Hephaestus was the opposite of Aphrodite - unattractive and physically disabled as compared to the beauty and eternal youth of Aphrodite. Hephaestus was particularly jealous of Ares, the god of war.
Aphrodite's enemies included Hera, Zeus' wife; Athena, the goddess of war; Helios, the sun; and Artemis; the goddess of the wilderness and virginity. Aphrodite was considered the most beautiful of all the goddesses, which naturally inspired jealousy and envy.
In Euripides' Hippolytus, Aphrodite (Venus) and Artemis (Diana) are rivals. This Gallery shows how some sculptors and painters represented the two beautiful goddesses. They have similarities: their faces often have the same features.
A male version of Aphrodite known as Aphroditus was worshipped in the city of Amathus on Cyprus. Aphroditus was depicted with the figure and dress of a woman, but had a beard, and was shown lifting his dress to reveal an erect phallus.
Artemis and Aphrodite had a rivalry that was not no secret. Aphrodite hated that Artemis had some people who believed in the virgin goddess who stay single and don't fall in love. So the goddess of love and beauty would target those who follow Artemis and kill or make them fall in love.
In Greek mythology, Psyche was a mortal woman whose beauty was so great that it rivaled that of the goddess Aphrodite. Aphrodite became so jealous of Psyche that she sent her son, Eros, to make Psyche fall in love with the ugliest man in the world.
ARES The god of war had a long love affair with Aphrodite which lasted for the duration of her marriage to Hephaistos and beyond. She bore him four divine sons: Eros, Anteros, Deimos, Phobos; and a daughter: Harmonia.
Aphrodite's Anger
Like other gods, Aphrodite would punish anyone, mortal or god, for slights against her. Theseus' son Hippolytus became a devotee of the virgin goddess, Artemis, and thus shunned the pleasures of the flesh. This angered Aphrodite, who felt that Hippolytus did not worship her sufficiently.
In modern times, the term “Adonis” can be used to refer to a man who is desirable and attractive. The word has deep roots in ancient Greek mythology because Adonis is the god of beauty and attraction – a male counterpart for Aphrodite.
THE ILIAD : BATTLE OF THE GODS. After the death of Patroklos, and the return of Akhilleus to the war, Zeus allowed the gods to return to the battlefield in support of their favourites. The divine factions then broke into open conflict in which Ares and Aphrodite are felled by Athene. Homer, Iliad 20.
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.
KENKHREIS (Cenchreis) A queen of Kypros (eastern Mediterranean) who boasted that her daughter Myrrha was more beautiful than Aphrodite herself.
It was even suggested in the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite that there were only three deities who could resist the passions that Aphrodite aroused, and they were Athena, Artemis, and Hestia. Note that all three were goddesses, and all were also virgins by choice.
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.
Mindful of Athena's orders, Diomedes runs after Aphrodite and wounds her arm. Dropping her son, the goddess flees towards Olympus. Apollo now comes to the rescue of the Trojan hero. Disregarding Athena's advice, Diomedes attacks Apollo three times before Apollo warns him not to match himself against immortals.
Kāmadeva is represented as a young, handsome man who wields a bow and arrows. His bow is made of sugarcane, and his arrows are decorated with five kinds of fragrant flowers. The five flowers are white lotus, Ashoka tree flowers, Mango tree flowers, Jasmine flowers and blue lotus flowers.
Aphrodite was the most beautiful of all the Goddesses. Aphrodite was the most beautiful of all the Goddesses and there are many tales of how she could encourage both Gods and humans to fall in love with her.
Adonis was a handsome mortal with whom the Greek goddess Aphrodite fell in love. Adonis took many lovers, and was closely associated with love, beauty, and lust.
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.
She was married to Hephaistos (god of fire and metalworking) but was famously caught sleeping with Ares (god of war). Other divine lovers included Dionysos (god of wine) and Hermes (god of travel and commerce), from whom she gave birth to the fertility deities Priapos and Hermaphroditos, respectively.
Aphrodite was the goddess of beauty and love. She was born out of the sea fully formed and riding a giant scallop shell. She had one husband and 8 consorts.
Aphrodite held Adonis in her arms as he bled to death. As she cried over her beloved, her tears fell into the pools of blood around them, and they were transformed through her love: from those tears mingled with the blood there bloomed the most beautiful anemone flowers.
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.
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.