A light, caressing breeze brought her to the island of Cyprus. There, the young Ores surrounded the goddess of love, who emerged from the sea waves. They dressed her in golden robes and crowned her with a wreath of fragrant flowers.

Picou, Henri Pierre - The Birth of Venus - 1874.

Wherever Aphrodite stepped, flowers flourished there. The whole air was full of fragrance. Eros and Gimerot led the wondrous goddess to Olympus. The gods greeted her loudly. Since then, the golden Aphrodite has always lived among the gods of Olympus, forever young, the most beautiful of the goddesses.

Battista Dossi (1490–1548)

Tall, slender, with delicate features, with a soft wave of golden hair, like a crown lying on her beautiful head, Aphrodite is the personification of divine beauty and unfading youth. When she walks, in the splendor of her beauty, in fragrant clothes, then the sun shines brighter, flowers bloom more magnificently. Wild forest animals run to her from the thicket of the forest; flocks of birds flock to her when she walks through the forest. Lions, panthers, leopards and bears meekly caress her. Aphrodite walks calmly among wild animals, proud of her radiant beauty.

Adolphe William Bouguereau

Her companions Ora and Harita, goddesses of beauty and grace, serve her. They dress the goddess in luxurious clothes, comb her golden hair, crown her head with a sparkling diadem.
Aphrodite awakens love in the hearts of gods and mortals. Thanks to this power, she reigns over the whole world. No one can escape her power, not even the gods.
But the goddess of love knew the torments of love herself, and she had to mourn her beloved Adonis. She loved the son of the king of Cyprus, Adonis.

West (1738–1820)

Adonis ("lord") - the son of the king of Cyprus Kinir and Mirra, a young beautiful god who rules the order of things on earth.

Lived in Cyprus just and wise king Kinir. He was born in Byblos and transferred to Cyprus the achievements of the Phoenician culture. Kinir taught the inhabitants of the island of Cyprus native music, dances and many useful crafts.
Kinir (Kiniras) - Cypriot king, son of Apollo, father of Mirra (Smyrna), father and grandfather of Adonis.
One day the wife of Kinyra boasted that her daughter Mirra was more beautiful than Aphrodite herself. The goddess could not bear such an insult and inspired Mirra with a passion for her own father. One night, when her nurse had made Kinyra so drunk that he no longer understood anything, Myrrha climbed into his bed.

Mirra and Kinir. Engraving by Virgil Solis for Ovid's Metamorphosis

Kiner, having learned that his daughter had conceived a child, whom she was soon to give birth, from him by deceit, was so furious that he drew his sword, and the frightened Mirra rushed out of the palace.

("Birth of Adonis", oil on copper painting by Marcantonio Franceschini, c. 1685-90, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, Dresden)

Picart - Birth Adonis.

When her father overtook her at the cliff, Aphrodite hastily turned her into a myrrh tree, and her parent's sword split its trunk in half. A tiny Adonis fell out of the crack.
Aphrodite, already lamenting what she had done, put Adonis in a casket and handed it over to Persephone, the queen of the dead, asking him to hide it in a secluded place.
Burning with curiosity, Persephone opened the casket and found Adonis in it. He was so sweet that she took him in her arms and carried him to her palace, where she raised him.

Persephone Boris Vallejo

Once Aphrodite descended into Hades and asked Persephone what happened to the casket that had once been given to her for safekeeping. Persephone called to her a young man of unearthly beauty. Young Adonis was so beautiful that Aphrodite immediately caught fire with passion and demanded to return him. But Adonis was already a secret lover of Persephone, and she flatly refused.
Then Aphrodite had to turn to Zeus. But he did not want to resolve the disputes of the goddesses who did not share the handsome man and handed him over to the court under the chairmanship of the muse Calliope.

Hendrik de Klerk, Flemish, 1570-1629. Venus and Adonis.

Bartholomaus Spranger

She recognized equal rights for Aphrodite and Persephone and decided that he would spend time with each in turn. But in order for Adonis to have a rest from the encroachments of the loving goddesses, Calliope divided the year into three equal parts, one of which Adonis had to spend with Persephone, the second with Aphrodite, and the third - at his discretion.

Cornelis Cornelissen (1562–1638)

But Aphrodite, using her power over love and a belt woven from lust, also enjoyed the free time of the young god, who, of his own free will, remained with Aphrodite.

Annibale Carracci - Venus, Adonis and Cupid

Hendrick Goltzius

Abraham Blumarth (1564–1651)

Christiaen van Couwenbergh (1604–1667)

Ferdinand Bol (1616–1680)

Nicolas Poussin (1594–1665)

Abraham Janssens (1567–1632)

Aphrodite gave birth from Adonis to the son Golg, the founder of the Golgi in Cyprus, and the daughter Beroya, the founder of the Thracian Beroi.
All the time Aphrodite spent with her lover. Aphrodite hunted with him in the mountains and forests of Cyprus, like the maiden Artemis.

Bartholomeus Spranger (1546–1611)

Simon Vouet (French, 1590 - 1649)

But sometimes she had to leave her lover to visit Olympus. And Adonis hunted alone.

