Aphrodite ("Αφροδίτη, Latin Venus, Venus) is the ancient Greek goddess of love and beauty. Initially, probably, Aphrodite was the personification of the productive forces of nature, but later the features of the deity changed under the Eastern (Phoenician) influence, so that Aphrodite became in many ways related to Phoenician Astarte. or the Syrian Ashera. Like Astarte, she was sometimes represented as a warlike goddess and was depicted armed, for example, on the island of Cyprus, the center of her cult, where in many places (Paphos, Idalia, Salamis, etc.), she had ancient sanctuaries. From Cyprus Aphrodite received the nickname Cypriots... She was also highly respected on the island of Kifere, whence her nickname Kifera, in Sparta, Acrocorinth, etc. Aphrodite is the beloved of the god Ares (Ares) and is herself called Ares. With Ares, as the god of the winds fertilizing the earth, she, the goddess of the regenerative forces, should have been in close connection from the very beginning. According to Hesiod, she gave birth to Ares Deimos and Phobos ("Fear" and "Horror") and harmony personified. The origin of the myth about the origin of Aphrodite from sea foam or the genitals of Uranus, thrown into the sea, was probably the relationship of the initial letters of her name with the Greek word Aphros (foam).

Three names of the goddess corresponded to the three kingdoms in which the creative power of nature is manifested: Aphrodite Urania (Venus coelestis) - the heavenly Aphrodite, Aphrodite Thalassa (Pontia) - the sea Aphrodite, and Aphrodite Pandemos - the goddess who rules on earth.

Aphrodite floating on the sea in a shell. Artist G. Bezzuoli, 1830s

Like Urania, Aphrodite is the daughter of Zeus and Artemis, who in their double form - male and female - embody the kingdom of heaven. Like Aphrodite Pontia, she is the goddess of the sea and especially the calm and serene sea, conducive to a happy sailing (Euploia). In this sense, she was honored along with Poseidon, and the dolphin was considered her sacred animal. Finally, as the goddess of the earth, Aphrodite has her beloved Adonis, born of a tree and personifying the lush flowering and dying of nature. As in the world of animals and plants, Aphrodite Pandemos promotes growth and reproduction, so among people she retains a similar importance, being the patroness hetter... The introduction of the cult of Aphrodite Pandemos in Athens was attributed to the hero Theseus. The constant companions of Aphrodite, as the goddess of charm and love par excellence, were considered Pifo, Pophos, Hymeros, Charites, Hymen but above all Eros, in which the legend saw her son. The Romans identified the ancient Italian goddess Venus with Aphrodite.

Ancient art with special love focused on the image of the goddess of beauty. In the period of the first heyday of the artistic genius of the Greeks (Phidias), Aphrodite was presented in full dress, sitting on a throne or standing, but in a later era ( Praxitel) began to depict her naked, as if emerging from sea foam, and, finally, even later, they ceased to associate the nakedness of the goddess with her origin, but embodied the ideal of beauty in her female body... The features and facial expressions of the goddess acquired in later creations the character of effeminacy, voluptuousness and coquetry. A charming face oval, a smile on her lips, narrow, languid eyes breathing bliss - such features were drawn by Aphrodite before the eyes of artists of the post-Phidian period. On the famous statue of Praxiteles, the so-called Aphrodite of Cnidus, the full forms of the goddess still breathe health, but already on her Munich copy, the line of effeminacy stands out sharply. The statue enjoyed great fame in antiquity Apelles- Aphrodite Anadyomene.

Aphrodite of Milo. Statue approx. 130-100 BC

Of the surviving statues of Aphrodite, Aphrodite of Milos (found in 1820 on the island of Milos, in the ruins of a theater) occupies the first place in terms of the beauty of the design, whose creator and the era of creation have not been established. Aphrodite was also depicted sitting in a shell, surrounded by a crowd. nereid, or in a warlike pose with Ares (steppe painting of Pompey), flirting with Eros, in the host of harit dressing her up, or, finally, as a mediator in love between Paris and Elena. The latter myth, like the judgment of Paris, was especially fortunate in ancient art. In Pompeii, artists preferred the cycle of legends about Adonis. On antique vases, there is an image of Aphrodite among the wedding ceremony of dressing up brides.

