The magical girdle of Aphrodite or Venus, also known as the himas (ἱμᾰ́ς), is an erotic accessory of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty. It was believed to be a strophion, a bra-like garment made of cords or gold. Aphrodite’s husband Hephaestus created this girdle, which was believed to inspire the passion of desire in both mortals and immortals.
Aphrodite’s magical girdle was linked with a mirror, showcasing her beauty, and a cockle shell, reminding her of her sea. Hera, the goddess of marriage, occasionally borrowed it from Aphrodite to stimulate Zeus’ love. Aphrodite’s magical girdle was infused with the power to inspire the passion of desire in both mortals and immortals.
In the eight century B.C., Homero’s Iliada mentioned the girdle for the first time. The magical girdle, or cestus, was woven with the irrestistable powers of love and desire, making anyone who wore it fall hopelessly in love. Aphrodite’s palace stood either side of her girdle, which was a symbol of her power to inspire love.
The Golden Girdle of Gaea, a fictional object depicted in the DC Comics book Wonder Woman, is based on the traditional translation of Aphrodite’s famous ‘kestos himas poikilos’ (embroidered girdle) in Homer’s Iliad, Book 14.
In conclusion, the magical girdle of Aphrodite or Venus was a powerful symbol of love and beauty, often borrowed by Hera, the goddess of marriage. This girdle, woven with the irresistible powers of love and desire, was a symbol of Aphrodite’s power and her ability to inspire love and desire in both mortals and immortals.
📹 (APHRODITE) 💝 Kestos Himas (Girdle of Aphrodite)
Aphrodite possessed a mystical sash called ‘kestos himas,’ a gift from her husband, Hephaestus. #animation #aphrodite #myth.
What are Aphrodite’s folds?
The facial features of aesthetically pleasing women exhibit a graceful configuration when they smile, characterized by a gentle creasing that originates at the cheekbone and extends downward, directing the gaze toward the mouth.
What is the magical girdle of Aphrodite?
The Girdle of Venus, an item of jewelry associated with the goddess Aphrodite, was thought to kindle both mortal and immortal ardor. The Girdle of Venus is first mentioned in Homer’s Iliad, which was written in the eighth century BCE.
What is Aphrodite’s weakness?
Aphrodite’s primary weaknesses were her vanity, jealousy, and hatred towards those considered more beautiful than herself.
What is Aphrodite’s sacred item?
Aphrodite, an ancient Greek goddess of sexual love and beauty, was identified with Venus by the Romans. She was born from the white foam produced by Uranus’s severed genitals after his son Cronus threw them into the sea. Aphrodite was widely worshipped as a goddess of the sea, seafaring, and war, especially at Sparta, Thebes, and Cyprus. She was known primarily as a goddess of love and fertility and occasionally presided over marriage. Some scholars believe Aphrodite’s worship came from the East, with many attributes resembling the ancient Middle Eastern goddesses Ishtar and Astarte.
Homer called her “Cyprian” after the island famed for her worship, but she was already Hellenized by the time of Homer. In Book VIII of the Odyssey, Aphrodite was mismatched with Hephaestus, the lame smith god, and spent her time philandering with Ares, the god of war. Aphrodite’s mortal lovers were the Trojan shepherd Anchises, who became the mother of Aeneas, and the handsome youth Adonis, who was killed by a boar while hunting and was lamented by women at the festival of Adonia. The cult of Adonis had underworld features, and Aphrodite was also connected with the dead at Delphi.
What are the magical items of Aphrodite?
Aphrodite, the goddess of the sea and the heavens, was renowned for her winged godling Eros, which was associated with a mirror, a cockle shell, a dove, an apple, and a myrtle wreath. The sacred plants and animals associated with Aphrodite included the rose, myrtle, apple, dove, and goose. Her estate included a golden chariot, adorned with jewels, which was drawn by a team of doves. Additionally, she possessed a sea-going chariot, drawn by fish-tailed Tritons.
What are Aphrodite’s accessories?
Aphrodite is frequently depicted wearing jewelry, which serves to exemplify the ideal of beauty for mortal women. This aspiration is evident in jewelry items such as earrings and finger rings that feature Aphrodite, her companion Eros, or her sacred bird, the dove.
What does Aphrodite’s girdle do?
The most potent symbol of Aphrodite was her magical girdle, a decorative belt imbued with the power of seduction and desire. Hera, wife of Zeus, procured the girdle for the purpose of diverting Zeus’ attention during the Trojan War.
What is the magical girdle of Aphrodite or Venus?
The magical Girdle of Aphrodite or Venus is an erotic accessory of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty. According to Homer, the girdle was imbued with the power to inspire passion in mortals and immortals. Hera, the goddess of marriage, borrowed the girdle from Aphrodite to mitigate lovers’ quarrels, instigate bridal contests, and manipulate her husband Zeus. The earliest mention of the girdle is in Book 14 of the Iliad, where Hera seeks Aphrodite for “love and desire”.
Aphrodite understands her request and gives her the magic girdle, her “broidered zone, curiously-wrought”. She looses the broidered zone, where all manner of allurements are fashioned, including love, desire, and dalliance. She asks Aphrodite to take this zone and not return with unaccomplished desires in her heart. The girdle is a symbol of love, desire, and dalliance, and is often used to manipulate her husband Zeus.
What fruit is sacred to Aphrodite?
The quince, one of the oldest fruits, is associated with the Greek goddess Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. The fruit was gifted to the bride before a wedding to sweeten their breath and was shared by the bride and groom. Originating from Kydonia on the island of Crete, the quince has grown for over 4, 000 years in Asia and the Mediterranean. The average lifespan of its tree is 50 years, and the record for the largest quince in the world is 5 pounds 2 ounces and had a circumference of 68 centimeters.
