Who is Aphrodite? Ancient Greek goddess of love and beauty. Goddess of beauty - names of goddesses of love and beauty in various mythologies Aphrodite goddess of beauty and love
The most beautiful daughter of the formidable Zeus, who turned the heads of both the majestic gods and mortal people, is the goddess of beauty and love, about whom the legends of Ancient Hellas circulate to this day. Marriage to the hard worker Hephaestus did not prevent the young beauty from enjoying love adventures. A fatal affair with Ares, the death of his beloved Adonis, a zealous thirst for recognition of his impeccable beauty, love passion and endless power over lovers... However, everything is in order.
Gods of Ancient Hellas
Ancient Hellas gave the world many myths and legends about fearless heroes and sailors who challenged the formidable gods of Olympus. Ever since school days, everyone has heard such names as Zeus, Apollo, Ares, Poseidon. But these powerful gods had no less famous wives and daughters - Greek goddesses, the “mistresses” of Olympus, who contributed greatly to the history of Ancient Greece. Skillfully manipulating their husbands and weaving networks of insidious intrigues, they achieved their goals and controlled mortals.
And if we recall the myths about the beautiful and cruel daughters of the glorious Olympus, it becomes obvious that they left many traces of their presence until the moment when the hour came for the departure of the proud goddesses of Hellas. And it doesn’t matter that the events were not as significant and noticeable as those of the male half of the Pantheon.
Birth of Aphrodite
According to one legend, the most beautiful Aphrodite is the daughter of Zeus, the goddess of love. Born of the supreme goddess Dione (Hero), she had incredible beauty, but was so frivolous that she not only inspired unbridled passion in everyone who saw her, but also fell endlessly in love herself.
According to another myth, Aphrodite emerged from the sea foam. During the first war for Olympus, Uranus was castrated by the first of the titans, Kronos. His blood and seed, which fell into the sea waters, formed snow-white foam, which gave birth to the divinely beautiful Aphrodite. However, this did not stop her from being cruel and insidious towards those who refused to recognize her perfection. But there were few of them.
Aphrodite's story
At the request of the supreme goddess Hera, the young charming Aphrodite was given in marriage to the strong and hardworking Hephaestus, who was known as the most skilled craftsman among the gods of Olympus. Unfortunately, the mighty Hephaestus was ugly and limped on one leg. All day long he worked in the workshop, while his flighty wife basked in the bedchamber or traveled, inflicting heart wounds on gods and people and falling in love in return.
Among the famous lovers of the fickle Aphrodite was the young god of the hunt, Adonis, who charmed her with his beautiful body. She fell in love with the young man so much that after his tragic death from the fangs of a boar sent by Ares, she tried to recover from her passion by throwing herself off the Leucadian cliff.
Thus, having lost one temporary chosen one, the goddess of beauty and love gave herself to the insidious and cruel, but ardently in love with her, god of war Ares. It was he who became the last straw for Aphrodite’s husband Hephaestus, when he decided to take revenge on his flighty wife. He skillfully forged a thin net and threw it on the bed of secret lovers. In the midst of carnal pleasures, the trap slammed shut, disgraced in front of the gods specially invited by Hephaestus, Aphrodite was forced to flee to Cyprus, where a little later her sons were born: Ares-Phobos and Deimos. Proud Hephaestus was pleased with the defeat of the enemy and forgave the beautiful Aphrodite.
Passion and love madness are Aphrodite's true weapons
The goddess of love Aphrodite is one of the oldest Olympic goddesses. Hera herself turns to her help when she feels the cooling of her divine spouse Zeus. Despite the fact that Aphrodite’s main weapon is considered to be the carnal passion and love madness she inspires, she is also the goddess of life and fertility. In these forms, her symbols are roses, myrtles, daffodils, doves and sparrows. And the goddess of love in Greece is recognized as a sea goddess, whose symbol is a dolphin.
