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Description
"Love conquers all!"

Aphrodite. Never has such a goddess made such a powerful impression on the world. When Kronos, youngest of the Titans of Myth, usurped and emasculated his own father, Ouranos, the blood and seed that spewed from the wound created new life on Earth wherever it hit: the Gigantes, the Satyrs, the Nymphs and the Furies among a few. Yet Kronos then threw his father's severed genitals into the sea, off the coast of the island of Cyprus. As time went on, this essence of Ouranos created a mind of its own, and took on a new form, and arose from the sea as Aphrodite, "she who is risen from foam". Making her way towards the direction of the city of Paphos, Aphrodite was met by the three Graces, who thereafter became her handmaidens. They dressed her in finery and jewels, and presented her a chariot driven by doves for her debut in Olympus.

When Aphrodite arrived, the Gods welcomed her as one of their own, but Zeus, sensing that his sons would be too distracted by fighting over her, decided to marry off Aphrodite to his oldest son, Hephaestus: God of Fire. Aphrodite detested the marriage, but appreciated the jewelry her husband made for her. She found the forge not to her liking, and her husband always obsessed with his work to pay any attention to her. It only got worse when she learned that Hephaestus was cheating on her with Aglaea, one of her own handmaidens. Feeling betrayed, Aphrodite summoned an audience with Zeus, Hera and Athena, demanding a divorce. Hera and Athena could definitely understand how upset Aphrodite was, and convinced Zeus to let her marry whoever she chose. By pure coincidence, Ares burst into the Curia of Olympus at that exact moment after partaking in a successful Achaean excursion against the Hittites. As soon as they both laid eyes on one another, Ares and Aphrodite instantly fell in love. Approving of the union, Hera persuaded Zeus to allow Aphrodite to marry Ares, as it was clear she was able to calm his rage. Since then, Aphrodite has fit well into her role on Olympus as the Goddess of Love, Beauty and Sex.

For this take on Aphrodite, I stuck true to the original mythos, with some tweaking to better suit this take on her. The pose Aphrodite is in, I heavily referenced the sculpture of Venus Genetrix, which is a Roman copy of a Greek original statue depicting Aphrodite. Her outfit is actually inspired by what she wears in the game, Smite, with some elements from what she wore in the God of War series, such as the transparent fabric around her hips and butt, and the silver diadem atop her head. In her left hand, Aphrodite holds the Apple of Discord, upon which is engraved "ΤΗ ΚΑΛΛΙΣΤΗΙ", which means "For the fairest" in Greek. Essentially, this is the same golden apple that Eris used to start the Trojan War. The purple cloth she's holding up references how her cult was introduced to Greece by the Phoenicians, as they were the masters of the production of purple dye, and Aphrodite was known to the Phoenicians and Carthaginians as Astarte. To the Assyrians, she was called Ishtar, while to the Romans, she was named Venus. Yet Aphrodite shares one thing in common with these foreign aliases other civilizations made for her: she is also a war goddess. As Ares' wife, Aphrodite has been known to support her husband in his wars, often as a bringer of victory and peace, and she's no stranger to fighting or wearing armor as well. Now, there's a good reason as to why I had Aphrodite divorce Hephaestus and marry Ares instead. Since the marriage to Hephaestus did not result in the birth of a child, then by the standards of Olympus, it did not exist. And Aphrodite was within her rights to use Hephaestus' infidelity as a legitimate excuse, because in Themyscira and Olympus, adultery is just as horrible as rape. Plus, Aphrodite and Ares have many many children as well, and she's able to temper her husband's rage.

When angered herself, Aphrodite is spiteful and holds grudges, and will seek to humiliate the target of her rage, such was the case with Psyche. Yet she only relented when Ares told her that she needed to think less of her rage and more of their son, Eros, who was in love with her. When Psyche became a goddess, Aphrodite made sure to give her a heartfelt apology and gave her blessing to marry Eros. Despite her spitefulness, Aphrodite is generally a kind and generous goddess, willing to help anyone in need of love and companionship, as was the case with Pygmalion and Galatea. Although she is married to Ares, Aphrodite also had her share of affairs with other males. With Hermes, she is the mother of Hermaphroditus, while with Dionysos, she mothered Priapus. Yet the most famed of her mortal lovers are Adonis and Anchises. The latter of the two holds great significance with the Amazons of Themyscira, as through him, Aphrodite is the divine mother of the Trojan prince, Aeneas: ancestor of Romulus and Remus, the Amazons' half brothers, and founders of the city of Rome. Thus, because of this descent from Aphrodite's son, the Amazons are the heirs to the Roman Empire by right of lineage. As such, Aphrodite is a patron goddess of the Amazons, both for purposes of war and peace.

In Themyscira, Aphrodite will sometimes share a temple with Ares, but one of her most prized temples atop the Acropolis of Amazoniapolis, is her major center of worship. New warriors in Themyscira's armies will pray to her for victory in war, and to help them find true love. One rite that has come over from Ancient Greece to Themyscira is that the priestesses of Aphrodite also serve as sacred prostitutes. Luckily, these acts occur in buildings adjacent to the temple complexes, and the priestesses are well known by how they carry with them baskets of red apples: which are sacred to the goddess and seen as a declaration of love. Aphrodite is also the sister-in-law of Diana and Donna of Themyscira, Cassie Sandsmark, and Lian Harper.

Disclaimer: This version of Aphrodite belongs to DC Comics, Dr. William Moulton Marston PhD., and Harry G. Peter.