The quince is available from September through January and has a strong flowery smell, heavy weight, and golden color when ripe. In hotter climates, the fruit can be eaten raw due to its slightly softer texture, but most prefer to cook it for a softer and sweeter taste.
What is Aphrodite’s main symbol?
Aphrodite is an ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, procreation, and desire. Her cult was largely derived from the Phoenician goddess Astarte, a cognate of the East Semitic goddess Ishtar, whose cult was based on the Sumerian cult of Inanna. Aphrodite’s main cult centers were Cythera, Cyprus, Corinth, and Athens, with her main festival being the Aphrodisia, celebrated annually in midsummer. In Laconia, Aphrodite was worshipped as a warrior goddess and the patron goddess of prostitutes, leading to the concept of “sacred prostitution” in Greco-Roman culture.
In Hesiod’s Theogony, Aphrodite is born off the coast of Cythera from the foam produced by Uranus’s genitals, which his son Cronus had severed and thrown into the sea. In Homer’s Iliad, she is the daughter of Zeus and Dione. Plato asserts that these two origins belong to separate entities: Aphrodite Urania (a transcendent, “Heavenly” Aphrodite) and Aphrodite Pandemos (Aphrodite common to “all the people”). Aphrodite had many other epithets, each emphasizing a different aspect of the same goddess or used by a different local cult.
In Greek mythology, Aphrodite was married to Hephaestus, the god of fire, blacksmiths, and metalworking. She was frequently unfaithful to him and had many lovers, including Ares, the god of war. In the First Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, she seduced the mortal shepherd Anchises and was the surrogate mother and lover of the mortal shepherd Adonis. Aphrodite is a major deity in modern Neopagan religions, including the Church of Aphrodite, Wicca, and Hellenismos.
What is the dark side of Aphrodite?
The mythological tradition posits that Aphrodite’s qualities are indispensable for experiencing joy in life. However, when a woman becomes wholly consumed by Aphrodite’s powers, the darker aspects of her character become evident, as she begins to disregard other feminine archetypal traits.
📹 Miscellaneous Myths: Aphrodite’s Affair
A spicy tale of a torrid affair that Homer somehow contradicts himself about like four times. Let’s discuss! (You’d be surprised how …
Interesting tidbit re. Hephaestus being disabled: In the early Bronze Age, the first bronze alloys were created by smelting copper with mercury, rather than tin. This meant that the smiths all had mercury poisoning and were sickly and weird. So there’s a firm historical basis for Hephaestus’s health problems.
If it makes any of this better: a bride price wasn’t the price of the bride, it was compensation to the bride’s family for the economy she provided them now that she’s moving. For example: if she helped on the farm, had a craft or made clothing. It’s just funny since according to Hesiod.. Aphrodite isn’t directly related to Zeus and Hephaestus. Hephaestus paid his own father a bride price because this family tree is a mess.
OSP Aphrodite being a busy body fangirl that meddles too much in other people’s love lives while being an absolutely HORRIBLE partner and stage mom that cheats on her plain looking but skilled professional of a husband with a failed dumb jock with crippling roid rage and even more crippling mommy issues is utterly, hilariously fitting.
Love that you tackled this topic, but I did want to clear up something about the dowry. Dowries weren’t meant to be a concept where a man would buy their wife, but was instead a mechanism connected to marriage that provided two things: 1) A guarantee that the man in question had the financial stability and resources to support and properly care for his prospective wife, and 2) To add something more finite and material to ensure that any man that entered into marriage would have something that better solidified and invested him into the marriage so that would be less likely to neglect his marital responsibilities. Marriage, above all else, is a commitment in which both sides agree to fulfill certain obligations. The Dowry is just meant to be a way for fathers to be certain that their daughters will be married off to a man who is actually willing to fulfill their commitment in the marriage. At least, that was the theory behind it. Some desperate men facing poverty would hand their daughters off to the first guy willing to pay them, and others would simply get greedy and see the marriage of their daughters as a well to get rich; but ultimately most fathers refused to have their daughters marry anyone that they didn’t truly believe their daughters would be happy with. The Fiddler on the Roof is a great example of the mindset most fathers had about this. In that story, the father tries to find suitable ment for his daughters to marry, occasionally considering how the dowry may help him, but prioritizing finding men that he knows will provide a stable and comfortable life where his children would be well cared for and he ultimately gives his consent for them to marry the men they love despite the lack of a large dowry.
Okay but the wheelchair, crutch, and what appear to be leg braces are a really nice touch for the canonically disabled god. It’s nice to see artists like Red or Rachel(author of Lore Olypmus) just causally giving Hephaestus things like mobility aids or prosthetics because it’s a normal fucking thing!
“It’s uncertain if anything was learned that day” I really do wonder of all these ancient myths we have, how many of them are basically just South Park, lightly mocking their religion by putting their gods in absurd situations, and we basically have to treat them the same as the more genuine parables and poetry stuff because it’s literally all we have. Like imagine if South Park becomes some of the only literature from our era that survives for the next three thousand years and what kind of extrapolations future historians would use from it to make sense of our culture and beliefs.
Having just watched the Aphrodite article, an interesting thought comes to mind: When we consider that one of the earliest versions of Aphrodite was a War Goddess (Aphrodite Areia) worshiped in Sparta, then suddenly her being married to the god of smiths, ie; the one who MAKES the various tools of war, starts making a certain degree of sense. Maybe the idea of Aphrodite being married to Hephaestus originated early on in Sparta and then got ported over even when her wargod status was removed by other worshipers?