Aphrodite is one of the goddesses of Greek mythology, the goddess of beauty and love. Aphrodite is considered a symbol of life and eternal spring. She is the goddess of marriages, and also a "child-bearer" ... She engenders love in the hearts of gods and mortals. She gives the girls beauty and blesses them for a happy marriage, she kindles love in the hearts of young men and gives them happiness. No one can escape the power of Aphrodite, not even the gods.

Aphrodite is the most beautiful of all goddesses. There are many epithets to the Goddess of love and beauty Aphrodite - "Beautiful-eyed", "beautifully crowned", "sweet-minded" ... She was adored by sculptors, in slightly thrown clothes, revealing her graceful sensual body, or naked. Tall, slender, delicate, golden-haired, she is always surrounded by roses, lilies, violets, forest animals and birds. Aphrodite is served by mountains and charites. They dress the goddess in exquisite clothes, comb her beautiful golden hair, and put a sparkling tiara on her head. And the souls of people looking at the goddess are filled with unknown power and find their love.

Aphrodite is a goddess of Asia Minor origin. There are two main mythological versions of the birth of Aphrodite. According to Homer's version, Aphrodite was the daughter of the sea nymph Dione and Zeus, and was born in the usual way. Hesiod's version of the origin of the goddess is more mystical. In this version, it is believed that Aphrodite appeared as a result of the fact that the insidious Kronos, with a sickle, cut off the genital organ of his father Uranus and threw it into the sea waves that covered him, as a result of which the goddess arose.

Aphrodite was born near the island of Kifera from the foam of the waves of the sea. Zephyr (Light, caressing breeze) brought her to the island of Cyprus. On the shore, the young mountains met the goddess of love emerging from the waves of the sea. They dressed her in luxurious gold-woven clothing and decorated her with a wreath of fragrant flowers. Wherever Aphrodite went, flowers appeared. A fragrant aroma reigned in the air. The gods took the beautiful goddess to Olympus. When she appeared in the palace of Zeus, everyone was madly amazed at her beauty. Hera, the mistress of heaven, Athena, the queen of wisdom, and other goddesses envied Aphrodite and wished to get rid of her. But they did not succeed, because Aphrodite wore a magic belt, everyone obeyed her.

Aphrodite so fascinated the gods with her beauty that they all wanted to marry her, but she rejected even the offer of Zeus. As punishment, Zeus gave Aphrodite to wife Hephaestus, the ugliest of the gods, the god of fire and blacksmithing. Their marriage was unhappy. Hephaestus worked for days in his blacksmith's workshop, and Aphrodite had fun with many lovers. The goddess gave birth to four children, but not from her husband. The father of her three children was Ares, Aphrodite's lover. From Hermes she gave birth to a son, Hermaphrodite, who inherited the beauty of both parents.

The myth of the love of Aphrodite and the handsome mortal youth Adonis is widely known. Adonis was an excellent hunter. With him, Aphrodite forgot about her beauty, she woke up early in the morning and accompanied Adonis on the hunt. The light clothes of the goddess were torn in the forest, and the delicate body was constantly wounded by stones and thorns. Aphrodite loved Adonis very much and feared for his life. She asked him not to hunt bears, wild boars and lions, so that misfortune would not happen to him. Rarely did Aphrodite leave Adonis alone, and when leaving him, she always asked to remember her requests. But one day, under the cedars, on the top of Lebanon, a boar attacked Adonis. The goddess could not help him in time, Adonis died from a terrible wound. The goddess wept bitterly over his body, and in order to preserve the memory of him, at the behest of the goddess, a flower - a delicate anemone - grew from the blood of Adonis. And everywhere, where drops of blood dripped from the wounded legs of Aphrodite, roses grew, scarlet like the blood of Aphrodite.

The unhappy goddess came to Zeus and prayed that he would tell him to take the soul of his beloved out of the underworld and bring him back. Zeus fulfilled her wish, and since then Adonis was with Aphrodite for half a year, and for the remaining 6 months he returned to the underworld to Hades. With his arrival spring came, and autumn announced his departure.

Aphrodite helps all lovers, but helping those in love, she does not love those who reject love (she punished Hippolytus and Narcissus with death, instilled unnatural love for Pasiphae and Mirra, and endowed Lemnos women and Hypsipila with a disgusting smell).

