Aphrodite

views updated May 21 2018

Aphrodite Greek goddess of love, beauty, and fruitfulness, identified by the Romans as Venus. She was the daughter of Zeus and Dione. Her husband was Hephaestus (in Roman mythology, Vulcan). Among her many lovers were Ares, Adonis (whose death left her broken-hearted) and Anchises, the father of Aeneas. Statues of her include the Venus de Milo (Paris) and Aphrodite of Cnidus (Rome).