Venus attempts to keep Adonis from the hunt.After Peter Paul Rubens

Augustin Van den Berghe (Belgium 1756-1836)

Charles-Joseph Natoire - Venus et Adonis

Titian (1490–1576)

Persephone, having learned that Aphrodite dishonestly spends twice as much time with Adonis, decided to take revenge. She went to Aphrodite's lover Ares and told him that the Foamborn prefers him, the great Ares-Enialius, some kind of mortal, effeminate, handsome Adonis. Inflamed with jealousy, but not wanting a quarrel with Aphrodite, Ares turned into a wild boar and headed for the rival's hunting grounds. When the dogs of Adonis attacked the trail of a huge boar, the young man rejoiced at such rich prey. He had no idea that this was his last hunt. The boar pounced on him and mortally wounded him.

The Death of Adonis - Antonio Tempesta, c. 1593

The Death of Adonis - Giuseppe Mazzuoli, 1709

Rushed past
A shaggy beast and how he stumbled,
Feeling the breeze of love
And ambrosial female flesh
And the blood of kissing caresses,
What is for him as a sign of ferocity.
Pierced Adonis with fangs
And swirling over your head,
The boar threw the body to the ground
And, as if in a fright, he ran away.

Cambiaso Luca.

A. P. Losenko. "Death of Adonis". 1764

Cornelis Holstein, 1647

Francisco Goya (1746–1828)

When Aphrodite learned about the death of Adonis, then, full of inexpressible grief, she herself went to the mountains of Cyprus to look for the body of her beloved youth. Aphrodite walked along steep mountain rapids, among gloomy gorges, along the edges of deep abysses.
Sharp stones and thorns of thorns wounded the delicate legs of the goddess. Drops of her blood fell to the ground, leaving a trail wherever the goddess passed.

Jacopo Zanguidi Bertoia - Venus Led by Cupid to the Dead Adonis

Ribera, José de (1591-1652)

Giovanni Battista Gaulli (1639–1709) Death of Adonis

Rubens, Peter Paul (1577-1640)

Giulio Carpioni (1613-1678)

Nicolas Poussin (1594–1665) Venus pleurant Adonis

Laurent de La Hyre (1606–1656)

Finally, Aphrodite found the body of Adonis. She wept bitterly over the beautiful young man who died early. In order to preserve the memory of him forever, the goddess ordered the tender anemone to grow from the blood of Adonis.

Claude Monet Anemones

And where drops of blood fell from the wounded feet of the goddess, lush roses grew everywhere, scarlet, like the blood of Aphrodite.

It is repeatedly mentioned in the literature beautiful legend about the plant Adonis, the Latin name of which is Adonis. This legend was very popular in Ancient Greece, but reached its greatest fame in the Renaissance, when numerous paintings and sculptures were created on the plot of the legend of Venus and Adonis. The legend of Adonis is best described in Ovid's Metamorphoses. According to one version of the legend, Venus was angry with the wife of the Cypriot king Kimir for disrespect and inspired his daughter with a passion for her own father. The king, unaware of the truth and succumbing to temptation, entered into a relationship with Mirra, but, having discovered the truth, cursed her. The gods turned the unfortunate woman into a myrrh tree, with precious fragrant juice eternally oozing from wounds. A child was born from a cracked trunk, who was named Adonis. The boy was unusually handsome. Venus gave him to be raised by Persephone, the wife of the god of the underworld Hades, on the condition that when the child grows up, he will return to her. But when the appointed time came, Persephone did not want to part with him. Zeus himself had to become a judge in this dispute, who decided that in the summer Adonis would live on earth with Venus, and in the winter he would return underground with Persephone. Happy Venus wandered through the forests with Adonis, begging him not to take risks and not hunt ferocious animals - bears and boars. But one day Adonis went hunting alone and died from the fangs of a wild boar. Venus mourned bitterly for her lover, and then turned him into a flower, sprinkling the blood of the young man with nectar.

The genus Adonis (Adonis), or Adonis, has about 45 perennial and annual species. And even if the color of the corolla in most species is not blood-red, all of them, in the understanding of botanists, are relatives of the “flower of Adonis”. Representatives of the genus live both on the plains and in the mountains, rising up to 4500 m above sea level. Due to their habitat in hard-to-reach areas, many species remain poorly studied to date. First of all, it is spring adonis (Adonis vernalis), adonis. This is a plant of the steppes of the European part of Russia, the Crimea, Ciscaucasia, Siberia, as well as Central and Southern Europe. Spring Adonis is a component of forbs of meadow steppes and steppe meadows. This is one of the very beautiful plants with glowing gold flowers, blooming in late April and ending flowering in late May - early June. The lower leaves are scaly, amplexicaul, stem leaves are sessile, repeatedly dissected. The flower is large with a diameter of up to 6 cm, consisting of 15-20 free yellow, shiny petals, supported by five pubescent sepals, located at the top of the stem. There are many stamens and pistils. The height of flowering plants is 10-15 cm, fruit-bearing, 40-60 cm. The fruits are wrinkled with a hooked nose, ripen in July. The fruit is a composite of dry numerous nuts - a multi-nutlet.

Adonis spring in Europe introduced into the culture. There are garden forms.