Aphrodite, the most beautiful of the goddesses, still lives among the inhabitants of Olympus and gives love.

Aphrodite(among the Romans, Venus) - was the most beautiful of the goddesses.

Poets of all times have glorified the beauty of her face and body, the golden color of her hair, her radiant eyes and dazzling skin.

There are two versions of the origin Aphrodite... According to the first version (Homer) Aphrodite was born from the love of Zeus and a sea nymph Dion.
Repeated version (Hesiod) Aphrodite was born as a result of violence. Insidious Kronos took a sickle, cut off his father's reproductive organs Uranus and threw them into the sea. They were covered with snow-white foam, from which was born Aphrodite, emerging from the waves of the sea as a very adult goddess. Seeing how beautiful the maiden was, graceful ores threw an incorruptible robe over her beautiful body, adorned her wonderful golden hair with a skillful golden diadem, inserted pearl earrings into her ears, wrapped a golden necklace around her graceful neck and led her to Olympus, to the immortal gods.

All the inhabitants of heaven bowed before the enchanting beauty Aphrodite, and only three were indifferent: Athena whose heart was devoted to warfare and crafts, Artemis, who loves hunting for wild animals and round dances, and the modest goddess of the hearth Hestia.

Many gods of Olympus, subdued by her beauty, vied among themselves for her hand and heart. But unpredictable Aphrodite she chose Hephaestus as her husband - the most skilled craftsman and the ugliest among the gods. The lame-footed Hephaestus worked at the anvils in his forge and found true satisfaction in working with a hammer at a burning forge, while Aphrodite lounged in the bedchamber, combed her curls with a golden comb and received guests - Heru and Athena... And also from time to time she got herself lovers.

Poseidon also sought Aphrodite's love, which is quite natural - after all, she was born in his element. Aphrodite she was always free in her choice, unlike other goddesses (someone was kidnapped, some of them were deceived, and someone was simply taken by force). And she chose her lovers herself.

Long time Aphrodite kept in love with Ares, the god of war, from whom she had several children - Eros and Anterot, as well as Deimos, Phobos ("fear" and "horror" - the companions of Ares) and the daughter-Harmony. Originally Eros- cosmic deity, spawn Chaos, in Olympic mythology he became a son Aphrodite... Subsequently Eros turns out to be much more powerful than his mother, and, becomes her constant companion, a winged boy, armed with a bow and arrows, instilling love.

Her other lover was Hermes- the messenger of the gods. Son Aphrodite and Hermes was Hermaphrodite- a bisexual god who inherited the beauty of both of them, bore both of their names and had the sex characteristics of both.

Like other Olympian gods Aphrodite patronizes heroes, but this patronage extends only to the sphere of love. She promises Paris the love of Elena and keeps her promise, though at the cost of war.

Aphrodite tries to intervene in military events under Troy as a principled defender of the Trojans, she saves Paris during his duel with Menelaus. She intervenes in the battle in which Diomedes performs his feats, and tries to take out of the battle trojan hero Aeneas - his son from his beloved Anchises. But Diomedes pursues the goddess and wounds her in the arm, so that Aeneas catches Apollo covering it with a black cloud.

Aphrodite delivers to Olympus Ares in his golden chariot. Hera and Athena - her constant opponents are raising Aphrodite for a laugh, but Zeus smiling, advises his daughter to engage not in war, but to arrange marriages.

And among mortals, no one could resist Aphrodite... People who wandered alone, as it were, were united in families, because until Aphrodite was there, there was no love and affection for each other. Aphrodite with pleasure inspires love feelings in people, but she herself falls in love too.

Aphrodite helps everyone whose love is strong and constant. So she helped Pygmalion, who passionately fell in love with the statue of the girl. But helping those in love Aphrodite and persecutes those who reject love (she punished Hippolytus and Narcissus with death, instilled unnatural love for Pasiphae and Mirra, and endowed Hypsipila and Lemnos women with a disgusting smell).

Numerous sanctuaries Aphrodite are available in many areas Greece(Corinth, Boeotia, Messinia, Achaia, Sparta), on the islands - Cyprus(in the city of Paphos, where the temple was located, which had a common Greek meaning, hence the nickname of Aphrodite - the Paphos goddess), Kifera, Crete, Sicily from Mount Eriks - the nickname Erikinia). Especially revered Aphrodite in Asia Minor (in Ephesus, Abydos), in Syria .

