With February coming to an end, I think it’s time to include one last story about the jerk and his love that hurts. It regards the Greek Goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite, and her son Eros, another god of love or more famously known by his Roman name, Cupid. The origins of Aphrodite explains why we feel thinks in certain places. It all started with the rebellion of the Titans against their father, the primordial sky god Ouranos. He was chopped into pieces by his youngest son, the Titan of Time, Kronos. Ouranos was thrown into the ocean to disgrace Oceanus who was against this revolt in power. From those pieces, came Ouranos’s gentiles. When they splashed into the sea and foam rose around them, the goddess Aphrodite was created from the disposed body part. Aphrodite, in Greek Mythology, was basically anyone’s dream girl no matter what the person pictured their dream girl to be. She was also very petty with striking down misfortune on anyone who said that they were more beautiful than her.
The most famous story she is in is her affair with the fire god Hephaestus. It started with Hephaestus trapping his mother Hera, queen of the gods, in the act of revenge for her throwing him off the side of Mount Olympus (a golden thrown that he built himself). Zeus then had to give Aphrodite to Hephaestus as ransom to release his wife from the throne. It was also an opportunity for Zeus. With the other gods becoming jealous and petty over the goddess, Zeus wins her affection causing a division between them. Hephaestus loved Aphrodite but Aphrodite not so much. She despised how ugly and deformed the blacksmith god was which was the cause for Hera throwing her son off Mt. Olympus. She then saw Ares, the god of war. Aphrodite was head over heels in love with the god due to his physic and strength. Most women have been driven to such characteristics since the beginning of time. This resulted in the gods having an affair and falling in love with each other.
Helios, the sun God, told Hephaestus of this betrayal and he was furious and filled with the desire for revenge. He knew he couldn’t match his brother in a contest of strength and power, so he used what Ares didn’t have – intellect and craftsmanship. So, when Ares and Aphrodite snuck off to bed to make out, they were suddenly ensnared by a golden net that was so tiny it was barely noticeable. It was unbreakable even for the god of war and dragged them to Olympus for the gods to laugh at them and mock them for their situation. Just to show love can warm and be beautiful on the outside, deep down it houses the desires of revenge and humiliation.