Then there’s the fun one about this possibly being a metallurgical allegory, or alchemical if you ask Isaac Newton. An alloy of iron and copper, the metals associated with Ares and Aphrodite respectively, will have a striated, nay, NETTED appearance after being melted together in a crucible… a craft associated with Hephaestus.
Another weird addition to their marriage happens in the Aeneid when Venus(Aphrodite) goes to her husband Vulcan(Hephaestus) to beg for weapons for Aeneas to fight the Latins(?) Venus goes to Vulcan fully prepared to beg for her Son who is obviously not the child of her husband and yet Vulcan only responds with willingness and forgiveness not the resentment that Hephaestus harbors in the affair myth.
My favorite version of this myth is actually the one where Hephaestus and Aphrodite split up, because it really highlights just how little their marriage actually matters. I consider myself a romantic, and I hate seeing marriages split up, but most in most interpretations of their relationship Aphrodite never had any interest in Hephaestus or any desire to marry him. On Hephaestus’s end, he acted like Aphrodite was a “possession” that was taken from him. I know this is a huge over generalization of the myth, by their marriage was never a product of love or commitment, so I think them separating would be the healthiest way for them to end. I also just think that Ares and Aphrodite have a better relationship. Ares is the god of the worst aspects of war, and everybody hates him. The Spartans worshiped his strength, but the only one who cared about him was Aphrodite. Not to be a mythology shipper, and I know this is also just one interpretation of them, it’s just the interpretation I personally support. There’s a surprising number of interpretations to Ares myths where he went to extremes to protect the people in his life, and Aphrodite myths where she goes overboard for her children. They’re both mutually disliked/feared by the other gods because of the havoc they wreak. I like to imagine that Aphrodite remarried with Ares, and they just randomly like raise hell in Olympus sometimes.
I actually like the Percy Jackson take on their relationship where yeah, Hephaestus is aware of Ares and Aphrodite, but he’s not all that mad about it because he is aware he’s not the best catch and after the initial instance, he said it’s fine if she wants to stay open. But he likes to set up traps and pranks to humiliate his wife and her boytoy whenever possible. So foiling and ruining his wife’s side nookie events have become his actual hobby aside from his trade and he and his wife have made it into a game of wits where he has to figure out how and where the nookie is gonna happen, she has to prevent him finding out and, failing that, what the prank is and how to avoid it, and the two of them always seem to up LAUGHING about it after each rendezvous in an ‘Okay, you got me’, ‘Damn, I’ll get you next time’ sort of way.
i agree with the end card, they COULD be very interesting together. my boy Big H could teach Aphrodite that passion extends to one’s work as well, and that love can and will extend beyond the physical and other sappy stuff like that, and Aphrodite can pretend she doesn’t like to watch him work but like any being on earth she loves How it’s Made-type articles and watches anyway
Okay, but like to be fair to the two, going “I want a refund on my wife” is one of the most hilarious things you could say when they’re chained up and you got everyone to see them banging. Good job Ares and Aphrodite weren’t Exhibitionists because wouldn’t that be embarrassing. Also, I find it somewhat interesting that Hephaestus was hurt by Zeus for protecting Hera, because that sounds a lot like the story of Ganesha, who was killed by Shiva for guarding Parvati’s bathhouse. In both examples, their disfigurement came from their Fathers, which is neat.
This reminds me of the myth of Harmonia, goddess of harmony and concord. She’s the offspring of Ares and Aphrodite, and according to some versions of the myth, Hephaestus was pissed at their affair and as revenge, made a cursed necklace that he gave to Harmonia at her wedding as a wedding gift. It caused her whole lineage to be plagued by misfortune, because whoever possessed the necklace would have terribly unlucky things happen to them. It’s known as the Necklace of Harmonia.
See, I read a rather cute version of how they ended up together where all the gods were giving Aphrodite gifts, and Hephesteus shyly offered her his (which iirc was an impossibly delicate handmade golden trinket) and she was so touched by the work he put into it she picked him. Though she then slyly told the other gods they could “bring her their gifts later that night”.
I recently learned that Hephaestus is more often mentioned to be married to Aglaea, the Grace of Beauty, and there’s a version of the story where they got together after the divorce. Seeing as how the Graces are Aphrodite’s handmaidens, this means there’s a chad af version of Hephaestus where he dumps Aphrodite and then promptly married her hot assistant.
personally, my own favourite interpretation is that while not considered beautiful himself, it’s actually hephaestus’s works that attracts aphrodite to him. she sees the beauty of his passion for the craft, as well as the undeniable aesthetic beauty in the works he creates, so that’s why she fell in love with him.
Fun fact: Isaac Newton was something of an alchemist in his spare time between inventing calculus and physics, and he took this tale as a recipe. I can’t remember all the metallurgy that went into it, but suffice to say, it actually ended up making a web-like design of crystalline alloy in the final product that could be thought of as Hephaestus’ chains, which is *mega cool*.
I find it interesting that everyone in the comments is either blasting Heapheastus for forcing Aphrodite to marry him, or sympathizing with him for being cheated on. Because, guys, there are SO many myths (about all them gods, but that includes these two), most of them contradictory. Like, Red mentioned how in one myth Heapheastus was crippled while protecting his mom, but alot of comments were going off on him for the story where he forced (well, Zues forced her, actually, but he was complicit) Aphrodite to marry him despite her having a lover already. Which honestly seems pretty incongruous, since protecting your mom from your rapist dad seems too been-drinking-his-respect-women-juice to fit in with the other characterization. And that is my POINT, there is no 1 characterization. The myths say more about the ancient Greeks than the characters themselves.
