Zeus and Aphrodite
How were the king of the gods and the goddess of beauty really related? Keep reading to learn the curious links between Zeus and Aphrodite!
Most of the Greek gods were closely related through a close-knit family tree. Because the Titans were all children of Uranus and Gaia, most of the Olympians were at least cousins and intermarried among themselves to strengthen the family ties.
Aphrodite was a notable exception. The story of her birth from sea foam following the defeat of Uranus made her older than the gods of Olympus and a more distant relative than most.
There was an alternate belief, however, that was put forth by Homer which tied Aphrodite much more closely into the family of the Olympian gods. The early Greek poet claimed that she was the daughter of Zeus and a Titaness who he named as Dione.
While the more usual view of Aphrodite’s origin made her a distant goddess, Homer’s genealogy put her in the center of the Olympian family tree as one of Zeus’s many children.
So where did these differing views come from? The answer may lie in Aphrodite’s more literal origins as a Near Eastern goddess brought to Olympus and the Greek world by human traders.
Zeus and Aphrodite’s Family Bonds
The relationship between Zeus and Aphrodite is a complicated one. Depending on which writer was depicting them, the two could have different degrees of connection.
Most writers agreed that Zeus was Aphrodite’s father-in-law as the father of Ares. Her first husband, Hephaestus, was either his son as well or his stepson depending on the source of the story.
Homer made their relationship even closer. In the Iliad, the goddess of beauty is often referred to and addressed as the daughter of Zeus and a goddess named Dione.
Most stories claim that Aphrodite was born when the castrated organs of Uranus mixed with the white foam of the sea. While Homer’s connections between Aphrodite, Dione, and Zeus are contradictory to this, they are usually considered to be relicts of an older or more localized belief.
The story of her marriage to Hephaestus also paints Zeus in a fatherly role. He arranged her marriage, a duty that would usually fall to a young woman’s father.
In the absence of a father, however, another male guardian would be responsible for an unmarried woman. While Zeus’s involvement in Aphrodite’s marriage could indicate a fatherly role, it can also be explained by his position as king and therefore a male with authority over her.
While the two had many family connections, there was also an occasional sense of bitterness between them. In at least one legend Zeus blamed Aphrodite, working through her son Eros, for the frequent trouble caused by his many affairs.
Aphrodite was the mother of Eros, the god of love. While Eros was a mischievous god, he also followed his mother’s commands by making both gods and humans fall in love with people of her choosing.
Thus, Zeus blamed Aphrodite for many of his affairs, as she had presumably ordered Eros to make him fall in love with various goddesses, nymphs, and human women. He had not only suffered his wife’s jealousy, but had also felt pain at the deaths of his mortal lovers and children.
To make Aphrodite understand the harm she had caused, Zeus commanded Eros to make her fall in love as well. The goddess of beauty was made to have an irresistible attraction to a Trojan shepherd named Anchises.
The result of this affair was her famous human child, Aeneas. Throughout much of the Trojan War, Aphrodite’s primary concern was in keeping her son safe so that she would not have to see him die violently in battle.
While Aphrodite was successful in saving her son during the Trojan War, her worries over him made Zeus’s message clear. While Zeus called her “daughter” in the Iliad, he also resented the undo influence Aphrodite had in his affairs.
My Modern Interpretation
The contradictory descriptions of Zeus and Aphrodite’s relationship to one another may be due to the ways in which Greek mythology developed.
Historians agree that many of the gods and legends of classical Greece were originally parts of other cultures. Early Greeks adopted much of their religion from neighboring cultures that they encountered through trade, intermingling, and conquest.
The speakers of the early Greek language arrived in the region during the Bronze Age. There they encountered both native cultures like the Minoans and foreign traders such as the Phoenicians.
As these gods were incorporated into Greek legends, stories were invented to explain their relationships. New gods were often made children or consorts of existing deities as the mythologies merged.
The details of how these gods were related and what their exact roles were could vary widely from region to region as local lore mixed with spreading beliefs. Over time the stories changed as well to incorporate newly-encountered legends.
Zeus is believed to be one of the few later gods who was brought to the area by these Greek speakers. Aphrodite is generally thought to be of Eastern origin, brought to Europe by the Semitic Phoenicians.
