The myth of Aphrodite and Adonis

How beautiful it is that mythology stretches far back in time with its many different stories, while also becoming a common source of imagination for everyone. As each myth transforms into another over time in different geographies, we would like to invite you on a little journey: A journey in search of the beautiful Aphrodite and the myth that belongs to Cyprus.

Land of love: Cyprus

All the myths that have reached us today on the Mediterranean winds tell the same thing... Cyprus occupies a place in mythology as the birthplace of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. We have two separate sources about Aphrodite's birth: One is Hesiod, known as the father of Greek didactic poetry; and the other is Homer, the poet who gave us the Iliad and the Odyssey.

Hesiod relates that Aphrodite was born from the sparkling waves of the sea in his work "Theogony", which deals with the origin and lineage of gods, goddesses and Greek legends.

When you consider that the word "Aphros" in Greek means foam, this beautiful story falls into place.

Mother Earth swells up and suffers terrible pain because Uranus keeps her children, born of Gaea, locked in the depths of the earth. Gaea also suffers and becomes angry with her husband Uranus. She persuades her youngest child, Kronos, to rebel. Kronos cuts off his father's genitals and throws them into the sea. From Uranus' genitals, Aphrodite is born. She is the goddess of love and beauty. She is also associated with water due to her unusual birth.

According to Homer and his Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, she was born of Zeus and Okeanos' daughter Dione. Her mother Dione takes Aphrodite, injured after fighting with the brave Diomedes in the Iliad, in her arms, makes love, caresses her and wipes the essence flowing from her wound, healing the wound and relieving her pain.

The spirit of the west wind carried her

Over the sounding sea,

Up from the delicate foam,

To the ring of waves Cyprus, her island.

And the gold-crowned Hours Received her joyfully.

They clothed her in immortal clothes, And brought her to the gods.

Wonder gripped them all as they saw

Violet-crowned Aphrodite."

Always young, beautiful and full of love...

The goddess Aphrodite, whose name travels with various symbols, can assume the body of a dove, swan, shell, myrtle plant or rose ... In her love for Adonis, she becomes a valiant goddess who fights for her love at the cost of losing her beauty.

Adonis is the mortal with whom Aphrodite fell in love, according to Greek mythology. Myrrha, the daughter of the Syrian king, is punished by Aphrodite for not showing sufficient respect to Aphrodite, and she gives the girl a dangerous longing that she can never handle. With the help of her nanny, she and her father sleep together for 7 days and 7 nights (in some sources 40 days and 40 nights). The father realizes that the person he was with the other night is his daughter and wants to kill her. The gods take pity on the girl and transform her into a myrtle tree. After 9 months, Adonis, the most beautiful of mortals, is born from the tree trunk.

As soon as Aphrodite sees Adonis, she falls in love with him and gives Adonis to Persephone, the daughter of her father Zeus and the goddess Demeter. Persephone, the stepsister of Aphrodite, also falls in love with the young man and does not want to return him. A battle ensues between the two goddesses. Zeus intervenes and decides that Adonis will spend 6 months with Aphrodite and Persephone respectively. When Adonis goes underground with Persephone, summer ends and winter begins; When he returns to earth to meet Aphrodite, the land's fertility returns, and spring arrives. The story changes course, and while Adonis is hunting, he is attacked by a wild boar and dies. Aphrodite, taking the blame for his death, begs Zeus to bring him back. When Aphrodite begins to lose her beauty from grief, the gods gather at the top of Mount Olympos and restore Adonis to life. As Adonis regains his life, the weather warms and the flowers begin to bloom. For this reason, Adonis represents the blooming and beautiful spring…

Aphrodite, whom the Aegean female poet Sappho also calls "Cyprus", is one of the golden myths of the Mediterranean sun, who shines even more with her love for Adonis... When we consider that one of the attributes of Aphrodite, who is always tending to conquer hearts, is gold; can we say that Cyprus is home to a history that will never lose its charm…

"…Wonder gripped them all as they saw Violet-crowned Aphrodite."

In the footsteps of a goddess...

What makes the place we live in so magical and drives us to childlike excitement is precisely this deep realm of mythology... As Hesiod told centuries ago, this myth begins on the shores of the city of Paphos, and the exact place where Aphrodite was born , was called "Petra tou Romiou", also known as Aphrodite's Rock. The story that begins with her birth among the foam has lived as a legend for at least 3,000 years; Aphrodite's baths and statues are still visited, as well as her birthplace...

Every moment in Cyprus is perfect for tracking down the goddess Aphrodite and her mythological beauty. Who knows, maybe Cyprus owes its fertile nature, warm human relations and fertile energy to Aphrodite...

Following in the footsteps of the goddess of beauty and love is a unique experience... For us, many new beauties, just like the first violet-crowned Aphrodite, are waiting to be discovered every day in Cyprus. We are happy to be a part of the eternally wondrous journey that follows true beauty:

"…Wonder gripped them all as they saw Violet-crowned Aphrodite."

[1] Azra Erhat – Encyclopedia of Mythology [Remzi Forlaghus]

[2] Homeric Hymns