V Rome Aphrodite was revered under the name Venus and was considered the progenitor of the Romans through her son - the Trojan Aeneas, the father of Yul - the legendary ancestor of the Julian clan, to which he belonged Julius Caesar.

Goddesses ancient greece

Artemis- Goddess of the moon and hunting, forests, animals, fertility and procreation. She was never married, she diligently protected her chastity and if she took revenge, then she did not know pity. Her silver arrows carried plague and death, but she also had the ability to heal. She guarded young girls and pregnant women. Its symbols are cypress, fallow deer and bears.

Atropos- one of the three moirs, cutting the thread of fate and ending human life.

Athena(Pallas, Parthenos) - the daughter of Zeus, born from his head in full military equipment. One of the most revered Greek goddesses, the goddess of just war and wisdom, the patroness of knowledge.

Athena. The statue. Hermitage Museum. Hall of Athens.

Description:

Athena is the goddess of wisdom, just war and the patroness of crafts.

A statue of Athena by Roman masters of the 2nd century. According to the Greek original of the end of the 5th century. BC NS. Entered the Hermitage in 1862. Previously it was in the collection of the Marquis Campana in Rome. It is one of the most interesting exhibits in the Hall of Athena.

Everything in Athena since birth has been amazing. Other goddesses had divine mothers, Athena had one father, Zeus, who became akin to Ocean's daughter Metis. Zeus swallowed his pregnant wife, as she predicted that after her daughter she would give birth to a son who would become the ruler of heaven and deprive him of his power. Soon Zeus had an unbearable headache. He darkened, and, seeing this, the gods hastened to leave, for they knew from experience what Zeus was like when he was in a bad mood. The pain did not go away. The Lord of Olympus did not find a place for himself. Zeus asked Hephaestus to hit him on the head with a blacksmith's hammer. From the split head of Zeus, announcing Olympus with a warlike cry, an adult maiden jumped out in full warrior clothes and with a spear in her hand and stood next to her parent. The eyes of the young, beautiful and majestic goddess shone with wisdom.

Aphrodite(Kifera, Urania) - the goddess of love and beauty. She was born from the marriage of Zeus and the goddess Dione (according to another legend, she came out of sea foam)

Aphrodite (Venus of Tauride)

Description:

According to the "Theogony" of Hesiod, Aphrodite was born near the island of Kiefer from the seed and blood of Uranus castrated by Kronos, which fell into the sea and formed a snow-white foam (hence the nickname "froth-born"). The breeze brought her to the island of Cyprus (or she sailed there herself, since she did not like Kiefer), where Ora met her, emerging from the sea waves.

The statue of Aphrodite (Venus of Tauride) dates back to the 3rd century BC. e., now it is in the Hermitage and is considered its most famous statue. The sculpture became the first antique statue of a nude woman in Russia. Life-size marble statue of Venus bathing (height 167 cm), modeled on Aphrodite of Cnidus or Venus Capitoline. The arms of the statue and a fragment of the nose are lost. Before entering the State Hermitage, she decorated the garden of the Tavricheskiy Palace, hence the name. In the past, "Venus Tavricheskaya" was intended to decorate the park. However, the statue was delivered to Russia much earlier, even during the reign of Peter I and thanks to his efforts. The inscription on the bronze ring of the pedestal reminds that Venus was donated by Clement XI to Peter I (as a result of exchange for the relics of St. Brigitte sent to Pope Peter I). The statue was discovered in 1718 during excavations in Rome. Unknown sculptor of the 3rd century. BC. depicted the naked goddess of love and beauty Venus. A slender figure, rounded, flowing silhouette lines, softly modeled body shapes - everything speaks of a healthy and chaste perception of female beauty. Along with a calm restraint (posture, facial expression), a generalized manner, alien to fragmentation and fine detail, as well as a number of other features characteristic of the art of the classics (V-IV centuries BC), the creator of Venus embodied in her his idea of beauty associated with the ideals of the 3rd century BC NS. (graceful proportions - high waist, somewhat elongated legs, thin neck, small head, - tilt of the figure, turn of the body and head).