Care and reproduction
All adonis grow slowly and are very sensitive to transplants. The soil must be kept loose and moist. Renewal buds are laid 2-4 years in advance, so you need to carefully cut the plant, trying not to damage the buds.

Propagated by seeds and division of the bush. Planting is carried out in August - early September, so that the plants can take root well before the onset of frost.

The division and transplantation of adonis should be carried out not earlier than 4-5 years of cultivation, in one place without a transplant, adonis develop well up to 10 years. The best option is to transplant plants with a clod of earth, without disturbing the roots, they grow slowly, it is not recommended to divide them into small parts. In the first year after planting, the plants bloom and develop poorly, normal flowering occurs only from the second year. Reproduction of perennial adonis by seeds is difficult, since they have low germination, in addition, some of the seeds germinate only in the second year. Sowing seeds, preferably cleaned, should be done immediately after harvest. Until winter, boxes with crops must be stored in a cold basement, and then dug under the snow. It is possible to store seeds in a slightly damp substrate in the refrigerator until the beginning of spring, followed by germination in a greenhouse at 18-22 degrees. Young plants grow slowly, reaching full development only for 4-5 years.

Usage
Perennial adonis are unsuitable for cutting, but they are very effective in group plantings or among rarely planted shrubs. When landing, they should be placed closer to the paths, they are also good on rocky hills on the east and west sides. Valuable medicinal raw material - already in the XIV century it was widely used in folk medicine for convulsions, various heart and kidney diseases.

Kinds
Golden Adonis (Adonis chrysocyathus) is one of the rare plants of Central Asia. This herbaceous perennial is an extremely valuable medicinal and ornamental plant that is found in the Tien Shan, Kashmir, Western Tibet, where adonis curtains create colorful bright yellow spots on rocky mountain slopes. Shine yellow color it is especially expressive against the background of the snow that has not yet melted and the blue of the alpine sky. A limited number of localities of this species are known, and the number of populations is constantly and significantly reduced due to human intervention. The aerial part is represented by one or a group of semi-rosette shoots, the number and size of which depend on age. So, a middle-aged individual has up to 30 rosettes 45-50 cm high. Generative shoot, as a rule, with a single large bright yellow flower. The shoot is equal to the height or slightly exceeds the height of rosette leaves.

Adonis Turkestani (Adonis turkestanicus) is one of the valuable medicinal plants of Central Asia, endemic to Pamir-Alay. The main part of its range is connected with the mountain systems of Gissar-Darvaz, where it can form continuous thickets in juniper and tragacanth forests at an altitude of 2000-3500 m above sea level. The cleanest thickets are noted in the places of former long-term cattle camps. This indicates a positive attitude of plants to soil rich in organic matter. Adonis Turkestan at the beginning of flowering has a height of 10-20 cm, and during the period of fruit ripening up to 70 cm. The whole plant is pubescent with curly hairs. The flowers at the ends of the shoots are solitary, 4-6 cm in diameter, the perianth is double, regular, consists of a corolla and a calyx. Petals yellow-orange, bluish underside. Feature of this species is that at the same time the plant has newly formed buds, opened flowers and set seeds. Since each shoot has lateral shoots of the first, second, third, and sometimes fourth orders, there can be up to 250 flowers on one middle-aged individual. Flowers appear first on the axis of the first order. As the plant grows, flowers bloom on the axis of the second, third orders, which leads to the extension of the timing of flowering and fruit formation. Such long flowering is an important adaptation to the harsh conditions of the highlands.

Mongolian Adonis (Adonis mongolica) is an endemic plant of Mongolia. It occurs within Khangai, in mountain and meadow steppes, along the edges of larch forests. It is most abundant in the places of old cattle camps. It grows on loose, humus-rich soils. Shoots of a middle-aged plant are numerous (up to 20-30 or more), have lateral shoots of the second and third orders. Basal leaves are reduced. Median leaves, in the axils of which shoots of the following orders are formed, are sessile. The flowers are large, 2.5-5 cm in diameter. The sepals are light green, sometimes with a purple tint, pubescent with small hairs. Petals are white. Adonis Mongolian is one of the early spring plants of Mongolia. It is difficult to imagine a brighter and more beautiful picture - caps of snow-white flowers on the steppe slopes with last year's brown foliage against the background of a bright blue sky. Flowering begins in April-May, and mass - at the end of May, June. The first wave of flowering is formed by the apical flowers of the main shoots. They are replaced by apical flowers of the second, third and so on orders. You should pay attention to the fact that all side shoots, regardless of their location on the main one, end at the same level. This explains the abundant flowering, in which the flowers form, as it were, a dome in the form of a snow-white “cap”. The next wave of flowering is formed from flowers located on the branches of the following orders. Such a rhythm of flowering contributes to the constant decorativeness of the plant and increases the possibility of seed ripening at the most favorable time for the weather. Here it is appropriate to recall the sharp continental climate of Mongolia, especially its mountainous regions, when sharp temperature fluctuations are possible during the growing season, up to frost, snow and hail. The leaves unfurl as the flowers open. Shoot growth continues until seeds ripen. Mongolian Adonis grass serves as a raw material for obtaining valuable cardiac glycosides.