Favorite son of Aphrodite
Aphrodite's favorite son from Ares was called Eros, otherwise Cupid or Cupid - the god of carnal love. That is why he was always his mother’s assistant and companion when traveling around the world. They were united by a common goal - the birth of love and the continuation of life, in which the role of Eros was to instill sexual desire.
Eros (Eros) ruled the hearts and wills of both gods and people, and therefore it was in his power to unite married couples.
Legacy of the Goddess of Love and Beauty
Greece, Cyprus, the ancient city of Paphos, where Aphrodite, the goddess of love, once emerged from the hissing sea foam. This place is her great heritage, which is treasured by both women and men. There has long been a strange belief here that the girl who enters into an intimate relationship with the first man she meets within the divine temple of Aphrodite will receive her blessing for life.
And in this temple there was a bathhouse for the goddess, in which she restored her unsurpassed beauty and youth. The Greek women believed that if you entered here, you could preserve your youthful freshness for a long time.
The romantic legend of the Temple of Aphrodite
Nowadays, any tourist is eager to visit the ruins remaining from the Temple of Aphrodite in Paphos. After all, according to legend, the goddess of beauty and love will give eternal, unquestioning love to everyone who finds a heart-shaped pebble on the coast. This explains the popularity of this place.
Ancient goddesses of love
The object of universal worship and creative inspiration at all times was not only Aphrodite. For example, the highest female deity in Ancient Mesopotamia among the Sumerians was Ishtar - the goddess not only of carnal love, but also of fertility. The cult implied freedom of sexual choice, assistance in childbirth and the sacrifice of virginity.
The ancient Egyptians called their goddess of the sky, love, music and fun by the name Hathor. According to legend, she was a heavenly cow who gave birth to the sun, and therefore was depicted with cow horns.
The goddess of love in Ancient Iran was known as Anahita, and her cult was widespread in Armenia until the adoption of Christianity. The young goddess was described as a strong and beautiful, stately, well-born girl.
In literature sources you can find many unique sculptural images of the goddess of love and beauty, photos. The goddess of love Lakshmi among Hindus was considered the goddess of happiness and the mother of the god of love Kama. Appearing at the moment of the creation of the world, Lakshmi emerged from the primordial waters on a lotus flower. Her other names are Indira and Lola (beautiful and fickle).
The prototype of the Greek Aphrodite in Rome is the goddess of love Venus. Here all the mythical heroes have been renamed, but the legendary plots have been preserved. For example, Zeus is called Jupiter, Eros is called Cupid, and Poseidon is called Neptune.
But in Scandinavian mythology, the dream of all brave Vikings is the wife of the supreme god Odin - Freya (Fria), who controls the choice of warriors killed in battles. Among the Eastern Slavic peoples, the goddess of love was called Lada and Makosha, about whom information was found in ancient chronicles.
In conclusion, we note, firstly, that the above list is far from complete. Secondly, that Christianity had and still has an ambivalent attitude towards the concept of “love”, addressing it, first of all, to God. Any worship of carnal love for a woman or worship of her beauty is rejected and considered heretical. In this context, the ideal of love and female beauty in Orthodoxy is the Mother of God, and in Catholicism it is the Virgin Mary, but this is something else, more. Thirdly, in any form, the ancient goddesses of love were symbols of female beauty and sexuality for people.
Aphrodite is born from the foam of the sea. Aphrodite, one of the most revered goddesses of Olympus, was born from the snow-white foam of sea waves near the island of Cyprus [therefore they call her Cyprida, “Born in Cyprus”], and from there swam to the sacred island of Cythera [from the name of this island came another nickname of hers - Kytharea]. She reached the shore on a beautiful shell. Young oras, goddesses of the seasons, surrounded the goddess, dressed her in gold-woven clothes, and crowned her with a wreath of flowers. Wherever Aphrodite stepped, everything blossomed, and the air was filled with fragrance.