The story of their marriage I read in school was that every god took turns trying to woo Aphrodite with gifts, and when it came to Hephaestus’ turn he said something along the lines of, “I work late” which was meant to be interpreted that marrying Hephaestus would mean Aphrodite could do whatever she wanted, even cheat on him. That, and she wouldn’t be tied down with responsibilities of being the wife of the other gods. So yeah, that’s a rather weird way to sanitize their relationship now that I think about it.
Functional version of their marriage… Athena: ugh, that husband of yours. How do you put up with him? Aphrodite: well he’s a great father to Eros, and he’s also very fun to build things with. Athena: wait, you build things too? Aphrodite: I’m more than just a pretty face Athena! I have other interests!!!
Okay, I have to call out that in the past Dowries could also be “You have a fee I must pay before You’ll allow your daughter to marry someone, that way she isn’t cheated into a life worse then she has” as much as they were “I’m paying you now give me your daughter”. This would be like the Groom’s family paying for the whole wedding while the Bride’s family does nothing but be present. A refund of such a payment could also be viewed as essentially a divorce agreement.
Honestly I’d be fascinated to see more detail on their relationship: either seeing how it could work out or how dysfunctional it gets. I see very little about Hephaestus when he could be a very interesting character, especially since in some retellings he’s also not that into the marriage. Seeing as they contrast a lot in how people view them, I think a story exploring how they relate to each other could be fascinating
Another tidbit I heard about is that while Ares was laying with Aphrodite, he had a soldier named Alectryon keeping watch outside to alert them to the sunrise (Helios), but one night fell asleep on the job, so forgot to alert them to Helios, hence how Helios found out about Ares and Aphrodite’s affair and spilled the beans to Hephaestus. So for negligence, Ares punished Alectryon by turning him into a rooster which crows every sunrise to make up for falling asleep on the job. Hence why roosters are sacred to Ares and why they crow at the sunrise. Also Alectryon was said by this guy Lucian to be one of Ares’ lovers. With that knowledge, I totally hc Alectryon was jealous that Aphrodite got to lie with his boyfriend and that Ares must’ve been secretly crying inside at having to punish him. It’s also said the rooster’s crows is Alectryong calling out to apologize; “ARES! I’M SO SORRY MY LOVE!”
It’s not quite a functional odd couple pairing, but Julie’ Berry’s YA novel Lovely War uses the Hephaestus/Aphrodite relationship as a framing device. Hephaestus catches Aphrodite and Ares together and he calls a trial for her right then and there: Prove to me that love and your work as the goddess of love is worth all the anguish it causes. Aphrodite does so by telling the story of four young people during WWI and how love gave them purpose. Nobody makes it out unscarred because WWI, but it’s about people persisting through hellish situations and still forging connections. Apollo and Hades also play minor roles as they share their parts in the four humans’ stories. This story helps Hephaestus understand Aphrodite not as the flighty shipper goddess but as someone using love to help humans find connection and meaning and for the first time, he gives their own relationship a chance. It’s a quite slow burn, but worth it in the end.
FINALLY! Hephaestus is my favorite Olypian! I know he’s depicted as anti-social but that’s honestly not his fault. Plus, he has a kick ass volcano layer where he makes inventions. He’s basically heavy metal Leonardo Da Vinci. I wish there were more myths that included him, but you can’t change the past sadly. So hopefully authors now recognize how cool he is and include him in their stories. I think Rick Riordan did a good job with depicting him.
When modern writers adapt this story, I tend to prefer stories that either make Aphrodite and Hephasstus’s marriage a wholly consensual and functional affair or just do away with the marriage entirely and make Charis or Aglaea his wife instead. Because most other versions just have Hephaestus give off a “nice guy/incel” vibe (especially if you pair it with the Athena story), which was probably not what the ancient Greeks intended, but definitely comes off that way to a modern reader.
I think a funnier interpretation of the two of thems marriage is that they’re good friends with no actual romance between them who married to get Hera off their back about getting married, now Aphrodite can sleep around and Hephaestus can spend 100% of his time working in his volcano without worrying about Hera trying to marry them off
Maybe because of my cultural background, but to me that whole dowry payment thing isn’t so bad, but on the other hand-it contradicts the version of the story I first heard which was the one where Zeus forced the two into a marriage to prevent all the other Gods(most likely including himself) from tearing apart Olympus trying to screw her. That version did make it clear that neither party wanted the other, but Hephaestus did get done dirty as he at least tries to make their marriage work. Also, quick sidenote, I’m not too sure that Ares should screw the wife of the dude that makes all his armor and weapons, heck-the fact that some of the other Gods laughed at this and at Hephaestus seemed kinda short sighted as he makes EVERYTHING they use. Seems like something you would heard in a common isekai where they made fun and humiliate the protag, who just happens to have a skillset that can ruin all their lives. So it’s kinds sad that there’re no stories of him getting back at Ares by making him a sword that breaks at the worst time, or a set of armor designed to trap him in it much like the throne thing with Hera.
The bit at 3:55 isnt THAT fucked up when you realize that the ancient greek dowry wasnt really the late european nobility style of equalizing wealth often used to buy a peace between families where both kids had no say, nor african and middle eastern bride prices or balkan and orients organized marriage that sometimes was just buying people “legally”. It was typically a protection by the lesser party of the marriage investing in the union (sometimes in valuables, more often in property, livestock and trade secrets/connections along with contracts to right to trade/sell/use ships) where if they got mistreated/tortured/enslaved and sold off/killed for politics, etc their (family) got some reimbursement. Essentially a proto-prenup. Which in the case of Aphrodite might have been caught on a “i get the cash i invested into the marriage back if she cheats on me” clause.