Amur Adonis (Adonis amurensis) is a perennial herbaceous plant from the Far East, where it grows in cedar-deciduous forests. The leaves are pinnately dissected on long petioles, develop after flowering and persist until July, August. Blooms from April for 2-3 weeks. The flowers are golden yellow, wide open, up to 5 cm in diameter. Blooms before leaves appear. The height of plants during the flowering period is not more than 10-15 cm. It bears fruit in late May, June. Propagated by seeds. Shoots appear in a year. The plant is introduced into culture. In Japan, numerous decorative varieties with double flowers of white, pink, red color are bred.

Ancient Greek mythology is familiar to each of us since childhood thanks to the school curriculum. Modern children read fascinating stories about the adventures of the gods living on Olympus no less than their parents and grandparents did. It is difficult to meet today a person who would not know who Zeus, Poseidon, Athena or Ares are. The most famous heroine of ancient myths is Aphrodite - the goddess of love and beauty, forever young inhabitant of Olympus. The ancient Romans associated her with Venus.

Goddess sphere of influence

The Greeks considered Aphrodite the patroness of spring, flowering and fertility. They were sure that all the beauty that exists on the planet is the work of her hands. Lovers asked the goddess for favors, hoping to keep their feelings for the rest of their lives. She was praised by artists, poets and sculptors who glorified beauty and love in their works. Aphrodite was treated as a goddess who prefers peace to war and life to death, so all those who dreamed of peaceful prosperity and deliverance from death turned to her. She was so powerful that not only ordinary people and animals, but also the inhabitants of Olympus obeyed her will. The only characters who were not affected by the spell of the beautiful goddess were Athena, Artemis and Hestia.

Appearance

According to ancient myths, Aphrodite was distinguished by incredible beauty. The Greeks represented her tall, stately, with very delicate features. The goddess had long golden hair that framed her head like a wreath. She was served by Ores and Charites, who patronized beauty and grace. They combed her golden curls and dressed her in the finest clothes. When Aphrodite descended from Olympus, flowers bloomed, and the sun in the sky began to shine brighter. Wild animals and birds, unable to resist the incredible beauty of the goddess, ran to her from all sides, and she calmly walked the earth surrounded by them.

Aphrodite - ancient Greek goddess, famous for her novels both with her own kind and with ordinary people. She had the power to make many men fall in love with her. Being the wife of the ugly and lame god Hephaestus, the patron of fire and blacksmithing, she consoled herself with the fact that she entered into love affairs on the side. Having not given birth to her husband a single child, she presented her other admirers with heirs. From the relationship with the god of war Ares, Aphrodite had 5 children (Deimos, Phobos, Eros, Anteros and Harmony). From a relationship with the patron saint of winemaking Dionysus, she had a son, Priapus. The beauty of Aphrodite was also struck by the god of trade Hermes. She gave him her son Hermaphrodite. Among her lovers were not only the powerful inhabitants of Olympus, but also mere mortals. So, having started an affair with the king of the Dardanians, Anchises, Aphrodite gave birth to another son - the hero of the Trojan War, Aeneas.

Aphrodite is a goddess who personified incredible eroticism and voluptuousness. Unlike ordinary women, she never allowed herself to become a victim of love. All her relationships took place solely by her will. In relations with men, she did not have constancy, she was always open to new feelings.

The story of the birth of the goddess of love and beauty

The myth of the goddess Aphrodite, which tells about her birth, is very interesting. According to an ancient legend, the titan Kronos was very angry with his father Uranus (patron of the sky), cut off his genitals with a sickle and threw them into the sea. The blood from the reproductive organs mixed with sea water, resulting in a snow-white foam, from which the beautiful Aphrodite was born. The goddess of love was born near the Greek island of Cythera, then a light breeze carried her along the waves to Cyprus, where she came ashore (for this reason she is sometimes called Cyprida). It is noteworthy that Aphrodite was never a child, she was born from the sea foam completely adult. Having ascended Olympus, the daughter of Uranus conquered all its inhabitants with her beauty.

There is another version of the birth of the ancient Greek goddess. According to her, Aphrodite's parents were the chief olympic god Zeus and the sea nymph Dione, and she was born in the most traditional way. The author of this version is the ancient Greek legendary poet Homer.

Character

Aphrodite is the goddess of Ancient Greece, who became the heroine of many ancient myths. Like any woman, she tends to be different. In some legends, Aphrodite is a generous mistress human lives, in others - a capricious beauty, and in others - a cruel arbiter of destinies, whose wrath cannot be avoided.

The myth of Pygmalion

According to one of the legends, the talented artist Pygmalion once lived in Cyprus. He hated the fairer sex and lived as a hermit, not allowing himself to fall in love and start a family. Once he created an ivory statue of a woman of indescribable beauty. The sculpture was made by the master very skillfully, and it seemed that she was about to speak and move. Pygmalion could admire the woman he created for hours and did not notice how he fell in love with her. He whispered kind words to her, kissed her, gave her jewelry and clothes, but the statue remained motionless and mute. More than anything else, Pygmalion wanted the beauty he created to come to life and reciprocate his feelings.