Beautiful Aphrodite! Her eyes glow with the wondrous light of love, deep as the sea from which she came; her skin is white and tender, like the sea foam that gave birth to her. Tall, slender, golden-haired, Aphrodite shines with her beauty among the gods of Olympus. The goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite reigns over the whole world, and even the gods are subject to her. Only Athena, Hestia and Artemis are not subject to her power.
Aphrodite awakens love in the hearts of gods and mere mortals, in the hearts of animals and birds. When she walks on the earth, all the animals follow her in pairs, and in this procession the deer walks safely next to the bloodthirsty wolf, and the fierce lions fall at the feet of the goddess like playing puppies. She gives beauty and youth to girls, blesses happy marriages. In gratitude for their marriage, before the wedding, the girls sacrificed belts they had woven to Aphrodite.
But not only girls pray to Aphrodite. Widowed women also revere her and ask her to allow them to remarry. The goddess is merciful, and she often condescends to the requests of mortals. After all, although the marriage itself is handled by Hymen, who binds couples with his strong bonds, it is Aphrodite who arouses in people the love that ends with their marriage.
Nicknames for Aphrodite.
On a golden chariot drawn by sparrows, she rushes to earth from Olympus, and all people eagerly await her help in their love affairs.
Aphrodite patronized all love. If it was rough, unbridled love, then it was under the jurisdiction of Aphrodite Pandemos (“National”); if it was a sublime feeling, then it was patronized by Aphrodite Urania (“Heavenly”).
The feeling that Aphrodite inspires in people is wonderful, and therefore many of her nicknames were affectionate and reflected her beauty. She was called “golden”, “violet-crowned”, “sweet-hearted”, “beautiful-eyed”, “variegated”.
Pygmalion. Aphrodite gives happiness to those who serve her faithfully. This is what happened to Pygmalion, king of the island of Cyprus. He was also a sculptor and loved only art, avoided women, and lived very secludedly. Many Cypriot girls felt tender and devoted love for him, but he himself did not pay attention to any of them. Then the girls prayed to Aphrodite: “O golden Cypris! Punish this proud man! Let him himself experience the torment that we have to endure because of him!”
One day Pygmalion sculpted an image of a girl of extraordinary beauty from shiny ivory. It seemed that she was breathing, that she was about to move from her place and speak. The master looked at his creation for hours and fell in love with the statue he himself created. He gave her precious jewelry, dressed her in luxurious clothes... The artist often whispered: “Oh, if you were alive, how happy I would be!”
Aphrodite brings the statue to life. The days of Aphrodite's festival have arrived. Pygmalion made rich sacrifices to the goddess and prayed that she would send him a woman as beautiful as his statue as his wife. The sacrificial flame flared up brightly: the beautiful-haired goddess accepted Pygmalion’s sacrifice. Pygmalion returned home, approached the statue and suddenly noticed that the ivory had turned pink, as if scarlet blood was flowing through the veins of the statue; touched it with his hand - the body became warm: the heart of the statue beats, the eyes glow with life. The statue has come to life! They named her Galatea, Aphrodite made their marriage happy, and all their lives they glorified the greatness of the goddess who gave them happiness.
Mirra, Adonis and Artemis. Aphrodite gave happiness to those who love and are loved, but she herself also knew unhappy love. Myrrha, the daughter of one of the kings, once refused to honor Aphrodite. The angry goddess cruelly punished her - instilled in her a criminal love for her own father. He was deceived and succumbed to temptation, and when he found out that it was not a stranger girl with him, but his own daughter, he cursed her. The gods took pity on Myrrh and turned her into a tree that produces fragrant resin. From the cracked trunk of this tree the beautiful baby Adonis was born.
Aphrodite put him in a casket and gave him to Persephone to raise. Time has passed. The child grew up, but the goddess of the underworld, enchanted by his beauty, did not want to return him to Aphrodite. The goddesses had to turn to Zeus himself for a solution to the dispute. The father of gods and people, after listening to the disputants, decreed: Adonis spends a third of the year with Persephone, a third with Aphrodite, and a third with whomever he wishes. So Adonis became the companion and lover of Aphrodite.
