There is already much material on this site on the topic of mythology (especially, Gods and Goddesses and The Stories of the Ancient Greeks). In Myth Mondays I attempt to bring up an element of mythology that is either timely or less well known. The background for this week's Myth Monday, the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, crops up often in reference notes, but deserves reading on its own.
Although Aphrodite is powerful -- even if she did suffer a wound in the Trojan War [see Diomedes] -- there are some deities over whom she has no control and another who can pay her back.
 Aphrodite, Bathing, and Eros. Roman, based on Greek original 3rd century B.C. Marble. CC Flickr User thisisbossi |
In previous Myth Mondays I've mentioned deities who fell in love with mortals. Aphrodite, the love goddess, is credited with causing this usually unfortunate state of affairs. Here's a reminder from a recent Myth Monday: The dawn goddess Eos. Her love for the human Tithonus led her to request immortality for him. Had she remembered to include a request for everlasting youth, all might have been well, but she did not.
In the 293-line Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite you can read about these Olympians. The hymn starts with the necessary invocation of Muse followed by a description of Aphrodite's power over man and animals. Among the creatures controlled by Aphrodite are the gods, but there are 3 she can't touch. These are Athena, Artemis, and Hestia. These 3 are exceptional women in the world of ancient Greece.
- Athena was born without a mother and her main interest is warfare, which is considered masculine in the Classical world, although it should be acknowledged that women sometimes fought when under duress.
- Artemis comes second. She is a hunter, which is usually considered a man's pursuit, although one of the very successful mythological hunters was the heroine Atalanta.
- The third woman is given the most play. There is nothing "masculine" about Hestia, but she has sworn to be a virgin and is granted the exchange-privilege of being at the center of the house and honored in all temples.
All other gods are subject to Aphrodite's whims, but Zeus pays back those who put one over on him. In return, perhaps, for her making him fall for Ganymede, but certainly to keep Aphrodite from making too much fun of the other gods, Zeus makes Aphrodite fall for the Trojan mortal Anchises, father of Aeneas. Also worth mentioning: although the tale of the goddess-born hero Aeneas is familiar from Vergil (Virgil) in the Aeneid, this hymn provides details about the infancy of Aphrodite's offspring.
Read: Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite
References and Further Reading:
- "'Predatory' Goddesses"
Mary R. Lefkowitz
Hesperia, Vol. 71, No. 4 (Oct. - Dec., 2002). - "The Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite: A Structuralist Approach"
Charles Segal
The Classical World, Vol. 67, No. 4 (Feb., 1974) - "The Homeric 'Hymn' to Aphrodite': A Literary Appraisal"
Peter Walcot
Greece & Rome, Second Series, Vol. 38, No. 2 (Oct., 1991).
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