In the days when it was customary for the Greeks to honor Aphrodite, Pygmalion made a rich sacrifice to her and asked her to send him as his wife a girl similar to the one he created from ivory. The almighty Aphrodite decided to take pity on the talented master: she revived the beautiful girl and instilled in her mutual feelings for her creator. Thus, the goddess rewarded Pygmalion for the sincere and devoted love that he felt for the statue.

The story of Narcissus

The goddess of beauty Aphrodite was favorable only to those people who highly revered her. Those who resisted her power and refused her gifts, she mercilessly punished. This happened to the beautiful youth Narcissus, the son of a river god and a nymph. He was very handsome and everyone who saw him immediately fell in love with him. But the proud Narcissus did not reciprocate.

One day, the nymph Echo fell in love with a handsome young man. However, Narcissus angrily rejected her, stating that he would rather die than be with her forever. Failure befell another nymph, who also had the imprudence to love him. Offended, she wished the proud Narcissus to experience unrequited love in order to understand how the rejected person feels. Aphrodite was very angry with the young man, because he neglected his beauty - a gift sent to him by the goddess. For pride and coldness towards others, she decided to punish him severely.

Walking somehow through the forest, Narcissus wanted to drink water. Leaning over a brook with clear clear water, he saw his reflection in it and fell passionately in love with it. His feelings were so strong that he stopped eating and sleeping. He thought about the beautiful young man constantly, however, seeing him in the water, he could not even touch him. And one day Narcissus realized that he fell in love with himself. This discovery made him worse. Gradually, the strength left the handsome man, he understood that he was dying, but he could not tear himself away from his reflection in the water. In suffering for himself, he died, and at the place of his death a white flower with a fragrant aroma grew, which in his honor began to be called a narcissus. So the young man paid in front of Aphrodite for his pride and neglect of the beauty bestowed on him.

The sad story of Adonis

Aphrodite, who cruelly punished Narcissus, herself had to suffer from love and unfavorable fate. The Cypriot king had a son, Adonis. Although he was a mere mortal, he possessed divine beauty. Once Aphrodite saw him and fell in love with him without memory. For the sake of Adonis, the goddess forgot about Olympus and all her affairs. Together with her lover, she hunted wild animals, and in their free time they rested on the green grass. The goddess of beauty rarely left Adonis alone and each time asked him to take care of himself.

Once Adonis went hunting without Aphrodite, and his dogs attacked the trail of a large boar. The young man was delighted with such prey and rushed at the beast with a spear. But he had no idea that this would be his last hunt. The boar turned out to be stronger than Adonis, he pounced on him and pierced him with his fangs. From the wound received, the beloved of the goddess of beauty died.

Upon learning of the death of Adonis, Aphrodite began to mourn him greatly. Zeus the Thunderer, seeing how she was suffering, took pity on her and asked his brother, the god of the dead kingdom of Hades, to sometimes let the young man go to the living. Since then, it has been like this: for half a year, Adonis comes to Aphrodite, and at that time everything in nature blooms, blooms and smells sweet, and then he returns to the world of the dead, and the earth begins to pour rain and snow - this golden-haired goddess yearns for her own beloved.

Apple of discord

The favorite of Aphrodite was the son of the king of Troy, Paris. The patroness of discord, Eris, decided to quarrel the Greek goddesses and threw them a golden apple with the inscription "Most Beautiful". Aphrodite, Hera and Artemis noticed him and began to argue about who should get it. Paris was entrusted to judge the goddesses. Each of them tried to bribe the young man with all sorts of benefits. Aphrodite became the winner in this duel, promising to give him the most beautiful of earthly women as his wife. Having received the favor and support of the goddess of love, Paris suddenly incurred the wrath of Hera and Artemis. The apple of discord was the beginning of the Trojan War, because the most beautiful woman was Helen, the wife of the Spartan king Menelaus. It was to her that Aphrodite ordered Paris to swim.

Eros and Hymen - assistants to the patroness of love and beauty

Although Aphrodite is a Greek goddess of great power, she could not do without helpers. One of them was her son Eros - a curly-haired boy flying over all lands and seas on his small wings. He had a small bow and a quiver of golden arrows. Whoever Eros shoots at, love will overtake.

Hymen, the patron saint of marriage, is another indispensable assistant to Aphrodite. He leads all the wedding processions, flying ahead of the newlyweds on his white wings and lighting their way with a bright torch.

paraphernalia

The main symbol of the goddess Aphrodite is her belt. Anyone who wore it was endowed with an extraordinary sexual attraction. Both ordinary women and the goddesses who inhabited Olympus dreamed of getting it. In addition to the belt, Aphrodite had a cup of pure gold filled with wine. Everyone who took a sip from it remained young forever. The symbols of the goddess of love Aphrodite were also considered a rose, myrtle, apple. Pigeons, sparrows, hares and poppies were identified with her as the patroness of fertility. Aphrodite also had sea symbols - a dolphin and a swan.

famous antique statues

Many sculptors were inspired to create masterpieces by the goddess Aphrodite. Photos of the works of art presented in the article convey all the beauty and majesty of the patroness of love and beauty. In the works of some masters, the heroine of ancient myths is presented in the form of the Roman goddess Venus.