However, their happiness did not last long. Adonis somehow angered Artemis, and during a hunt he was mortally wounded by a huge boar. From the blood of Adonis a rose grew, and from the tears that Aphrodite shed when she mourned him, anemones grew.
Worship of Aphrodite.
People made sacrifices to Aphrodite Pontia (“Sea”), hoping that she would protect them during sea voyages, and to Aphrodite Limenia (“Port”), the patroness of harbors and ships docked in them.
Many animals and plants were dedicated to Aphrodite. As the goddess of love and fertility, she owned roosters, doves, sparrows and hares, that is, those creatures that, according to the Greeks, were the most fertile; As a sea goddess, dolphins served her. Of the plants, many flowers were dedicated to Aphrodite, including violets, roses, anemones, poppies - flowers are given to loved ones to this day; and of the fruits - an apple, a fruit that in ancient marriage rites the bride gave to the groom.
Naked Aphrodite.
Since Aphrodite was the goddess of beauty, she (the only one of all the great Olympian goddesses!) was often depicted naked. As the Greeks thought, unlike Artemis, who destroyed Actaeon, who accidentally saw her nakedness, or from Athena, who for the same thing struck the son of one of her nymphs, Tiresias, with blindness, Aphrodite was favorable to depicting her in this form. Yes, this is understandable - after all, it was impossible to realize all the beauty of the goddess when she was dressed in spacious and shapeless Greek clothes.
The first to dare to depict naked Aphrodite was the Greek sculptor Praxiteles, a man immensely in love with the beauty of the female body. They say that he sculpted Aphrodite from marble more than ten times, and among these statues of his was Aphrodite of Cnidus - a statue for which in ancient times thousands of people came to Cnidus, where it was located, just to see it.
Goddesses in every woman [New psychology of women. Goddess Archetypes] Ill Jin Shinoda
Chapter 12. APHRODITE: goddess of love and beauty, creative woman and lover
Goddess Aphrodite
Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, Venus among the Romans, was the most beautiful of the goddesses. Poets sang of the beauty of her face and body, the golden color of her hair and shining eyes, the softest delicate skin, and beautiful breasts. According to Homer, she, full of irresistible charm, was “the beloved of laughter.” She was a favorite subject of sculptors, who depicted her naked or in lightly thrown clothes, revealing her graceful sensual body - Venus de Milo and Aphrodite of Cnidus, known to us only from Roman copies, represent her most famous statues.
“Golden” is the most common epithet among the Greeks when describing Aphrodite, meaning “beautiful” for them. According to Paul Friedrich, a famous expert on Aphrodite, the words golden honey, golden speech, golden seed linguistically related, symbolizing childbirth and verbal creativity - Aphrodite's deepest values. She was associated with doves, the kissing and cooing birds of love, and with swans, known for their beauty and for pairing up forever; with flowers, especially roses, the traditional gift of lovers; with a sweet aroma of fruits, especially golden apples, and passionate dark scarlet pomegranates (a symbol shared with Persephone).
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Perhaps beauty standards have changed over the centuries, but all people are still subject to a desire that is understandable from a biological point of view - to produce offspring. Consequently, love and sexual attraction are extremely important to humans, which eventually influenced deities from different pantheons. This is not surprising, since our gods are a reflection of ourselves.
1. Xochiquetzal, Aztec mythology
The name Xochiquetzal means "Precious Lightest Flower" in Nahuatl, a fitting name for the Aztec goddess of love. She also patronizes other aspects of life - flowers, pregnancy and prostitutes, which makes her one of the most popular deities of the Aztec pantheon. A festival in her honor, at which admirers wore animal masks, was held every eight years. Because of her connection with marriage, Xochiquetzal is considered the wife of the rain god Tlaloc.