Aphrodite (Venus). The statue. hermitage Museum

Description:

Statue of Aphrodite - the goddess of beauty and love

Roman copy after a Greek original of the 3rd - 2nd centuries. BC.

In 1851, through the Venetian antiquary A. Sankviriko, the Hermitage received a beautiful statue of Aphrodite, which was previously part of the collection of the Venetian family of Nani. In a rare edition of the era of the Napoleonic wars - "Collection of all antiquities kept in the Venetian Museum of Nani" - we read about this sculpture: "It lay for a long time defeated in neglect ... but was called out of oblivion when Mr. Jacopo Nani saw it and placed it in his famous museum, presenting it to the court of the famous Canova, who greatly praised the new acquisition. " The statue of Aphrodite is distinguished by the complexity of body movement and exquisite slender proportions. It reflects the tendencies of Hellenistic art, characteristic of the art of the time of the Antonine dynasty (96-193).

Aphrodite (Venus) and Cupid

Description:

Aphrodite (Venus) and Cupid.

The sculpture probably tells of a tragic moment. The rose, the flower sacred to Venus, was originally white, but according to one traditional view, at the moment when Venus hurried to her lover, a thorn dug into her leg and drops of blood fell on the white petals, staining them. While the splinter was being pulled out, the wild boar killed her beloved Adonis, the beautiful young god of spring, who personifies the annual death and revival of nature .. Usually Venus is depicted sitting, she is trying to remove a splinter from her leg, Cupid helps her.

Aphrodite on a dolphin. Sculpture. hermitage Museum

Description:

Myrtle, rose, poppy and apple were dedicated to Aphrodite, as the goddess of love; as the goddess of fertility - a sparrow and a dove; like a sea goddess - a dolphin; a swallow and a linden were dedicated to her. According to legend, the secret of her charm was hidden in a magic belt.

Venus in the shell. Sculpture. Hermitage Museum.

Description:

Venus in the shell.

Sculpture Carlo Finelli (Finelli, 1782-1853) - Italian sculptor, one of the most talented followers of the classical movement.

Aphrodite (Greek) - Venus (Roman)

Classical Aphrodite emerged nude from airy sea foam. The breeze on the sink brought her to the shores of Cyprus.

Hebe- the daughter of Zeus and Hera, the goddess of youth. Sister of Ares and Ilithia. Served the Olympian gods at feasts.

Hecate- the goddess of darkness, night visions and sorcery, the patroness of sorcerers.

Hemera- goddess daylight, the personification of the day, born of Nikta and Erebus. She was often identified with Eos.

Hera- the supreme Olympic goddess, sister and third wife of Zeus, daughter of Rhea and Kronos, sister of Hades, Hestia, Demeter and Poseidon. Hera was considered the patroness of marriage.

Hestia- goddess hearth and fire.

Gaia- mother earth, foremother of all gods and people.

Demeter- the goddess of fertility and agriculture.

Dryads- lower deities, nymphs who lived in trees.

Ilithia- the patron goddess of women in labor.

Iris- the winged goddess, Hera's helper, messenger of the gods.

Calliope- the muse of epic poetry and science.

Kera- demonic creatures, children of the goddess Nikta, bringing people misfortune and death.

Clio- one of the nine muses, muse of history.

Clio. Muse of history

Description:

Clea is the muse of history in ancient Greek mythology. Depicted with a papyrus scroll or a scroll case. The daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne is the goddess of memory. According to Diodorus, it got its name from the fact that chanting in poetry gives great glory to the praised (cleos)

Clotho("Spinning") - one of the moira, spinning the thread of human life.

Lachesis- one of the three moir sisters, determining the fate of each person even before birth.

Summer- Titanide, mother of Apollo and Artemis.

Mayan- a mountain nymph, the eldest of the seven pleiades - the daughters of Atlanta, the beloved of Zeus, from whom Hermes was born.

Melpomene- the muse of tragedy.

Melpomene (Muse of tragedy)

Description:

Statue of Melpomene. Roman copy after a Greek model of the 2nd century BCE. BC NS.

In ancient Greek mythology, the muse of tragedy (Greek "singing"). At first, Melpomene was considered the muse of the song, then the sad song, and later she becomes the patroness of the theater in general, the personification of the tragic performing arts. Daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne, mother of terrible sirens.