A well-known ancient Greek statue dedicated to the goddess is Aphrodite of Cnidus (about 350 BC, author - Praxiteles). In II Art. BC e. The sculptor Agesander created the figure of Venus de Milo, which is the embodiment of the female beauty of the ancient period.

Goddess in paintings

The image of Aphrodite can be found in paintings painted by famous Renaissance artists. Titian's brush belongs to the work "Venus and Adonis" (1553), the plot of which conveys the quivering feelings of the goddess for a mere mortal youth.

In the painting “Sleeping Venus”, painted by the Italian artist Giorgione approximately in 1505-1510, the patroness of love is depicted as a naked beauty, resting against the backdrop of nature. The image of the ancient goddess, created by the master, became the personification perfect woman the Renaissance.

Another painting depicting Aphrodite is the painting by Sandro Botticelli "The Birth of Venus" (1486). On it, the artist depicted the plot of an ancient legend, which tells about the appearance of the majestic patroness of love and beauty from sea foam.

Through art and Greek myths, it is possible to determine how the goddess Aphrodite seemed to the ancient people. Photos of sculptures and paintings, which depict the golden-haired inhabitant of Olympus, clearly convey her beauty, which inspires many artists today to create new masterpieces.

Aphrodite (Anadiomene, Astarte, Venus, Ishtar, Ishtar, Cyprida, Cameo, Millita) is the goddess of beauty and love, sky, wind and sea.

Golden and eternally young Aphrodite (Venus), who lives on Olympus, is considered the goddess of the sky and the sea, sends rain to the earth, as well as the goddess of love, personifying divine beauty and unfading youth.

Aphrodite is considered the most beautiful of all the goddesses of Olympus and always resides there.

A forever young girl, tall and slender, with pearly white skin and deep dark blue eyes. The face of Aphrodite with delicate features is framed by a soft wave of long curly golden hair, adorned with a radiant diadem and a wreath of fragrant flowers, like a crown lying on her beautiful head - no one can compare in beauty to the most beautiful of all goddesses and mortals.

The goddess Aphrodite is dressed in flowing thin, fragrant, golden-woven clothes, she spreads fragrance when she appears, and where her beautiful legs step, the Goddesses of beauty (Ora) and the goddess of grace (Harita) accompany Aphrodite everywhere, entertain and serve her.

Wild animals and birds are not at all afraid of the radiant goddess, they meekly caress her and sing songs to her. Aphrodite travels on birds: swans, geese, doves or sparrows - the light wings of the birds quickly carry the goddess from place to place.

The goddess of love and beauty, sea and sky - Aphrodite gives happiness to those who serve her: she gave life to a beautiful statue of a girl with whom Pygmalion fell endlessly in love. But she also punishes those who reject her gifts: so cruelly she punished Narcissus, who fell in love with his reflection in a transparent forest stream and died of anguish.

The golden apple from the distant gardens herespides is a symbol of Aphrodite, which she received as confirmation of her beauty from the mountain shepherd Paris (son of the king of great Troy), who recognized Aphrodite as the most beautiful, who is more beautiful than Hera (wife of her uncle Zeus) and Athena (sister of Zeus).

As a reward for his choice, Paris received the help of the goddess in conquering the most beautiful of mortals - Helen (daughter of Zeus and his beloved Leda, wife of King Minelaus of Sparta) and constant support in all his endeavors.

The daughter of her parents - the goddess of the sea and sky - the windy Aphrodite awakens love in the hearts and love passion with her unearthly beauty, and therefore reigns over the world. Any appearance of Aphrodite in fragrant clothes makes the sun shine brighter and bloom more magnificently.

Aphrodite lives on Olympus, sits on a rich golden throne, forged by Hephaestus himself, and loves to comb her lush curls with a golden comb. Golden furniture stands in her divine home. Only love is created by a beautiful goddess, completely without touching any work with her hands.

Birth of Afordita

The story of the birth of the goddess of love and beauty has several true versions, as well as answers to the question about the reasons for the appearance of a feeling of love between people on Earth.

Aphrodite - daughter of Uranus

The beloved and last daughter of the sky god Uranus - Aphrodite was born near the island of Cythera from the snow-white foam of the sea waves. A light, caressing breeze brought her to the island of Cyprus.

Sea foam was formed from the mixing of the blood of Uranus, which fell into the salty waters of the Aegean Sea during the battle between the sky god Uranus and the insidious titan son Kronos (Kronos, Chronos) - the god of agriculture and time.

This story of the birth of Aphrodite suggests her virgin conception from one father.

Aphrodite - daughter of Cronos

According to the Orphics, sea foam was formed from the blood of Kron himself during his bloody battle with his son Zeus - the god of thunder and lightning - for power in heaven.

Therefore, Aphrodite may be the last and beloved daughter of the god of agriculture and time Kronos (Kronos, Chronos).

According to these two versions, we can conclude that love appears as a result of a struggle, it arises just like that..

Aphrodite - daughter of Zeus and Dione

According to Greek mythology Aphrodite is the daughter of the Thunderer Zeus and his beloved Dione (goddess of rain), who was born as a pearl from a mother-of-pearl shell.