Unlike most Aztec fertility goddesses, Xochiquetzal is usually depicted as a beautiful young woman, which causes enmity with other gods of the pantheon. Although she is married to Tlaloc, she was once kidnapped by Tezcatlipoca, the god of the night, and forced to marry him, after which she ascended the throne of the goddess of love. From her other husband she gave birth to Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent god.
2. Cliodhna, Irish mythology
Cliodhna is an Irish goddess who is sometimes depicted as a banshee or even a banshee queen (or fairy queen, depending on the interpretation of the myths and translation). However, she is also the goddess of love, perhaps because she was considered the most beautiful woman in the world.
Unlike many other deities associated with love, Cliodna remained celibate until she met the mortal man Ciabahn - by a stroke of luck he turned out to be the most handsome man who has ever lived on Earth. Cliodhna loved him so much that she left Tir Tairngire, the land of the gods, for his sake.
But other Irish deities formed an alliance to bring her back when they learned of what had happened. When Kiaban was away, Cliodna was lulled by the music of a minstrel on the seashore, and the goddess was carried away by the waves. Since then, the waves in that area have been called Kliodna waves. The legend has two endings - a very unhappy one and a not very happy one, depending on the source: Cliodna either drowned in the sea or returned back to Tir Teirngir.
3. Tu Er Shen, Chinese mythology
A relatively minor deity in the Chinese pantheon, Tu Er Shen, also known as Hu Tianbao, was once a mortal and only later became a deity of homosexual love and marriage.
Tianbao, born during the Qing Dynasty, became infatuated with a local government official and began spying on him through a hole in his bathroom wall. He was eventually discovered and beaten to death. The gods, full of sympathy for unrequited love, took pity on him and resurrected him, simultaneously making him the deity of homosexual relationships.
Rabbits in China are considered a symbol of homosexual eroticism - perhaps because "rabbits" are often called homosexuals, and Tu Er Shen is depicted as a rabbit on many shrines dedicated to him. Unfortunately, in many places where he is worshiped, homosexuality remains a criminal offense.
4. Hathor, Egyptian mythology
Hathor is one of the most revered and ancient Egyptian goddesses; the first mentions of her appear during the second dynasty of the pharaohs (around 2890–2686 centuries BC) or even earlier. Hathor was revered for so long because she was the patroness of many aspects of life: love, beauty, music and mining. She was also part of the Eye of Ra - the Egyptians coined this term for the female counterpart of Ra, and this title was alternately borne by different goddesses, including Ra's daughter, Hathor.
Found in the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, the story of the “destruction of mankind” tells of the time when Hathor, at the insistence of Ra, transformed into the goddess of war Sekhmet to punish people for their sins. When the bloodthirsty goddess got out of control, Ra tried to stop his daughter, but to no avail. Fortunately, Ra managed to get her drunk with wine before she killed the last person on Earth.
She woke up as Hathor, completely forgetting what she had done, and returned to normal life. In another story, perhaps equally disturbing, she danced a striptease for her father to cheer him up.
5. Eros, Greek mythology
The Greek version of the Roman Cupid, Eros was the son of Aphrodite and the god of desire and sexual desire. Like his Roman counterpart, Eros is often depicted as a boy with wings, armed with a bow and arrow. He loved his mother, although he often disobeyed her. This famous god is one of the main characters of the famous myth.
People began to call a young woman named Psyche the most beautiful woman in the world and prophesied that she would take the place of Aphrodite. The goddess was angry and sent her son to Psyche so that he would hit her with his arrow and force her to fall in love with the ugliest man on earth as punishment.
But Psyche’s beauty turned out to be so irresistible that Eros and Psyche fell in love with each other - God did not fulfill the mother’s wish and took Psyche to his palace. Eros never told her who he was, but Psyche's curiosity got the better of her and she looked at him while he slept. Struck by the betrayal of his beloved, the god fled, and Psyche wandered the Earth until Zeus allowed Eros and Psyche to marry.
