Aphrodite/Venus: Love Personified

The Greek and Roman Pantheons

Greek Pantheon	Roman Pantheon
Zeus	Jupiter/Jove
Hera	Juno
Poseidon	Neptune
Demeter	Ceres
Hades	Pluto
Hestia	Vesta
Hermes	Mercury
Athena	Minerva
Apollo	Apollo
Aphrodite	Venus
Ares	Mars
Hephaestus	Vulcan
	Cupid
	Bacchus

She is the goddess of love, desire and beauty. In addition to her natural gifts, she has a magical girdle that compels anyone she wishes to desire her. The myrtle is her tree. The dove, the swan, and the sparrow her birds.

There are two accounts of her birth. The most famous of which states that when Cronus, Zeus' father castrated his father Uranos, his genitals were thrown into the sea. From the foam which was created a giant scallop emereged and the goddess Aphrodite was born.

She is the wife of Hephaestus, the lame blacksmith of the gods. This was brought about after Hephaestus saw her and desired no one else, he would not even work until he could have her as his wife.

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			Copyright MMI (2001) Cesar S. Perez