has not had her wish granted and she expressed how much she dislikes Hephaestus. That's when she realizes that Kratos needs those bridges fixed and tells him that she might give him information only if Kratos pleases her (he must have sex with her). If he does, Kratos would be given Red Orbs. While having sex with her, the handmaidens say Kratos has "such power" and later they begin making love, as well. Aphrodite wanted Kratos to have sex with her again, but an impatient Kratos refused. Irritated, Aphrodite tells Kratos to go to Hephaestus for help instead.
It is unknown if Aphrodite or her handmaidens were able to escape the palace when Gaia's giant corpse destroyed all of Olympus.
Powers and Abilities
As the Goddess of Love, Aphrodite possessed many powers.
- Astral Projection: She was able to communicate with Kratos in God of War through a magical image of her face in a doorway.
- Beauty Embodiement: Aphrodite's beauty was spellbinding, such that even Kratos could not bring himself to attack her.
- Beauty Inducement: She could also cause others to become beautiful.
- Immortality: Aphrodite is an immortal, as she cannot die through natural causes or weapons that can easily kill a mortal. Only other gods, divine weapons or other immortals, can probably harm her.
- Passion Manipulation: Aphrodite attracts both men and women.
- Love inducement: Aphrodite could cause other beings to fall in love with one another.
- Power Bestowel: Aphrodite granted Kratos the ability to wield Medusa's gaze.
- Shapeshifting: A small alteration to her appearance in God of War III is that Aphrodite has auburn hair, rather than the blond hair in God of War, implying that she too can alter her appearance.
- Telepathy: Aphrodite was able to perceive Kratos' mind when he encountered her. None of the other Olympians displayed this ability like she did. This implies that, as she is the Goddess who oversees strong emotions such as love, this allows her to see into people's minds.
Personality
Aphrodite is very carefree deity and has a good outlook in life. Something that she likes to do is make other person fall and love and apparently have sex, making promiscuous. This promiscuous nature seems to derive that she is the goddess of love and beauty. It appears that she is the only deitiy that help Kratos without any problem.
Appearance
Aphrodite is considered to be flawlessly pretty. Aphrodite has long, auburn hair kept in a braid and pale blue eyes. Though she has in this new lifetime hazel brown eyes, hiding the pale blue that truly is her eye-color. Her body can be considered "perfect" since she is the Goddess of Love, Beauty, and Sexuality. She wears a revealing dress that exposes her perfectly sized and formed breasts (most likely to sexually appeal to mortals) and is barefoot.
Trivia
- Aphrodite is voiced by Carole Ruggier in God of War and April Stewart in God of War III.
- Aphrodite had a strong romantic relationship with Ares in Greek mythology, mainly because she found his violent nature appealing. Since Kratos was more savage than Ares ever was, this may be what attracted Aphrodite to Kratos in the first place.
- Aphrodite is one of the very few gods not killed by Kratos, and one of very few to admire him.
- Director Stig Asmussen revealed in an interview that originally, before being scrapped, the idea would be when trying to do the sex mini-game a second time, the camera would pan out. A record-scratching sound would then occur, and the camera would pan back to the bed. Aphrodite would then try to kill Kratos with the daggers hanging over the bed, initiating a quicktime-event to boot her down into Hades. It was, however, re-enforced that she would not be murdered.
- While Aphrodite is the goddess of love, desire, and sex, her over-the-top promiscuity is likely caused by the evils Vanity/Lust being unleashed from Pandora's Box. This is likely the case since Aphrodite behaved quite differently in God of War, becoming involved in Kratos' quest rather than thinking only about sex.
- Aphrodite appeared in the God of War II game booklet as one the gods who appear in the game, though she actually doesn't.
- In the God of War novel, Aphrodite is revealed to be the mother of twins, named Zora and Lora, whom Kratos encounters on the ship to Athens.
- In the Japanese version, Aphrodite and her Handmaidens aren't topless.
- It is unknown why Aphrodite helped Kratos by bestowing the power of Medusa's Gaze upon him, as she had a relationship with Ares, the being Kratos wished to slay.
- It is likely that Aphrodite helped Kratos because Ares was a threat to Olympus. This indicates that the Goddess had a more noble side, at least before Pandora's Box was opened. Afterwards, she cared only about sex.