6. Rati, Hinduism
Better known as the wife of Kama, the god of love, Rati plays a large role in Hinduism as the goddess of love and passion. She has many names, and they all speak of her incredible beauty, which is quite natural for the goddess of sexual desire.
Depending on the source, she is considered to be the daughter of either Daksha or Brahma - in the latter case she also caused the suicide of the god who desired her but could not get her. Rati, however, also committed suicide after that. But gods are gods, so both quickly resurrected and returned to their business.
But the strangest act of Rati was that she darkened the mind of Shiva: the destroyer vowed to follow the path of an ascetic after the death of his first wife, but because of Rati he had to love again. In revenge, he killed Kama, turning his third eye to ash. Later, Rati convinced Shiva to allow her to resurrect her husband, but on the condition that Kama would remain invisible for eternity.
7. Oshun, Yoruba mythology
Oshun, the goddess of beauty, love and eroticism, is highly revered among West African followers of the Yoruba religion. Known for her beauty, she is usually depicted as a human woman wearing precious jewelry, and sometimes as a mermaid.
Oshun is superior in strength to all other female deities of the Yoruba religion and demands appropriate respect. When the gods first created the Earth, they forgot to ask Oshun for help, and she made it so that without her the gods could not create absolutely anything - so they still had to turn to the capricious goddess for help.
Thanks to its crystal clear reputation, Oshun is also associated with fresh water, an extremely important resource for the peoples of West Africa. In addition, it protects women and children during childbirth and is considered a protector against terrible diseases, especially smallpox.
8. Hymen, Greek mythology
The god of marriage and love in marriage, Hymen, is not very well known compared to other gods of the Greek pantheon. Depending on the source, he is considered the son of Apollo and one of the Muses or Dionysus and Aphrodite.
Hymen led an easy life and, thanks to his beauty, got everything he wanted, until he fell in love with a maiden whose name is not mentioned - but without reciprocity. When Hymen tried to court her, she and several other women were kidnapped by pirates. God was among the kidnapped girls - because of his beauty, the pirates mistook him for a woman; some versions of the myth even say that God had a hymen.
One way or another, Hymen ended up on that ship, killed the pirates, saved the girls and convinced his beloved to marry him. Their marriage was so successful that it became the ideal to which every Greek couple aspired, and the name of Hymen was included in the wedding chants so that his blessing would fall on the newlyweds.
9. Yue Lao, Chinese mythology
Yue Lao, otherwise known as the "Man Under the Moon", is a popular figure in Chinese mythology as he is a matchmaker and witness to heterosexual marriages. Yue Lao is often seen as a benevolent deity and the owner of the red threads of fate that connect the hearts of two people through marriage.
The most famous story involving Yue Lao is that of a man named Wei Gu, who was looking for a wife. After years of unsuccessful searching, Wei Gu came across Yue Lao while he was reading a book of marriages. Wei Gu forced the god to show him his future wife and saw an old woman with small children living in poverty. Fearing that this beggar girl would become his wife, Wei Gu ordered his servant to kill the baby.
But the girl survived and even avoided serious injury, and many years later Wei Gu found a suitable bride for himself and noticed a scar on her forehead. She told him that when she was a child, someone tried to kill her, and Wei Gu realized with horror that he himself had almost killed her wife. He probably never told her about it - some secrets are better not revealed.
10. Freya, Scandinavian mythology
Freya had several purposes in Scandinavian mythology. She was the goddess of love and queen of Folkwang, a Valhalla-like place where half of those killed in battle go after death. But Freya also has another, evil, black side, associated with jealousy, greed and bad deeds. Among other things, it is believed that it was she who gave people the knowledge of witchcraft, which is considered evil by the Scandinavians.
She often clashed with Loki, who continually tried to torture the goddess or steal some of her magical things, including her famous Brisingamen necklace, which eventually went to Heimdall. Freya constantly wandered the earth in search of her husband who had disappeared without a trace, crying golden tears from time to time. Freya traveled on an amazing cart - cats were harnessed to her chariot.
