The Goddess Aphrodite

“Muse, tell me the deeds of golden Aphrodite, who stirs up sweet passion in the gods and subdues the tribes of mortal men...” Thus begins a Homeric hymn to Aphrodite, the Ancient Greek Goddess of love, beauty, desire and marriage. You’ve probably seen many depictions of the Goddess, all of them nude and beautiful, very often emerging from the ocean. But did you know that, in the beginning, the Goddess of Love was also a warrior goddess?

As we’re getting ready to celebrate Beltane, the Wiccan Sabbat that is energetically tied to Aphrodite like no other Sabbat, let’s take a moment to better acquaint ourselves with the Goddess — and everything that she stands for.

Where did Aphrodite come from?

The origins of Aphrodite are shrouded in mystery; no one knows what her name actually means. Plato thought it came from “afros” (“sea foam”) and “dyomai” (“to arise”), depicting the birth of the Goddess as she rose from the sea foam. But the fact remains that “Aphrodite” is not a Greek name.

Our Pagan ancestors in the East, all worshipped Goddesses of Love and War, very similar to one another. The Sumerians had Inanna, the Mesopotamians had Ishtar, the Phoenicians had Astarte. It is now believed that the worship of Aphrodite was a continuation of the worship of that same Goddess of Love and War, whose name kept changing along with the language of the people. The first ones to call her “Aphrodite” were the Assyrians, who then brought the worship of the Goddess to Cyprus. Aphroditi, became the matron Goddess of the island and, from there on, her worship was spread throughout ancient Greece.

In her early depictions, the Goddess was called Aphrodite Areia (Aphrodite of Ares, or “Aphrodite warlike”). She was wearing a helmet and had a shield in one hand and a sword or spear in the other. But later on, the Greeks focused on a softer version of Aphrodite, clad with flowers or simply naked. Her name “Areia” started being used to describe the Goddess’ love affair with the God of War, Ares, instead of her own attributes And when the Romans came, they equated Aphrodite with their own goddess Venus, a deity of vegetation and springtime.

This is how we think of the Goddess Aphrodite today: soft, beautiful, suggestive, sensual. But it’s good to remember and honor her other side too, that of a fierce warrior.

Aphrodite in myths

One of the most well known myths around Aphrodite is centered around her birth. Ouranos (the Sky) used to mate with Gaia (the Earth) every night. Many children were created from that union — but one of them, the Titan Kronos, wanted to take his father’s place. So one night, as Ouranos was mating with Gaia, Kronos cut off his father’s manhood and tossed it into the ocean. From that member, the Goddess Aphrodite was born, emerging from the sea foam.

Aphrodite had many lovers — both gods and men. She also gave birth to many children, with Eros and the other Cupids being the most known. Although a protector of marriages, Aphrodite was not happily married herself. She was actually duped into marrying Hephaestus, the blacksmith god who was hardworking and smart, but also quite ugly. Aphrodite cheated on Hephaestus repeatedly, often with Ares, the God of War.

Aphrodite played a very important role in the Trojan War. She and two other goddesses, Hera and Athena, held a competition with young Paris as the judge. Paris chose Aphrodite as the best goddess of the three and she, to reward him, offered him “the hand of the most beautiful woman in the world”. That woman was Eleni, already married to the king of Sparta. But with the help of Aphrodite, Paris seduced Eleni and took her to Troy — which started the famous 10-year war. Aphrodite stayed to the side of the Trojans throughout, very often seen fighting with them.

Traditional symbols and associations

All animals are sacred to Aphrodite, but birds, especially doves are associated with her. Swallows, swans, geese and rams are also connected to her. During her main festival, celebrated in midsummer, salt was offered to honor the Goddess’ connection to the ocean. Sea shells, oysters, pearls, mirrors and the Chalice are also symbols of Aphrodite.

Her corresponding planet is Venus; her sacred day is Friday; her month is April. Her constellations are Taurus and Libra, which depict her dual nature: that of Pandemos (“common to all people”) who dealt with physical lust and earthly love (Taurus) and that of Urania (“celestial”) who represented spiritual attraction and transcendental beauty (Libra).

How she is worshipped today

As Aphrodite is the matron goddess of weddings, she is invoked in many Wiccan handfasting celebrations. According to myth, the Goddess possessed a magic girdle which could inspire love and desire for anyone who wore it. It is believed that the idea of “binding together” two hands, or sometimes two people at the waist, originates from Aphrodite’s belt.

Today Aphrodite has also become an aspect of the Wiccan Triple Goddess as the manifestation of the Full Moon, which equates to the Mother form of the Goddess. (It may be weird to think Aphrodite as maternal but originally she also protected fertility and childbirth.)

Aphrodite is very often invoked in love spells. Of course us Wiccans avoid casting love spells to make someone fall in love, but we can always enhance and protect a relationship that already exists. Aphrodite is the perfect Goddess to invoke in such a spell.

Aphrodite and Beltane

Beltane, at its core, is a marriage: the Divine Union of the Goddess and the God. It is a time when passion runs freely, when our Pagan ancestors used to make love out in the fields to bring forth fertility. And looking at it from an energetic perspective, it is a union of Love (the receptive female energy) and War (the conquering male energy).

As a Goddess of Love and War at her core, Aphrodite rules supreme during Beltane.