I personally like the idea of Aphrodite and Hephaestus as functional exes, where they get along much better after they divorced. Imagine Hephaestus noting, “I think we slept together more now than when we were married!” Although I also like the idea of Aphrodite fixing Hephaestus up with his second wife, just as her own way of making it up to him.
I think this is just one of those pairings im always conflicted over. I love the idea of the odd couple scenario, but the mythological evidences that Aphrodite didn’t want to marry Hephaestus in the first place and was made to do so by the worst father ever makes it hard to get by. In contrast, Ares is the one Aphrodite chose, and Ares has the better track record for how he treated women in general… and his daddy issues and resulting personality are very relatable. Not to mention i think it ties in back with her origins as Ishtar and Astarte as a war goddess.
I always saw aphrodite as the embodiment of passion in general. Combat? passion, go to aphrodite Love? passion, go to aphrodite and as to why she is married to hephestus: The passion for ones work or art. To be a good smith (such a good smith you can create a time-traveling robot dog) and be so passionate about it that aphrodite got attracted. Yet being a goddess of so many passions, she tends to get “distracted” with war and love, symbolised by her affair with areas and her not living with hephestus respectively.
“So this is that ‘marital bliss’ I’m apparently missing” as an aroace individual who’s friends are in relationships, I felt that. Speaking of Artemis, I’d love to see Red’s analysis on the idea of triple goddesses/deities and just how widespread they are, the triple goddess in wicca or the fates or the tridevi in Hinduism or even Hecate who just seems to be a triple all on her own.
I want the spin on their relationship where Hephaestus and Aphrodite are good friends and their “marriage” is just Hephaestus giving Aphrodite an excuse when she doesn’t want someone to pursue her. Kinda like how, on blind dates, sometimes girls will plan for their friend to call them in the middle of the date and give them an out to leave if everything’s going poorly.
Once again, Red presents probably the greatest depictions of the Olympians ever created, and I’m loving every millisecond of it! On a side note, I would like to suggest an episode idea: Hades and Persephone’s children, and the very few times Hades (allegedly) had affairs. I am very intrigued as to how solid those are as canon stories.
There’s a funny part of the myth where Ares hires a soldier to guard his and Aphrodite’s love shack while they did the oingo boingo. But one night, he falls asleep on the job and this gives Helios just enough time to take a peek (totally not creepy at all) and blow the whistle on them to Hephaestus. Ares punishes the soldier, Alectryon, for falling asleep on the job and getting him in trouble by turning him into a rooster.
Every time I hear about Hephaestus in Greek myth, it just sounds like any sour employee’s time with a cruddy company. His story is all about doing the most work while also getting the least reward/lots of job related drama. He loses his wife to an affair with a coworker. Afterwards, his “boss”(Zeus) doesn’t help him. He even needs “HR/legal”(Poseidon) to provide him with compensation because his coworkers get off scot free. Why is this kind of relatable?
My favorite version of the “how they got married” story was that, for some reason, Aphrodite HAD to get married. I forget the reason. Regardless, she was stuck having to actually pick a husband. A number of the swinging bachelors of Olympus and the extended Olympian family made their pitches, about how rich they were, how handsome they were, how good in bed or how much they’d dote on her. Haephestus’s pitch was, “I work late. VERY late. Sometimes I don’t make it home at all.” I can’t condone that, of course, but I like to think that this is at least as close to a functional marriage as the goddess of lust and infidelity could possibly have. Doesn’t really jive with the unbreakable chains trap, though, if Haephestus is being consistent in his promise. Probably would need some additional myth about the terms of their agreement and how this tryst violated even its permissive bonds. I can’t imagine Hera is much happier about it than she is her own husband’s infidelity, though. For this version, I kind-of like the idea that Haephestus was defending Hera and that’s how he got his injury, and while he later made up with Zeus, he and Hera are actually the closest to a healthy mother/son dynamic in the pantheon.
This is the one time I can excuse Aphrodite’s disregard for the consequences of what happens when you aren’t being responsible in the love department because if I was married to someone I was sold to while I had a chiseled feminist boyfriend I wouldn’t be the most enthused or caring for marital responsibilities either
I’m always surprised that there isn’t more modern media about Aphrodite and Hephaestus. Like you could refrain it as this narrative where Aphrodite is a beautiful popular goddess but she choses the unpopular ‘ugly’ Hephaestus just because she loves him for who he is. With how popular the “ugly guy/beautiful badass women” trope is I’m genuinely surprised it’s not out there somewhere. I mean you could even do a love triangle with Aries and everything! Where’s MY Greek mythology inspired teen focused tv show?
One of the favorite versions I’d heard was this (clearly a joke and not original Greek, heh): Zeus is like, “ugh, gotta get this chick married off before there’s problems,” so he calls forward everyone who wants to marry her and make their offer. Everyone promises her untold wealth and devotion and exquisite sexytimes, and she debates and considers each one. And then Hephaestus comes up (everyone mocking the hell out of him), he whispers in her ear, and she smiles and points to him. “This one. Yep. 100%. Hephaestus.” Everyone is stunned. They are agog. They surround Hephaestus, “what the heck did you say to her, what magical 12-inch schlong are you hiding?!?” and he just replies, “I told her I work lots of late nights.” ba dum tssh
I always thought that the doylist reason Aphrodite was paired with Hephaestus is because Aphrodite being in love with Ares would give War Goddess Aphrodite vibes like what the Spartans had. Kinda like how Zeus says Aphrodite doesn’t belong on the battlefield maybe Aphrodite being married to Hephaestus is like an “To prove that Aphrodite doesn’t belong on the battlefield she’s now married to not the war god but to his guy” kinda thing. But I’m just speculating on that.