Description
"Love conquers all!"

Aphrodite. Never has such a goddess made such a powerful impression on the world. When Kronos, youngest of the Titans of Myth, usurped and emasculated his own father, Ouranos, the blood and seed that spewed from the wound created new life on Earth wherever it hit: the Gigantes, the Satyrs, the Nymphs and the Furies among a few. Yet Kronos then threw his father's severed genitals into the sea, off the coast of the island of Cyprus. As time went on, this essence of Ouranos created a mind of its own, and took on a new form, and arose from the sea as Aphrodite, "she who is risen from foam". Making her way towards the direction of the city of Paphos, Aphrodite was met by the three Graces, who thereafter became her handmaidens. They dressed her in finery and jewels, and presented her a chariot driven by doves for her debut in Olympus.

When Aphrodite arrived, the Gods welcomed her as one of their own, but Zeus, sensing that his sons would be too distracted by fighting over her, decided to marry off Aphrodite to his oldest son, Hephaestus: God of Fire. Aphrodite detested the marriage, but appreciated the jewelry her husband made for her. She found the forge not to her liking, and her husband always obsessed with his work to pay any attention to her. It only got worse when she learned that Hephaestus was cheating on her with Aglaea, one of her own handmaidens. Feeling betrayed, Aphrodite summoned an audience with Zeus, Hera and Athena, demanding a divorce. Hera and Athena could definitely understand how upset Aphrodite was, and convinced Zeus to let her marry whoever she chose. By pure coincidence, Ares burst into the Curia of Olympus at that exact moment after partaking in a successful Achaean excursion against the Hittites. As soon as they both laid eyes on one another, Ares and Aphrodite instantly fell in love. Approving of the union, Hera persuaded Zeus to allow Aphrodite to marry Ares, as it was clear she was able to calm his rage. Since then, Aphrodite has fit well into her role on Olympus as the Goddess of Love, Beauty and Sex.

For this take on Aphrodite, I stuck true to the original mythos, with some tweaking to better suit this take on her. The pose Aphrodite is in, I heavily referenced the sculpture of Venus Genetrix, which is a Roman copy of a Greek original statue depicting Aphrodite. Her outfit is actually inspired by what she wears in the game, Smite, with some elements from what she wore in the God of War series, such as the transparent fabric around her hips and butt, and the silver diadem atop her head. In her left hand, Aphrodite holds the Apple of Discord, upon which is engraved "ΤΗ ΚΑΛΛΙΣΤΗΙ", which means "For the fairest" in Greek. Essentially, this is the same golden apple that Eris used to start the Trojan War. The purple cloth she's holding up references how her cult was introduced to Greece by the Phoenicians, as they were the masters of the production of purple dye, and Aphrodite was known to the Phoenicians and Carthaginians as Astarte. To the Assyrians, she was called Ishtar, while to the Romans, she was named Venus. Yet Aphrodite shares one thing in common with these foreign aliases other civilizations made for her: she is also a war goddess. As Ares' wife, Aphrodite has been known to support her husband in his wars, often as a bringer of victory and peace, and she's no stranger to fighting or wearing armor as well. Now, there's a good reason as to why I had Aphrodite divorce Hephaestus and marry Ares instead. Since the marriage to Hephaestus did not result in the birth of a child, then by the standards of Olympus, it did not exist. And Aphrodite was within her rights to use Hephaestus' infidelity as a legitimate excuse, because in Themyscira and Olympus, adultery is just as horrible as rape. Plus, Aphrodite and Ares have many many children as well, and she's able to temper her husband's rage.

When angered herself, Aphrodite is spiteful and holds grudges, and will seek to humiliate the target of her rage, such was the case with Psyche. Yet she only relented when Ares told her that she needed to think less of her rage and more of their son, Eros, who was in love with her. When Psyche became a goddess, Aphrodite made sure to give her a heartfelt apology and gave her blessing to marry Eros. Despite her spitefulness, Aphrodite is generally a kind and generous goddess, willing to help anyone in need of love and companionship, as was the case with Pygmalion and Galatea. Although she is married to Ares, Aphrodite also had her share of affairs with other males. With Hermes, she is the mother of Hermaphroditus, while with Dionysos, she mothered Priapus. Yet the most famed of her mortal lovers are Adonis and Anchises. The latter of the two holds great significance with the Amazons of Themyscira, as through him, Aphrodite is the divine mother of the Trojan prince, Aeneas: ancestor of Romulus and Remus, the Amazons' half brothers, and founders of the city of Rome. Thus, because of this descent from Aphrodite's son, the Amazons are the heirs to the Roman Empire by right of lineage. As such, Aphrodite is a patron goddess of the Amazons, both for purposes of war and peace.

In Themyscira, Aphrodite will sometimes share a temple with Ares, but one of her most prized temples atop the Acropolis of Amazoniapolis, is her major center of worship. New warriors in Themyscira's armies will pray to her for victory in war, and to help them find true love. One rite that has come over from Ancient Greece to Themyscira is that the priestesses of Aphrodite also serve as sacred prostitutes. Luckily, these acts occur in buildings adjacent to the temple complexes, and the priestesses are well known by how they carry with them baskets of red apples: which are sacred to the goddess and seen as a declaration of love. Aphrodite is also the sister-in-law of Diana and Donna of Themyscira, Cassie Sandsmark, and Lian Harper.

Disclaimer: This version of Aphrodite belongs to DC Comics, Dr. William Moulton Marston PhD., and Harry G. Peter.