Zeus is the son of Kronos (Kronos, Chronos), that is, Aphrodite for him can be a half-sister (if she is Kron's daughter) or an aunt (if she is the daughter of Uranus and Kron's half-sister).

When did love start?

Wherever Aphrodite stepped, flowers flourished there. The whole air was full of fragrance. Having set foot on the island of Cyprus, young Aphrodite ascended to Olympus and began to help the gods and mortals in matters of love and passion.

Love of Aphrodite and Adonis

Adonis (Adon, Dionysus, Tammuz) - the son of the king of the island of Crete named Minir and his daughter Mirra, who secretly sinned with her father without his knowledge and was forced to leave Cyprus.

Adonis is a beautiful man, but not a god, because he was born from mere mortals, albeit with the help of the gods.

The gods took pity on Mirra and turned her into a myrrh tree with fragrant resin. From the trunk of the myrrh tree, with the help of the goddess Aphrodite, the baby Adonis appeared, who "was reputed to be the most beautiful of babies."

Aphrodite instantly fell in love with him at first sight and hid the baby with a golden casket, and then handed it over to Persephone (the daughters of Zeus and Demeter, and the goddess of the underworld) to the kingdom of the invisible god Hades (Pluto), who also immediately fell in love with a beautiful boy and did not want to let go him back to earth.

Having matured, Adonis turned into a beautiful young man and none of the mortals was equal to him in beauty, he was even more beautiful than the Olympian gods. Two began to argue beautiful goddesses for the right to spend their time with Adonis and came to Zeus, and Zeus sent them to his daughter - the muse of science and poetry - Euterpe, - more knowledgeable in matters of love.

The muse of science and poetry, Euterpe, on behalf of her father Zeus, decided that the young man would spend a third of the year with Aphrodite, the second third with Persephone, and the third at will.

Aphrodite abandoned her husband for the sake of her beloved Adonis - the god of war Ares (the son of Zeus and her half-brother, according to the Greek version), the goddess and the shining Olympus forgot, and the flowering islands of Patmos, Cythera, Paphos, Knid, Amaphunt - she spent all the time with young Adonis , and only he began to matter to her.

Many gods sought her love: Hermes - the god of trade, Poseidon - the god of the ocean, and the formidable Ares tried to return his wife, but she loved only Adonis and lived only in thoughts about him.

The first husband of Athena, the blacksmith Hephaestus (the son of Gaia and Zeus), with a wide torso and strong arms, forged a divine belt for his beautiful wife, thanks to which any man, both god and mortal, went crazy with passion and love. After parting with Hephaestus, the magic belt remained with Aphrodite. The beautiful Aphrodite constantly put on her belt to meet her beloved Adonis, that he forgot the goddess Persephone and completely stopped going to the underworld of her husband Hades.

Every morning Aphrodite opened her beautiful blue eyes with the thought of her beloved, and every evening, falling asleep, I thought about him. Aphrodite strove to always be close to her lover, so she shared many of the hobbies of her dear friend.

Hunt Adonis

Adonis and Aphrodite hunted in the Lebanese mountains and in the forests of Cyprus, Aphrodite forgot about her gold jewelry, about her beauty, but she remained no less beautiful even in men's suit, shooting from a bow, like a slender goddess of the hunt, the moon and happy marriage Artemis (Diana), and setting his dogs on flattering beasts and animals.

Under the scorching rays of the hot sun and in bad weather, she hunted hares, shy deer and chamois, avoiding hunting formidable lions and wild boars. And she asked Adonis to avoid the dangers of hunting lions, bears and wild boars, so that misfortune would not happen to him. The goddess rarely left the royal son, and leaving him, each time she prayed to remember her requests.

Once, in the absence of Aphrodite, Adonis got bored and decided to go hunting to have fun. The dogs of Adonis attacked the trail of a huge old and fearless boar (boar or wild pig) weighing under 200 kilograms and almost two (!) Meters long. With a furious bark, the dogs raised the beast from the pit, where he was sleeping sweetly, grunting softly after a glorious breakfast, and drove him through a dense forest among bushes and trees.

Not just a young handsome man died, there are several versions of those responsible for his death. The god of war and discord, Ares, abandoned by Aphrodite, or Persephone (wife of Hades and goddess of the kingdom of the dead), rejected by Adonis, or angered by the murder of her beloved doe Artemis (Diana), the mistress of all animals on the island of Crete, could turn into a boar.

Hearing the lively barking, Adonis was delighted with the long-awaited entertainment and rich prey. He forgot all the prayers and requests of his beautiful girlfriend and did not foresee that this was his last hunt.

In excitement, Adonis began to urge his horse on and quickly galloped through the sunny forest to where the barking was heard. The barking of dogs is getting closer, now a huge boar has flashed among the bushes. The dogs of Adonis surrounded the huge beast, with a growl they sank their teeth into its thick tarred skin.

Adonis is already preparing to pierce the angry boar with his heavy spear, bringing it over the beast and choosing the best place to strike among the armor (“Kalkan”) made of resin and the hair of an adult beast. The young hunter hesitated with a blow, the dogs could not keep the strong fearless beast, and a huge boar rushed at Adonis, very angry and annoyed by the sudden awakening and a swift run through the forest.