It may just be the connection of the god of Weapons and Armor and the god of War having a thing for another goddess of Love&War if you take into account the whole Aphrodite Astarte deal. I could easily see there being a fandom split of which ship between HephxDite or ArexDite stans in ancient greece and this weird effed resolution being their take on it.
Hephaestus is one of my favorite gods and one that deserves more love The dude gets brought down by EVERYONE, for his looks, for his limp, for being a blacksmith when there are more sexy professions like killing your fellow man But he never lets it get him down He always just uses his crafts skills to, if not make people stop making fun of him, at least respect him despite his imperfections. And the fact he is literally the god of all disabled people showing that you don’t need to be fully mobile to be respected I think is really sweet.
“I also wish there were more stories where these two are a functional off couple. Could be cute.” YES. I’ve been saying this for years that this was a missed opportunity. Like I can clearly see Aphrodite being like “Why do I like him? Because he’s the one of the few guys here who legitimately thinks my schemes are clever and thinks my pranks are hilarious.”
One miscellaneous myths you should cover (really enjoy these) is the goddess Nemesis. Goddess of cosmic justice, daughter of Nyx and probably responsible for more arrogant heroes getting what they deserve than we know what to do with. She probably would’ve enjoyed this episode. Again, only a suggestion
There’s actually quite a bit of potential with AphroditexHephaestus: -They’re in an open marriage, which would fit both of them well, seeing as how each has a long list of lovers (believe it or not, Hephaestus managed to score with several women, fathering a few demigod bastards, lol). -Hephaestus has two wives: Aphrodite and Algea (aka Charis). I got this idea from the “Dialogues of the Gods,” where Hermes and Apollo discuss how neither of Hephaestus’s wives are jealous of each other simply because they lived in separate locations. -They’re “exes with benefits,” meaning that if Aphrodite wants any more of the jewelry Hephaestus made for her while they were still married, she’d have to “make it worth his while.” I imagine Aphrodite laughing as she muses, “I think we sleep together now more often than when we were married!” -As an apology for her adultery, Aphrodite found Hephaestus a wife who could love him, and presented him with Algea, the youngest of the three Charities, who double as Aphrodite’s retinue.
I remember the first version I read had it where there as some kind of competition wherein each God that wanted to marry Aphrodite had to make a case for why they’d be the best fit, and Aphrodite ended up choosing Hephestus herself because she saw his inner beauty or something. Needless to say I was disappointed to learn that version was… less than accurate XD
If someone were to lean into a more functional version of the odd couple thing, I could very easily see it being like “Aphrodite, Goddess of Beauty, could have anyone she wants. So, rather than judging based on physical beauty, which she already has in buckets, she judges based on something else. Hephestus, despite his physical appearance, forges works so masterful, so beautiful, she can’t help but adore them. Who else could capture beauty in such a pure, unending form?”
As with all stories involving Aphrodite, remember, we’re talking about Aphrodite here. The same one who got into a fight with Athena and Hera over some stupid “You’re the Best” Golden Apple trophy. The same one who BRIBED Paris with the hand of SOMEONE ELSE’S BRIDE! We’re not talking about someone who even bothers to pretend they have thought things through. NOPE! Of course there would be stories of her boinking Ares while hitched to Hephaestus. Also, Hephaestus had this unrequited love thing for Athena, something Athena wasn’t interested in. So I don’t know how much He was into the whole marriage to Aphrodite, either. But it sounded like he did at least give it a try. Which is more than we can say for half the Olympic Pantheon. (Looking at you, Zeus and Neptune.)
I feel like i wanna share this cause i thought this was the main story for their marriage for a while. I grew up with the story that, similar to the one story, Various Gods were pining for Aphrodite’s affecion and wished to marry her. Posideon offered her horses or some such, Ares offered her soldiers, etc etc…And it was quite a spectacle but Aphrodite just enjoyed the attention and never accepted any of their advances. Hephestus was also pinning for her, cause who wouldn’t, but saw that no gift entracned her so he never came forward until Hera whispered to him the one thing Aphrodite would accept. So amidst the squabbling Hephestus approached Aphrodite and asked her to be his wife and in return his gift was her freedom to be who she is and that she could sleep around as much as she wanted. So she accepted Hephestus’ offer as the best. And i always viewed their union as the idea that invention sometimes happens in the name of love but never to contain it. Like people inventing things for their Siginifcant others that allow them to walk, hear, etc so that their life is better but dont request anything in return but to be the person they love.
I would think that the idea of Aphrodite being married to Hephaestus would come from the Spartans, due to her still being a goddess of war in their culture. After all, what sort of war is fought without weapons? The idea of two war deities going at it makes sense from that angle, bringing a different meaning to “Violence breeds Violence”. Thoughts?