When the early Greeks adopted Aphrodite into their pantheon, they sought for a way to make her fit within the existing lore. It is possible that two traditions developed in different parts of Greece, one in which she was Zeus’s daughter and another in which she was born from Uranus.
Homer’s writings reflect the belief that became less widely-followed over time. Even in his own era the belief that Aphrodite was Zeus’s daughter may have been localized or waning.
This seems to be evident in the differences between Homer’s poems and those of his contemporary, Hesiod. Homer, writing in a dialect of mainland Greece, called Aphrodite the daughter of Zeus while Hesiod, who lived in Asia Minor, made no mention of this supposed relationship.
Even if most Greeks of later eras did not believe that Zeus was Aphrodite’s father, details such as his role in her marriage arrangements preserved the older relationship between them.
The story of Aeneas also shows the way in which the mythology developed and was expanded over time. While his primary role in the Iliad was as Aphrodite’s son, the Romans later regarded him as one of the chief founders of their land and expanded his legend accordingly.
In Summary
The relationship between Zeus and Aphrodite varies according to different sources.
He was her father-in-law both as the father of Ares and the stepfather of Hephaestus. In fact, he arranged the marriage between Aphrodite and Hephaestus.
This marriage arrangement could point to one of two relationships. As king, Zeus would have acted as guardian to Aphrodite in the absence of her father, Uranus. According to some, however, Zeus himself was her father.
In the Iliad Aphrodite is the daughter of Zeus and Dione, contradicting the more familiar story of her birth from sea foam. The disparate stories of Aphrodite’s birth may be due to her character’s introduction into Greek mythology.
Aphrodite is believed to have brought into Greek belief by the Phoenicians, who were major traders from the Levant. The Semitic goddess was incorporated into existing Greek belief.
It seems likely that the new goddess was given different origin stories in different regions. While her character was largely the same throughout Greece, some believed her to be a daughter of Zeus while others claimed she was the last child of Uranus.
Over time, the story of Uranus became more popular. Zeus’s role as Aphrodite’s father was preserved in the writings of Homer, but was otherwise limited in later eras.
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Mike Greenberg, PhD
My name is Mike and for as long as I can remember (too long!) I have been in love with all things related to Mythology. I am the owner and chief researcher at this site. My work has also been published on Buzzfeed and most recently in Time magazine. Please like and share this article if you found it useful.
FAQs
Did Aphrodite cheat on hephaistos? ›
Though married to Hephaestus, Aphrodite had an affair with Ares, the god of war. Eventually, Hephaestus discovered Aphrodite's affair through Helios, the all-seeing Sun, and planned a trap during one of their trysts.
What is the story of Zeus and Aphrodite? ›Zeus was angry at Aphrodite for making the gods, especially himself, fall in love with mortals and make fools of themselves pursuing them, so he caused Aphrodite to fall madly in love with Anchises.
How did Zeus solve the problem of Aphrodite? ›Marriage to Hephaestus
Because many of the gods were in love with Aphrodite, Zeus was afraid that a great battle would break out over her. He arranged a marriage between her and the god Hephaestus. In some ways this was funny to the Greeks as Hephaestus was a lame and ugly god.
II.
Aphrodite later and of her own volition had an affair with Zeus, but his jealous wife Hera laid her hands upon the belly of the goddess and cursed their offspring with malformity. Their child was the ugly god Priapos.
In most traditions, he is married to Hera, by whom he is usually said to have fathered Ares, Eileithyia, Hebe, and Hephaestus. At the oracle of Dodona, his consort was said to be Dione, by whom the Iliad states that he fathered Aphrodite. According to the Theogony, Zeus' first wife was Metis, by whom he had Athena.
Who has Aphrodite slept with? ›Her lovers included Ares, the god of war, and the mortal Anchises, a Trojan prince with whom she had a famous son, Aeneas. Her most famous lover, however, was the handsome and youthful mortal Adonis.
What is Aphrodite summary? ›APHRODITE was the Olympian goddess of love, beauty, pleasure and procreation. She was depicted as a beautiful woman often accompanied by the winged godling Eros (Love). Her attributes included a dove, apple, scallop shell and mirror. In classical sculpture and fresco she was usually depicted nude.