Artemis– Goddess of the moon and hunting, forests, animals, fertility and childbirth. She was never married, diligently guarded her chastity, and if she took revenge, she knew no pity. Her silver arrows spread plague and death, but she also had the ability to heal. She protected young girls and pregnant women. Her symbols are cypress, deer and bears.
Atropos- one of the three moiras, cutting the thread of fate and ending human life.
Athena(Pallada, Parthenos) - daughter of Zeus, born from his head in full military armor. One of the most revered Greek goddesses, the goddess of just war and wisdom, the patroness of knowledge.
Athena. Statue. Hermitage. Athena Hall.
Description:
Athena is the goddess of wisdom, just war and patroness of crafts.
Statue of Athena made by Roman craftsmen of the 2nd century. Based on a Greek original from the late 5th century. BC e. Entered the Hermitage in 1862. Previously it was in the collection of the Marquis Campana in Rome. It is one of the most interesting exhibits in the Athena Hall.
Everything about Athena, starting from her birth, was amazing. Other goddesses had divine mothers, Athena - one father, Zeus, who met with the daughter of Ocean Metis. Zeus swallowed his pregnant wife because she predicted that after her daughter she would give birth to a son who would become the ruler of heaven and deprive him of power. Soon Zeus had an unbearable headache. He became gloomy, and seeing this, the gods hastened to leave, for they knew from experience what Zeus was like when he was in a bad mood. The pain did not go away. The Lord of Olympus could not find a place for himself. Zeus asked Hephaestus to hit him on the head with a blacksmith's hammer. From the split head of Zeus, announcing Olympus with a war cry, an adult maiden jumped out in full warrior clothes and with a spear in her hand and stood next to her parent. The eyes of the young, beautiful and majestic goddess shone with wisdom.
Aphrodite(Kytherea, Urania) - goddess of love and beauty. She was born from the marriage of Zeus and the goddess Dione (according to another legend, she came out of the sea foam)
Aphrodite (Venus Tauride)
Description:
According to Hesiod’s “Theogony,” Aphrodite was born near the island of Cythera from the seed and blood of Uranus castrated by Kronos, which fell into the sea and formed snow-white foam (hence the nickname “foam-born”). The breeze brought her to the island of Cyprus (or she sailed there herself, since she did not like Cythera), where she, emerging from the sea waves, was met by the Ora.
The statue of Aphrodite (Venus of Tauride) dates back to the 3rd century BC. e., now it is in the Hermitage and is considered his most famous statue. The sculpture became the first antique statue of a naked woman in Russia. Life-size marble statue of bathing Venus (height 167 cm), modeled after the Aphrodite of Cnidus or the Capitoline Venus. The hands of the statue and a fragment of the nose are lost. Before entering the State Hermitage, she decorated the garden of the Tauride Palace, hence the name. In the past, “Venus Tauride” was intended to decorate the park. However, the statue was delivered to Russia much earlier, even under Peter I and thanks to his efforts. The inscription made on the bronze ring of the pedestal recalls that Venus was given by Clement XI to Peter I (as a result of an exchange for the relics of St. Brigid, sent to the Pope by Peter I). The statue was discovered in 1718 during excavations in Rome. Unknown sculptor of the 3rd century. BC depicted the nude goddess of love and beauty Venus. A slender figure, rounded, smooth lines of the silhouette, softly modeled body shapes - everything speaks of a healthy and chaste perception of female beauty. Along with calm restraint (posture, facial expression), a generalized manner, alien to fractionality and fine detail, as well as a number of other features characteristic of the art of the classics (V - IV centuries BC), the creator of Venus embodied in her his idea of beauty, associated with the ideals of the 3rd century BC. e. (graceful proportions - high waist, somewhat elongated legs, thin neck, small head - tilt of the figure, rotation of the body and head).
