Greek mythology is a real storehouse of information about the world, its laws and phenomena. These are not only attempts to explain everything around a person. This is a whole system that has its own heroes, its own joy and its own tragedies. This is the story of the goddess of love and Adonis: the beloved of Aphrodite died tragically ahead of time, which greatly upset the beautiful Cyprida.
A little about the immortal goddess
Before we talk about who Aphrodite's lover was, let's pay attention to the goddess herself. She was the daughter of Zeus (according to the most common theory) or she appeared from the sea foam. The birthplace of the eternally young and amazingly beautiful goddess is the island of Cyprus. Today, on this amazing piece of land in the Mediterranean Sea, you will be shown the beach and lagoon, where, according to legend, Love itself first came ashore. There is also a bathhouse where Aphrodite's beloved Adonis and herself loved to spend their time.
The goddess was part of the pantheon of 12 gods who lived on Olympus. FromFrom this fact, we can conclude that love played a very important role in the life of the ancient Greeks. No one could resist the charms and power of Aphrodite (or Venus), neither mortal nor god. But she herself was an object of desire, a character in many love stories that have come down to us from the past.
Aphrodite's Beloved
Who had the honor to be considered as such? Hephaestus, the blacksmith god, was considered the legitimate spouse of Cyprida, who spent more time in his forge than in his wife's bedchamber. It is not surprising that the most beautiful of the most beautiful was bored and looked for solace on the side. Venus (the Roman goddess of love) married Ares, the god of war, and bore him five children. But the husband found out about the betrayal and created a golden net to catch the infidels red-handed. After the exposure, Aphrodite left Hephaestus. She had a connection with Hermes, Dionysus, and also with mortal men. The latter include Anchises, the father of Aeneas, and Adonis. But neither the immortal nor the mortal beloved of Aphrodite could make her absolutely happy. She had an eternal confrontation with Ares, for war and love are elements that go hand in hand, but contradict each other. Hermes and Dionysus were preoccupied with their own concerns, and mortal men, alas, had very short lives.
Adonis and his death
Adonis is a beautiful young man, beloved of Aphrodite, who was the son of the Cypriot king Kinir. Venus completely surrendered to passion, forgetting about everything in the world. Days and nights she spent with her beloved in bathing, playing andhunting. More than once or twice she asked the young man to be careful and worried about him when she needed to leave.
But the young man was not only passionate in love. Beloved of Aphrodite loved hunting and spent a lot of time in the forest with his dogs. Once, when Venus was forced to leave him alone, he climbed into the thicket, hoping for prey. Suddenly, an angry boar jumped out at him (according to one of the versions, it could be Arey, burning with jealousy). The beast rushed at the man and tore apart the tender body of Adonis with its fangs.
Sorrow for Venus
After learning about the death of her beloved, Aphrodite rushed into the forest. Knocking down her tender legs on sharp stones, pushing her way through thorns and other bushes, she searched for the body of Adonis. The goddess did not feel how blood was flowing from her wounds, but in the place where she fell, scarlet roses of wonderful beauty grew. Probably, since then they have become a symbol of hot and passionate love.
When the goddess finally found the place where the lifeless Adonis lay, bitter tears flowed from her eyes. From the blood of a young man, she grew a flower, which was distinguished by rare beauty. So the beloved of Aphrodite turned into a plant, which began to be called by his name, i.e., adonis.
The grief of his daughter touched Zeus, and he decided to help her. The Thunderer turned with a personal request to his brother Hades, so that he would at least briefly let Adonis into the world of the living. The gloomy lord of the underworld agreed. Since then, every year the young man is allowed to go upstairs, right into the arms of Aphrodite. And then everything on earthblossoms, summer reigns. In this part, the myth of Adonis and the goddess of love echoes another ancient story about Demeter and Persephone. According to her, the change of seasons occurs because the daughter of the goddess of fertility goes to her husband, Hades. Demeter misses her very much, because everything on earth freezes. And when a girl comes to her mother, nature triumphs and comes to life.