She was depicted as a woman with a bandage on her head and in a wreath of grape or ivy leaves, in a theatrical mantle, with a tragic mask in one hand and a sword or club in the other (a symbol of the inevitability of punishment for a person who violates the will of the gods).

Metis- the goddess of wisdom, the first of the three wives of Zeus, who conceived Athena from him.

Mnemosyne- the mother of nine muses, the goddess of memory.

Moira- the goddess of fate, daughter of Zeus and Themis.

Muses- the patron goddess of the arts and sciences.

Naiads- nymphs-keepers of waters.

Nemesis- the daughter of Nikta, the goddess, personifying, destiny and retribution, punishing people in accordance with their sins.

Nereids- fifty daughters of Nereus and the oceanids Doris, sea deities.

Nika- personification of victory. She was often depicted with a wreath, a common symbol of triumph in Greece.

Nymphs- the lowest deities in the hierarchy of the Greek gods. They personified the forces of nature.

Nikta- one of the first Greek deities, the goddess is the personification of the primordial Night.

Orestiads- mountain nymphs.

Ora- the goddess of the seasons, tranquility and order, the daughter of Zeus and Themis.

Peyto- the goddess of persuasion, the companion of Aphrodite, often identified with her patroness.

Persephone- the daughter of Demeter and Zeus, the goddess of fertility. The wife of Hades and the queen of the underworld, who knew the secrets of life and death.

Polyhymnia- the muse of serious hymn poetry.

Tefida- daughter of Gaia and Uranus, wife of Ocean and mother of Nereids and Oceanids.

Rhea- the mother of the Olympian gods.

Sirens- female demons, half-women, half-birds, capable of changing the weather at sea.

Waist- the muse of comedy.

Terpsichore- the muse of dance art.

Terpsichore. Muse of dancing

Description:

The "Terpsichore" statue is a Roman copy after a Greek original of the 3rd - 2nd centuries. BC.

Terpsichore was considered the muse of choral singing and dancing, depicted as a young woman in a dancer's pose, with a smile on her face. She had a wreath on her head, in one hand she held a lyre, and in the other a plectrum. She is "enjoying the round dances".

Tisiphon- one of the Erinyes.

Tyche- the goddess of fate and chance among the Greeks, the companion of Persephone. She was portrayed as a winged woman standing on a wheel and holding a cornucopia and a ship's steering wheel.

Urania- one of the nine muses, the patroness of astronomy.

Themis- Titanide, goddess of justice and law, second wife of Zeus, mother of mountains and moir.

Charites- the goddess of female beauty, the embodiment of a kind, joyful and eternally youthful beginning of life.

Eumenides- another hypostasis of Erinyes, who were worshiped as goddesses of benevolence, who prevented misfortunes.

Eris- daughter of Nikta, sister of Ares, goddess of discord.

Erinia- the goddess of vengeance, the offspring of the underworld, punishing injustice and crime.

Erato- Muse of lyric and erotic poetry.

Eos- the goddess of the morning dawn, sister of Helios and Selena. The Greeks called her "pink-fingered".

Euterpe- the muse of lyric chants. She was portrayed with a double flute in her hand.

Ancient Hellas ... The land of myths and legends, the land of fearless heroes and brave sailors. Homeland of the formidable gods sitting on high Olympus. Zeus, Ares, Apollo, Poseidon - these names are familiar to everyone from school history lessons.

Today we will talk about their wives and daughters - the omnipotent ancient goddesses of Greece who deftly manipulated their husbands, being the real mistresses of Olympus and the rulers of mortals. These great creatures ruled the world, not paying attention to the pitiful people below, because they were directors and spectators in the greatest theater in the world - Earth.

And when it was time to leave, the proud goddesses of Hellas left traces of their stay on Greek soil, albeit not as noticeable as those of the male half of the Pantheon.

Let's remember the myths about the beautiful, sometimes incredibly cruel daughters of Olympus and take a short trip to the places that are associated with them.

Goddess Hera - patroness of the hearth and family life

Hera is the goddess of ancient Greece, the highest among equals and the nominal mother of almost all other goddesses of Olympus from the fourth generation (the first generation are the creators of the world, the second are the titans, the third are the first gods).