Is Zeus dating his sister? ›Who did Zeus marry? His sister Hera was the first and only to whom he was married, but that didn't stop him from fathering children with all and sundry, willing or not. Hera, the goddess of marriage and childbirth, constantly fought with Zeus throughout their marriage.
What is Aphrodite's main story? ›The parents fought and Gaia created a stone sickle, which she gave to Cronus to attack his father. Cronus castrated Uranus and threw his father's testicles into the sea. They caused the sea to foam and out of that white foam rose Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty.
How did Aphrodite story end? ›Aphrodite fell desperately in love with Adonis and warned him of the dangers of the hunt, but to no avail. While he was hunting a wild boar, it buried its deep tusk into his groin and Adonis died in the arms of a grief-stricken Aphrodite.
Why was Zeus afraid of Aphrodite? ›
As one of the Twelve Olympians alongside Zeus, the Greek god of the skies and the king of the gods, Zeus was afraid that Aphrodite's beauty would cause a war among the gods. He was afraid they would fight each other to win her love, and the war would be irreparable.
Who killed Aphrodite? ›III. THE ILIAD : APHRODITE WOUNDED BY DIOMEDES. In the Iliad she is wounded by Diomedes while attempting to rescue her son Aeneas.
Does Aphrodite cheat on her husband? ›Who was Aphrodite married to? Aphrodite was compelled by Zeus to marry Hephaestus, the god of fire. However, they were an imperfect match, and Aphrodite consequently spent time cheating with the god of war, Ares, as well as a slew of mortal lovers, such as the Trojan nobleman Anchises and the youth Adonis.
Did Zeus fell in love with a man? ›Further, Zeus's infatuations were not limited to women, for when he fell in love with the youthful Ganymede he had the boy abducted by his eagle and brought up to Olympus to serve as cupbearer.
How many kids did Aphrodite have? ›| Aphrodite | |
|---|---|
| Children | Eros, Phobos, Deimos, Harmonia, Pothos, Anteros, Himeros, Hermaphroditus, Rhodos, Eryx, Peitho, The Graces, Priapus, Aeneas |
| Equivalents | |
| Roman equivalent | Venus |
| Norse equivalent | Freyja |
Perhaps partly because of the strange circumstances of her birth, Athena is often cited as Zeus's favourite child. He also greatly admired her strength of character and fighting spirit. Some believe Athena was Zeus's first born child, which might, somewhat unfairly, suggest why he chose her as his favourite.
Who did Zeus get pregnant? ›Impregnation by Zeus
Nonnus classifies Zeus's affair with Semele as one in a set of twelve, the other eleven women on whom he begot children being Io, Europa, Plouto, Danaë, Aigina, Antiope, Leda, Dia, Alcmene, Laodameia, the mother of Sarpedon, and Olympias.
Hera. The most famous of Zeus' wives, Hera was also the sister of the father of the gods, and the goddess of women, marriage, family, and childbirth.
Is Aphrodite older than Zeus? ›Aphrodite was no directly connected to Zeus. She was probably a generation older than the other Olympian Gods. The myth says that she was born out of the foam of the sea either near Paphos Cyrpus or near Kythira island.
Who did Aphrodite get jealous? ›Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, heard about Psyche and her sisters and was jealous of all the attention people paid to Psyche. So she summoned her son, Eros, and told him to put a spell on Psyche.
Does Aphrodite get pregnant? ›
The goddess of love was married to Hephaestus, the god of fire, but had several lovers, between gods and mortals. Consequently, Aphrodite also had many children from those relationships.
What are 3 important powers of Aphrodite? ›The Greek Goddess Aphrodite held the powers of fertility, pleasure and eternal youth, along with extraordinary beauty. Her beauty and sexuality were of such high regard that it could spark a war between the Gods and was even believed to have caused the Trojan War.
What are 3 important facts about Aphrodite? ›01Aphrodite is one of the goddesses that reside in Mount Olympus. 02She is known as the goddess of love, sexuality, pleasure, beauty, and passion. 03Aphrodite was born off the coast of Cythera from the genitals of Uranus. 04She is also known as the Lady of Cythera, the Lady of Cyprus because of her birth story.
What is Aphrodite's weakness? ›Aphrodite's greatest weaknesses were her vanity, jealousy, and hate of anyone considered more beautiful than herself.
