Aphrodite Essay, Research Paper

.

Bullfinch once said Mythology is the handmaid of literature… . That means that

mythology is necessarily subservient or subordinate to literature. I personally think that

is not true. Let me introduce myself. My name is Aphrodite, goddess of beauty and

sexual desire. Mythology is important and interesting . In fact, I think I may be the most

interesting of all the gods. Well, at least the most beautiful. In this auto biographical

paper I will reveal to you who I am, how I relate to mythology, and a famous story about

myself.

Let me start with my birth. Many think I was born out of murder. They say that

when Cronos butchered his father he flung the dismembered body into the sea, where it

floated spouting blood and foam. From the foam rose me, a tall beautiful maiden with

long blond hair the color of daffodils. Other legends say that I am the daughter of Cronos

and Rheia or Jupiter and Dionne. I am married to Hephaestus, god of fire and metal

work. Shortly after birth my poor husband was cast out of Olympus because of his

deformities. My son is the famous arrow shooting Cupid. We are almost always together

and Cupid is always shooting darts of desire in to the bosoms of Gods and men. I hate to

admit it but in a way I am responsible for the Trojan War. One day Discord threw an

apple on to Olympus to be given to the most beautiful goddess. Hera, Athene, and I all

tried to claim the title. Each of us tried to persaude the judge, Paris, in our favor. Hera

told him he would be a powerful ruler, Athene promised him that he would receive great

military fame, and I guaranteed him Helen of Troy s hand in marriage. He then declared

me the fairest of all, and abducted Helen of Troy thus beginning the Trojan War. I have

also inspired many paintings, sculptures, and poetry. The most famous painting featuring

me is the Birth of Venus. It is a very famous painting from the Renaissance. As you can

see I am one of the most important goddess and have influenced mythology immensely.

I relate to mythology by being the goddess of love and beauty. My Roman name is

Venus. My work is my pleasure, my profession, and my hobby. I think about nothing but

love and nobody expects any more from me. My job is to make other gods and goddess

fall in love with each other. I am ashamed to say that I have had many lovers and have

had children from these other men. They are Lyrus, Eryt, Beroe, Herophilus, and many

others. It must be that darn magic girdle. It enables the wearer to have any man or god

she chooses under her spell just by him saying her name or catching a glimpse of her. As

you can see it causes me a lot of trouble and embarrassment. I think being the goddess of

love and beauty was an important role in mythology that left its effect on the rest of

civilization.

One of the most famous stories about me is one that includes my lover Ares. One

day Helios the sun god, who sees everything, noticed me and my lover Ares lying side by

side. He told my husband Hephaestus who said nothing. Later that night he prepared an

invisible net, which he spread around my bed. When I went to bed with my lover the net

closed around us and we found ourselves completely immobilized. My husband then

summoned all the gods to come and view the spectacle. When he released me I ran off in

shame and embarrassment. Another one of my famous stories is about me starting the

Trojan War which I already mentioned. Being a goddess can be exciting but also

scandalous!!

Revealing to you who I am, how I relate to mythology, and famous anecdotes

about myself was the main theme of my paper. Now you know a little about me and

mythology. Mythology is an important part of our history and understanding mythology

will help you to understand many works of literature and poetry. This paper is only a brief

piece of all the parts of mythology and I encourage you all to go out and discover about

the Greek gods and goddess of long ago!

31a