Why? Because her husband Zeus is very far from the ideal of a faithful man.

However, Hera herself is good - in order to marry then not even the supreme god, but only the killer of Kronos (the strongest of the titans), Hera fell in love with Zeus, and then refused to become his mistress until he did not vow to make her his wife.

Moreover, the oath featured the waters of the Styx (the river that separates the world of the living and the dead, and has tremendous power over both gods and people).

In the madness of love, the oath was pronounced and Hera became the main goddess on Olympus. But Zeus soon got fed up family life and gladly made connections on the side, which embittered Hera and forced her to look for ways to take revenge on those whom the unfaithful husband preferred, and at the same time his side children.

Hera is the goddess-keeper of the hearth and family, helps abandoned wives, punishes unfaithful husbands (which often pushes her nose to nose with the windy daughter-in-law - Aphrodite).

Hera's favorite son is Ares, the god of war, despised by his father for his love of battles and constant murder.

But the hatred of the first lady of Olympus is shared by two creatures - Zeus's daughter Athena and Zeus's son Hercules, both born not by his lawful wife, but nevertheless ascended to Olympus.

In addition, Hera is hated by her own son Hephaestus, the god of crafts and the husband of Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, who was thrown by the Hero from Olympus as a baby for his physical deformity.

The most ambitious trace of this cruel lady can be considered the temple of Hera in ancient Olympia.

The religious building was built at the end of the 7th century BC. NS. The massive temple has long been turned into ruins, but thanks to the efforts of several generations of archaeologists, the foundation of the temple and its surviving parts have been restored and are now open to tourists.

In addition, in the Olympia Museum, you can see fragments of statues dedicated to Hera and understand exactly how her worshipers portrayed the goddess.

The cost of a ticket to Olympia is 9 euros, which includes access to the excavation area and the museum. You can take a ticket only to the excavation zone, it will cost 6 euros.

Aphrodite - the goddess of love in ancient Greece

The beautiful Aphrodite, whose beauty could only be compared with her own frivolity, is not the daughter of Zeus or Hera, but comes from a much older family.

She is the last creation of Uranus, the first of the Titans to be castrated by Kronos during the first war for Olympus.

The blood of the titan, deprived of a certain part of the body, mixed with sea foam and from it arose an insidious and cruel beauty who hid in Cyprus from the gaze of Kronos until he was overthrown by Zeus.

Thanks to Hera's cunning plan, Aphrodite married the powerful, but ugly Hephaestus. And while he worked in his workshop, the goddess either basked on Olympus, communicating with the gods, or traveled the world, falling in love with gods and people, and falling in love herself.

The most famous lovers of the windy beauty were Adonis - a beautiful body and spirit hunter, with whom the goddess fell in love so much that after his tragic death from the fangs of a boar, she threw herself down from the Lydian cliff.

And Ares is the god of war and destruction, who secretly sent a boar to Adonis.

It was Ares who overflowed the cup of patience of the proud Hephaestus, who set a trap for the lovers - forged a strong net, so thin that the lovers simply did not notice it when the net was thrown on the bed. In the midst of the "meeting", the trap of Hephaestus entangled the lovers and raised them above the bed.

When the god of crafts returned to Olympus, he laughed for a long time at the unlucky lovers, and the disgraced Aphrodite fled for a while to her temple in Cyprus, where she gave birth to the sons of Ares - Phobos and Deimos.

The god of war himself appreciated the grace and gentleness of the trap of Hephaestus and accepted defeat with dignity, leaving the beautiful Aphrodite, who was soon forgiven by her husband.

Aphrodite is the goddess of love and love madness. She, despite her youthful appearance, is the oldest goddess on Olympus, to whom Hera often turns for help (especially in those cases when the center of love for his wife again begins to fade in Zeus). Also, Aphrodite is considered the goddess of fertility, and also one of the sea goddesses.

The beloved son of Aphrodite is Eros, aka Cupid, the god of carnal love, who always accompanies his mother. She has no permanent enemies on Olympus, but her frivolity often leads to quarrels with the Hero and Athena.

Aphrodite's greatest legacy is Paphos, a city in Greek Cyprus located in the place where she once emerged from the sea foam.