Who is Zeus official wife? ›Hera. Hera is Zeus wife and sister. She was raised by the Titans Ocean and Tethys. She is the protector of marrage and takes special care of married women.
Who fed Zeus as a baby? ›According to Apollodorus, Rhea gave the infant Zeus to the nymphs Adrasteia and Ida, daughters of Melisseus, to nurse, and they fed Zeus on the milk of the goat Amalthea.
Who is Zeus jealous wife? ›Hera was worshipped throughout the Greek world and played an important part in Greek literature, appearing most frequently as the jealous and rancorous wife of Zeus and pursuing with vindictive hatred the heroines who were beloved by him.
What was Aphrodite's curse? ›She cursed her to live the rest of her life in a futile quest of true love. She had multiple lovers and gave birth to many children but never managed to find the ideal partner who would live up to her expectations.
Is Aphrodite a hero or villain? ›Type of Hero
Despite being known to have frequent affairs against her husband Hephaestus (especially with her lover Ares, the God of War), she is often portrayed in myths as a friendly, kind, benevolent, and even generous entity.
In his anger for being exiled, Hephaestus trapped his mother, Hera, on a throne that he made and gifted to her. In exchange for Hephaestus releasing Hera from the throne, Zeus agreed to let Hephaestus marry Aphrodite.
Did Hades cheat on Persephone? ›
In Ovid's famous text Metamorphosis, Hades has an affair with a young Nymph named Minthe. Persephone, now in her later years, was so incensed with jealousy that she turned Minthe into a mint plant.
How did Aphrodite punish? ›As punishment for his arrogance, Aphrodite made him fall in love with his own reflection. The boy pined away in unfulfilled yearning and was transformed (by the goddess) into a daffodil (the narcissus flower).
Who betrayed Aphrodite? ›She commanded her son to shoot his magic arrows and force Psyche to fall in love with a hideous beast. Upon meeting Psyche, Eros himself fell in love with her. He disobeyed Aphrodite and instead took Psyche to his own hidden home to be his wife. When Psyche betrayed his trust one time, Eros abandoned her.
What made Zeus mad? ›Zeus was angry at Prometheus for three things: being tricked on scarifices, stealing fire for man, and for refusing to tell Zeus which of Zeus's children would dethrone him.
Is Aphrodite Zeus daughter or sister? ›Aphrodite, daughter of Zeus and the goddess Dione, is known as the goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, passion and procreation. She is often regarded to be the Greek's equivalent to Venus, the Roman Goddess of love.
Who killed Zeus? ›How did Zeus get killed? Kratos fought Zeus furiously and managed to deliver several powerful blows, as he stated he would kill Zeus for his actions. Enraged at his defiance, Zeus unleashed his full might on the vengeful warrior in the form of a deadly electrical storm. Kratos stabs Zeus with the Blade of Olympus.
Who was more beautiful than Aphrodite? ›Psyche was a young princess from Sicily, famous for her extraordinary beauty. According to legend, she was even more beautiful than Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty.
What is an Aphrodite gender? ›While that approach has certainly yielded important information on gender dynamics in late-Classical Greece, it tends to overlook the fact that though this Aphrodite is female, she is also divine.
How many lovers do Aphrodite have? ›How many gods did Aphrodite sleep with? Even though married to Hephaestus, she had affairs with all Olympians except Zeus and Hades, most famously with Ares, the god of war. She also had famous romances with two mortals, Anchises and Adonis.
Did Zeus sleep with his mom? ›According to the Orphic myths, Zeus wanted to marry his mother Rhea. After Rhea refused to marry him, Zeus turned into a snake and raped her. She had Persephone with Zeus.
Did Zeus sleep with a cow? ›
Under the name of Callithyia, Io was regarded as the first priestess of Hera, the wife of Zeus. Zeus fell in love with her and, to protect her from the wrath of Hera, changed her into a white heifer. Hera persuaded Zeus to give her the heifer and sent Argus Panoptes (“the All-Seeing”) to watch her.
Who did Zeus trick into marrying him? ›Statue of Hera. The deceitful way Zeus tricked Hera into marrying him was an omen of the discord that continued throughout their marriage. After courting Hera to no avail, Zeus resorted to trickery by changing into a disheveled cuckoo. Hera took pity on the bird, holding it to her breast to keep it warm.