Young Adonis did not have time to jump back from the fast evil beast, and the boar - "lonely" with its huge fangs mortally wounded Aphrodite's favorite, tearing the arteries on his beautiful thigh.

A handsome young man fell from his horse among tall trees and his blood irrigated the damp earth from a terrible lacerated wound. A few minutes later, the fearless and courageous Adonis died from blood loss, and the trees rustled with their leaves over his bright head.

Aphrodite's sorrow and the appearance of a rose

When Aphrodite learned about the death of Adonis, then, full of inexpressible grief, she herself went to the mountains of Cyprus to look for the body of her beloved youth. Aphrodite walked along steep mountain rapids, among gloomy gorges, along the edges of deep abysses.

Sharp stones and thorns of thorns wounded the delicate legs of the goddess. Drops of her blood fell to the ground, leaving a trail wherever the goddess passed. And where drops of blood fell from the wounded feet of the goddess, Aphrodite is everywhere. Therefore, the red scarlet rose is considered a symbol of eternal love at all times.

Finally, Aphrodite found the body of Adonis. She wept bitterly over the beautiful young man who died early, hiding his body for a long time in the thickets of lettuce, which to this day brings tears to everyone who touches him.

In order to preserve the memory of him forever, with the help of nectar, the goddess grew from the blood of Adonis a delicate blood-colored anemone - a flower of the wind, similar to red flowers.

Adonis (or Adonid)- the hero of Greek mythology, the son of the Cypriot king Kinira and his daughter Mirra, beloved of Aphrodite (Venus).

No one - not mortals, not even gods - could compare with his beauty, which is why the goddess of love and beauty Aphrodite herself fell in love with him. She descended to him on earth and, out of love for him, became interested in hunting, which Adonis was fond of, and even herself helped him hunt in the Cypriot forests.

Aphrodite begged him not to hunt furious wild animals: it is enough, they say, to be fearless in front of the shy, and it is always dangerous to be brave in front of the brave. However, manhood did not allow Adonis to accept such unmanly advice, and one day, when Aphrodite left him, he went hunting for wild boars. This hunt turned out to be fatal for him: a wounded boar attacked him and killed him on the spot.

The grief of Aphrodite was immeasurable. She cursed the fate that stronger than the gods, and weeping, she fell to her knees before Zeus, begging her to return her beloved at least for a while.

Zeus took pity on her and ordered Hades (the god of the underworld) to release Adonis from the gloomy kingdom of the dead to earth in the spring. Thus, Adonis stays in the realm of the dead for half a year, and spends half a year with Aphrodite on earth. All nature rejoices and dresses in greenery and flowers when Adonis returns in the spring, and mourns when he goes into the realm of shadows in the autumn.

The myth of Adonis and Aphrodite has been inspiring people of art for thousands of years. And for about a hundred years it has attracted the attention of people of science who want to find out its origin.

The name "Adonis" is found in the ancient Semitic languages, where it means "lord, lord", and the myth of the same content appears in Phoenician sources. However, its roots undoubtedly go back even further.

For example, the Hittites already knew the myth about the god of the plant world Telepinus, who leaves the earth in winter, in which life stops, in order to return again in the spring. The Babylonians had a similar myth about the goddess of love, Ishtar, and the beautiful Tammuz, who died every autumn, and rose from the dead in the spring. The basis of this myth can be found already among the Sumerians, the oldest historical people on earth.

A similar mythological image of the autumn dying and spring resurrection of nature is also known to peoples who had no contact with ancient Mesopotamia, for example, the Slavs, Germans or North American Indians.

Obviously, the myth of Adonis and Aphrodite is not of Greek, but most likely of Phoenician origin. However, ancient poets creatively reworked it. Their long row is opened by the poetess Sappho (1st half of the 6th century BC), and closed by Ovid; through his Metamorphoses, modern Europe also became acquainted with this myth. Of the poets of modern times, W. Shakespeare was the first to rework it (in the poem "Venus and Adonis", 1593).

The National Museum in Naples houses one of the most valuable antique sculptures of Adonis, a Roman copy of a Hellenistic original of the 3rd-2nd centuries. BC e. Of the numerous sculptures of modern times, we note "Adonis" by A. de Vries (1624), during the Thirty Years' War, taken from Prague to Sweden (now in the Drottningholm collection), "Death of Adonis" by J. Mazzuola (1709) in the Hermitage, sculptural groups "Venus and A." Canova (1794) and Thorvaldsen (1832), The Death of Adonis by O. Rodin.

Giorgione, Tintoretto, G. Reni, N. Poussin and many other artists turned to the myth of Adonis. The most common plot is "Venus and Adonis": Veronese, An. Carracci, while Titian and Rubens each have two paintings on this theme (“Venus and Adonis” by Rubens (1614) is kept in the Hermitage - pictured above).

In a figurative sense, Adonis is a handsome man:

"Adorable darling of Cyprida -
Know how to bear, my Adonis,
Her momentary grievances!”
- A. S. Pushkin, "Yuriev" (1820);

"Our friend, the Parisian Adonis..."
- M. Yu. Lermontov, "Sasha" (1835-1836).