This place was appreciated not only by women, but also by men - in some parts of ancient Greece there was a belief that a girl who visited the temple of Aphrodite and entered into a relationship with a stranger in the vicinity of the temple received the blessing of the goddess of love for life.

In addition, the temple housed the bath of Aphrodite, into which the goddess sometimes descended in order to restore her beauty and youth. Greek women believed that if you enter the bath, there is every chance of preserving youth.

Nowadays, only ruins remain of the temple, open for viewing by tourists. Not far from the temple of Aphrodite in Paphos, you can always find both newlyweds and single people, because according to legend, those who find a pebble in the shape of a heart on the coast will find eternal love.

Warrior Goddess Athena

The goddess Athena is the owner of the most abnormal birth myth.

This goddess is the daughter of Zeus and his first wife Metis, the goddess of wisdom, who, according to the prophecy of Uranus, was to give birth to a son, who, in turn, would soon overthrow the thundering father.

Upon learning of his wife's pregnancy, Zeus swallowed her whole, but soon felt wild pains in his head.

Fortunately, at that time the god Hephaestus was on Olympus, who, at the request of the royal father, hit him on the sore part of the body with his hammer, splitting his skull.

From the head of Zeus emerged a woman in full military attire, who combined the wisdom of her mother and the talents of her father, becoming the first goddess of war in ancient Greece.

Later, another fan of waving a sword, Ares, was born, and he tried to claim his rights, but the goddess in numerous battles forced her brother to respect herself, proving to him that fighting madness was not enough to win.

The city of Athens is dedicated to the goddess, which she seized from Poseidon in the legendary dispute over Attica.
It was Athena who gave the Athenians a priceless gift - an olive tree.

Athena is the first general of Olympus. During the war with the giants, the goddess fought on a par with Hercules until she realized that the gods could not win.
Then Athena retreated to Olympus, and while the sons of Zeus held back the hordes of giants, she brought the head of Medusa to the battlefield, whose gaze turned the surviving soldiers into stones, or rather into mountains.

Athena is the goddess of wisdom, "smart" war and the patroness of crafts. The second name of Athena is Pallas, received in honor of her foster sister, who died through an oversight of the then girl Athena - the goddess, unwillingly, accidentally killed her friend.

Growing up, Athena became the most perspicacious of the goddesses of Olympus.

She is an eternal virgin and rarely gets into conflicts (apart from those in which her father is involved).

Athena is the most faithful of all the Olympians, and even during the exodus of the gods, she wished to stay in Greece in the hope that one day she would be able to return to her city.

Athena has no enemies or friends on Olympus. Her martial prowess is respected by Ares, her wisdom is appreciated by Hera, and her loyalty is by Zeus, but Athena keeps her distance even with her father, preferring loneliness.

Athena has repeatedly shown herself as the guardian of Olympus, punishing mortals who declared themselves equal to the gods.

Her favorite weapon is a bow and arrow, but often she simply sends Greek heroes to her enemies, repaying them with her favor.

The greatest legacy of Athena is her city, which she repeatedly defended, including personally entering the battlefield.

The grateful Athenians built the goddess the most incredible sanctuary in Greece - the famous one.

An 11-meter statue of her was installed in the temple, made of bronze with big amount gold by the famous sculptor Phidias:

The statue has not survived to this day, as well as a significant part of the temple itself, but at the end of the twentieth century, the Greek government restored the legendary ruins and began searching for the removed relics, which are gradually returning to their places.

Miniature copies of the Parthenon were in many Athenian colonies, in particular in those that stood on the Black Sea coast.

Long ago, the omnipotent gods and goddesses of ancient Greece have sunk into oblivion. But there are temples dedicated to them, and their great deeds are well remembered by the descendants of those who worshiped them.

And let Greece no longer honor the mighty Olympians, becoming the homeland for Orthodox Church, let the scientists try to prove that these gods never existed ... Greece remembers! He remembers the love of Zeus and the cunning of Hera, the rage of Ares and the calm might of Athena, the skill of Hephaestus and the unique beauty of Aphrodite ...
And if you come here, she will definitely tell her stories to those who want to listen.

To complete the impression of the ancient gods of Olympus, and get acquainted with the sights that are described in them.

What does the most high mountain in Greece - the legendary Olympus you will learn by reading this.