H- “Not so cool when YOU’RE the one suffering from the relationship drama, is it?” A- “You forget I’m a histrionic and an exhibitionist, if it weren’t for the awkward positioning of my limbs I’d be having the time of my life right now, I could not have done more to make myself the center of attention than you have today if I tried” All the other gods who competed for her hand- “Javelin dodged”
I have a distinct memory of Aphrodite’s marriage to Hephaestus being a punishment for her starting the Trojan War, but I don’t remember where that’s from so I have no idea where it falls on the “primary source to modern re-interpretation” scale. Still, I think it’s a good set-up if we want to build an actual romance between these two, because it means that the union a.) Wasn’t Hephaestus’s idea, and b.) Kinda sucks for him too when you think about it, since not only is he saddled with a bride who (on the face of it) could never want him and will resent him for the rest of their eternal lives, but also Zeus is making no secret that he considers marriage to Hephaestus to be a horrible punishment. Ouch.
You know, for the longest time I thought the reason Aphrodite was getting it down with Aries is because women are often attracted to men of status, and the more battles they had under their belt, the more attractive they were. Knowing Aphrodite was once depicted as a war goddess, that makes much more sense. The two were intermingled as lovers on the battlefield. That’s my headcanon and I sticking to it!
Note: A ‘Dowry’ is the sum of money a Wife brings into the marriage from her birth-family, where-as a ‘Bride-Price’ is a sum of money the Husband (or his family) pays the Wife’s family for said-Wife. ^^; If Hephaestus paid a sum of money to Zeus for Aphrodite’s hand in marriage, it would have been a ‘Bride-Price’.
There’s another telling I’ve heard of this story that also includes the character Alectryon, who was a young soldier in Ares’ army (and possibly one of his lovers) The story goes that Ares and Aphrodite were getting nasty one night so Ares told Alectryon to guard the door and call them when the sun began to rise, so Helios wouldn’t see them. But Alectryon falls asleep and the story plays out the same way as you told it. But in the end, Ares then turns Alectryon into a rooster, and it’s basically a telling of why roosters always call when they see the sun. Could make a quick, fun follow up to this article. But as far as I know, that’s the only story that Alectryon appears in.
I suppose if you want a version where Aphrodite and Hephaestus have a decent relationship, there is the Disney Hercules Disney show. I think it only popped up in like one episode, but Hades attempted to flirt with Aphrodite only for her to indignantly proclaim that she is already married and Hephaestus appears to smack Hades down for hitting on his wife. Then again, the Disney version basically made most of the gods much better people while turning the one decent god into the villain. A very awesome villain though.
Ya know, Red, I agree that it would be cool to see writers imagine a scenario where these two work. “Beautiful woman loves ugly husband for some reason” is kind of a cliche at this point, but on Hephaestus’s end it could be really compelling to see the most introverted Olympian show affection and appreciation for his wife. Like considering the “yeeted down Olympus” thing, it would be very understandable for Hephaestus to have trust issues. perusal him be vulnerable with someone who genuinely loves him sounds really sweet.
It amuses me how people freak out over the “lack of morals” in Greek Mythology. I kind of feel like people are forgetting the world was a vastly different place back then, and what may seem horrendous to us now, may have been seen as pretty much normal back then. Applying our modern view to an ancient world doesn’t always mix. So take it for what it is, and be grateful for the times we live in now by comparison. Also, in some parts of the world, some things DO still pretty much run the same way and haven’t exactly changed all that much. Not saying it’s a pleasant thought for most of us or something we should condone, but it is the reality of the situation for some people, and again, to them, it’s normal – so make of that what you will. 🤷♀️
My favorite way I’ve ever heard it explained was Haphestus offered himself to Aphrodite by essentially saying “I’m a hard worker, I’ll always be loyal and I’m never home to find out what you do on your spare time” and he just lets her do what she wants, so long as she’s still willing to bone him. It’s clearly not correct, but I appreciate the early poly rep.
Hephaestus and Aphrodite have that stereotypical “nerd x cheerleader” vibe to them. If they were to be portrayed as an actual healthy couple, I kinda would like it if they went the Spectacular Spiderman way with Peter and Liz. Where the two get assigned to a tutoring thing, Liz doesn’t take it seriously because “ew nerd Parker” and eventually Peter just tells her “You know what? This tutoring thing helps you, not me. If you want to actually take it seriously, give me a call”. Peter stands up for himself and Liz was put in a position where she had to see inwards at her own mistakes. Peter and Liz grow, and the two forget about the whole “nerds vs jocks” thing, end up earning each other’s respect, and start actually enjoying each other’s company. I don’t know, it sounds cute for Hephaestus to stand up for himself, Aphrodite realizing her bad side, the two learning the other actually is more than meets the eye and they aren’t that bad, eventually growing beyond their original misconceptions about the other, and just enjoying to be together until healthy love grows.
As an Ares apologist, my personal favorite version of this story is where Ares and Aphrodite were actually a couple before the marriage. And when Zeus approached with the idea of her marrying Hephaestus for Hera’s Freedom, Aphrodite only agreed thinking her love Ares could win her hand in a fight. So big boy Ares barges into Hephaestus’ forge only to immediately come running out like a yelping dog because Hephaestus literally reigned fire upon him. So I personally see the affair as separated true loves. Don’t cheat, unless your in an arranged marriage you had to leave your boyfriend for or something.
Am I the only one who really wants to see a story where Hephaestus and Aphrodite are a loving couple with a healthy relationship and the whole “cheating on him with Ares” thing is just a rumour spread by Apollo or Hermes? Because that would be so cute and wholesome. Also Hephaestus is objectively one of the most badass Olympians: he was able to invent thrones that could imprison the other Olympians, fire breathing mechanical bulls, and a freaking Jaeger.