Who is Aphrodite's youngest child? ›The only child of Aphrodite and the Trojan prince Anchises, Aeneas was a mythical hero of Troy and the founder of the city of Rome. Aeneas led the Trojan survivors after the city fell to the Greeks.
What was Aphrodite's last name? ›ARGENNIS (Argennis), a surname of Aphrodite, which she derived from Argennus, a favourite of Agamemnon, after whose death, in the river Cephissus, Agamemnon built a sanctuary of Aphrodite Argennis.
Who was Aphrodite Favourite child? ›Arguably her most famous son was Eros, the god of love. Aphrodite was often shown as particularly devoted to her son, who unlike the majority of personifications had a distinct personality and eventually stories centered around him as a character. She also had one mortal son.
Did Aphrodite betray Hephaestus? ›Aphrodite was not happy with her quick marriage to Hephaestus and had no plans to cease her wondering eyes. Aphrodite subsequently committed adultery with other gods, most notably Ares and even mortals Anchises and Adonis. Helios, the all-seeing sun god, told Hephaestus about the affair between Aphrodite and Ares.
Why did Aphrodite cheat on Hephaestus? ›Also, Zeus only married Aphrodite off to Hephaestus to keep the other gods from getting jealous and creating chaos and chose Hephaestus because he was deformed and unattractive. So Aphrodite had an affair with Ares since she didn't want to be with Hephaestus.
What happened between Hephaestus and Aphrodite? ›Zeus begrudgingly agreed, and so Aphrodite was married off to Hephaestus. Unsurprisingly, Aphrodite was not happy about this trickery, as she had been dating Ares, God of War. This led to a very unhappy marriage with many affairs. Eventually, Hephaestus divorced Aphrodite.
Did Kratos slept with Aphrodite? ›While having sex with her, the handmaidens say Kratos has "such power" and later they begin making love, as well. Aphrodite wanted Kratos to have sex with her again, but an impatient Kratos refused. Irritated, Aphrodite tells Kratos to go to Hephaestus for help instead.
Did Aphrodite cheat on her husband? ›Who was Aphrodite married to? Aphrodite was compelled by Zeus to marry Hephaestus, the god of fire. However, they were an imperfect match, and Aphrodite consequently spent time cheating with the god of war, Ares, as well as a slew of mortal lovers, such as the Trojan nobleman Anchises and the youth Adonis.
Who hurt Aphrodite? ›
THE ILIAD : APHRODITE WOUNDED BY DIOMEDES. In the Iliad she is wounded by Diomedes while attempting to rescue her son Aeneas.
Did Aphrodite sleep with Poseidon? ›From that time on Aphrodite slept with many. She bore children to the gods Hermes, Poseidon, and Dionysus, two of which were sexually abnormal. If Zeus never lay with her he was tempted, and he punished her by making her fall in love with a mortal, the handsome Trojan prince, Anchises.
Who was jealous of Aphrodite? ›All three were beautiful, but Psyche was the most beautiful. Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, heard about Psyche and her sisters and was jealous of all the attention people paid to Psyche.
Did Athena ever fall in love? ›She never had a true lover or someone to hug and hold her; all she had was her loving mother, caring father and most of all her brothers and sisters. For some very strange reason it was hopeless that she would fall in love; Hephaestus tried once, yet failed. Athena was well known for giving advice/mentoring heroes.
Why did Zeus not marry Aphrodite? ›As one of the Twelve Olympians alongside Zeus, the Greek god of the skies and the king of the gods, Zeus was afraid that Aphrodite's beauty would cause a war among the gods. He was afraid they would fight each other to win her love, and the war would be irreparable.
Who was Aphrodite's one true love? ›Aphrodite was married to Hephaistos (Ἡφαιστος), the god of fire, smiths, and craftsmen. However, as we'll soon learn, this wasn't by her own choosing, and thus she had a longstanding affair with her true love, Ares (Αρης), The Greek god of War.
How many lovers did Aphrodite have? ›Even though married to Hephaestus, she had affairs with all Olympians except Zeus and Hades, most famously with Ares, the god of war. She also had famous romances with two mortals, Anchises and Adonis.