In Hesiod's Theogony, Aphrodite is born off the coast of Cythera from the foam ( ἀφρός, aphrós) produced by Uranus's genitals, which his son Cronus had severed and thrown into the sea. She was also the patron goddess of prostitutes, an association which led early scholars to propose the concept of " sacred prostitution" in Greco-Roman culture, an idea which is now generally seen as erroneous.
In Laconia, Aphrodite was worshipped as a warrior goddess. Her main festival was the Aphrodisia, which was celebrated annually in midsummer. Aphrodite's main cult centers were Cythera, Cyprus, Corinth, and Athens. The cult of Aphrodite was largely derived from that of the Phoenician goddess Astarte, a cognate of the East Semitic goddess Ishtar, whose cult was based on the Sumerian cult of Inanna. Aphrodite's major symbols include myrtles, roses, doves, sparrows, and swans.
She was syncretized with the Roman goddess Venus. The Titans, The Meliae, the Erinyes, the Giants (as daughter of Uranus) orĪeacus, Angelos, Apollo, Ares, Artemis, Athena, Dionysus, Eileithyia, Enyo, Eris, Ersa, Hebe, Helen of Troy, Hephaestus, Heracles, Hermes, Minos, Pandia, Persephone, Perseus, Rhadamanthus, the Graces, the Horae, the Litae, the Muses, the Moirai (as daughter of Zeus)Įros, Phobos, Deimos, Harmonia, Pothos, Anteros, Himeros, Hermaphroditus, Rhodos, Eryx, Peitho, The Graces, Priapus, AeneasĪphrodite ( / ˌ æ f r ə ˈ d aɪ t iː/ ( listen) AF-rə- DY-tee Ancient Greek: Ἀφροδίτη, romanized: Aphrodítē Attic Greek pronunciation:, Koine Greek:, Modern Greek: ) is an ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion and procreation. Rose, seashell, pearl, mirror, girdle, anemone, lettuce, narcissus Aphrodite Pudica (Roman copy of 2nd century AD), National Archaeological Museum, Athensĭolphin, sparrow, dove, swan, hare, goose, bee, fish, butterfly