My personal head canon for Hephaestus and Aphrodite is that, they are a functional odd couple. Aphrodite is in love with Hephaestus and if you ask her why she’ll go on some spiel about how “He gets me.” and he sees her for more then just looks. But as for the whole affairs its actually a little tragic. As the physical embodiment of lust and love, Aphrodite’s libido and sex drive are through the roof. She literally has an addiction to it and Hephaestus due to a combination of low self-esteem and his impairment means can’t keep up with her demands, this results in Hephaestus feeling worse about himself while Aphrodite in turn is deprived of both sexual gratification and the constant attention she craves. Hence she was quick to give into the temptation with Ares who wants Aphrodite for himself but she won’t leave Hephaestus and is just using him to get her rocks off.
back in school i had a history teacher that had fun with those myths. In modern days we have soap operas, in classic times they had gods, half gods, heros, drama, and they all did what people would do if they would be able to get away with it. So it’s escapism that can get out of hand quite fast, especially if the means of transfer of stories is by retelling them. It does make it more fun and you can sometimes see resemblance between stories, even when the names and locations are changed.
3:40 – Love the vibe between Hermes, Ares, and Apollo in the corner there. Great stuff. Also, yeah, About the only thing I could tell you about Hephaestus is that he’s the one with a bum leg, and Aphrodite cheats on him. While I’m sure he also got up to some nonsense – it is the Olympian pantheon after all – that’s still enough for me to have him as the one Olympian guy that doesn’t outright frustrate me the way so many of them do.
You know what, I’ve got a cute idea for a more functional relationship between Aphrodite and Hephaestus- or at least when they were courting. He expected she’d never be interested in him due to his looks so he never felt the need to impress her, but he could also see that she was probably pretty lonely, so he’d smith her beautiful things that made her smile. Because of that, they spent more and more time together and odd friendship blossomed into courtship~
So fun facts. The whole bride price thing is more like a dowry than anything and other thing. Someone else suffered for Ares and Aphrodite’s affair. A young servant boy or soldier boy or both by the name of Alectryon. According to Lucian, Alectryon was said to have been ‘an adolescent boy, beloved of Ares, who kept the god company at drinking parties, overindulged with him, and was his companion in lovemaking’. Ares, fearing that his affair with Aphrodite would be found out and then he would be told on by Helios, the sun god, especially because of his suspicions that he would tell ((Hephaestus)), the god of forgery, commanded Alectryon to stand outside his door and watch for Helios or anyone else, to stop his affair. So Alectryon stood guard outside of his room as the two made love. But he fell asleep during watch duty and Helios discovered them the next morning. The sun-god then informed Hephaestus, Aphrodite’s husband, to the choices of the two, suggesting that Hephaestus should create a net to ensnare and then shame them. Furious, Ares punished Alectryon by transforming him into a rooster which never forgets to announce the rising of the sun in the morning by its crowing, his own way of apologizing to Ares for falling asleep on the job, but this failed to make amends. TLDR. Ares had his twink lover make sure that Helios didn’t catch his affair. He slept on the job and after being Ares got punished. He proceeded to turn him into a rooster so he would serve as an alarm clock for when the sun was out.
Hi red pls make a article with hestia/vesta. I think she’s the last Olympian not talked about here and she sounds so interesting, being the goddess of something so specific imo (the hearth fire) yet pinnacle of ancient life. Love your vids they’re so informative and well made. Love you red!!! You too blue !!! ❤
The story I read as a kid about how they came to be married was that Aphrodite was allowed to pick her husband and all the gods were making big fancy promises. Then Hera took Haephestus off to the side, talked to him a bit, and then he came back with “I’ll make you lots of beautiful jewelry, and I work late.” And Aphrodite kissed him, then went off and quietly told the other gods when they could come by the house with their gifts.
ShanaStoryteller on Ao3 has a lovely work called ‘Gods & Monsters’ each chapter is a loosely connected (non-chronilogical) set of one-shots, BEAUTIFULLY written! Chapters 14, 29 and 33 are all rewrites of Hephaestus’ and Aphrodites relationships, with each other and other gods. I highly recommend, its such a fun story to read. (Chapter 2 talks about Aphrodite and Hephaestus, but its focused on Arachne)
Great article! Hephastius always been one of my favorite Greek gods. Maybe cause he just do not that habit of wandering around, ruining people’s day (unless they decide to ruin his). In this he might be somewhat similiar to Hades ans Persephonie, who after initial rocky start ended up being… well one of the most sane couples around mt. Olympus.
My first introduction to the marriage between Aphrodite and Hephaestus was in 3rd grade. I’ve never seen this retelling since, so can only conclude that it’s WILDLY un-canonical, but it endeared me to Hephaestus anyway. The story was basically: Aphrodite was born from the bloody sea foam left on the surface of the waves above where Uranus’s corps was cast out of Olympus, and Immediately all the dudes on Olympus started competing for her hand in marriage. Hera took Zeus out of the running almost immediately, so it became Zeus’ job to give her away, and he let Aphrodite choose her own husband. Long story short, every god brought her gifts and made extravagant declarations of “love” to try to win her over, but Hephaestus won her with only the promise of not interfering with her affairs… Like literally, it was implied that all we wanted from the marriage was for people to acknowledge him as a person one time outside of pestering him to make them some shit, and in return she could sleep around and cause chaos and whatever and he not only wouldn’t interfere, but would actively support her if she asked. I have long since reconciled myself to the fact that very little of my education could have been considered acceptable by academic circles as accurate or having merit. Regardless I still liked the story, and it made Hephaestus one of my favorite Gods because I related to him so much. Like I may be an artist, but Apollo can suck a fuck. I’d rather have my mild mannered craftsman as an artistic patron thank you very much.