By Greek tradition the fairest of the goddesses was Aphrodite, the
goddess of love and beauty. To her every lover paid his vows and every
maiden prayed for charms. An old legend relates that she was born from
the foam of the sea, hence the name Aphrodite, which means "foam-born."
Among the Romans she was called Venus. At her birth the island of Cyprus
received her.
"Where the force
Of gentle-breathing Zephyr steer'd her course
Along the waves of the resounding sea,
While yet unborn in that soft foam she lay
That brought her forth."
Here she emerged "a goddess in the charms of awful beauty." The Hours
welcomed her eagerly, taking her in their arms and putting a crown of
gold upon her head. As she went on her way, flowers grew in her path,--
"Where her delicate feet
Had pressed the sands, green herbage flowering sprang."[30]
[30] An account of the birth of Aphrodite is given in Hesiod's
_Theogony_ and in the Homeric _Hymn to Venus_, and the quotations here
are drawn from both sources.
As we have already seen, there were among the Greek divinities two other
goddesses besides Aphrodite specially famed for their beauty,--Athena
and Hera. Tradition tells how the beauty of the three was tested. An
apple was thrown into their midst inscribed "For the fairest," and a
contention at once arose as to the rightful owner. Paris, the prince of
Troy, being chosen arbiter, decided in favor of Aphrodite, who promised
him for a wife the fairest woman in Greece, that is, Helen.[31] This was
the real cause of the Trojan War, in which the Greeks sought to recover
their stolen princess. Aphrodite being at the bottom of the trouble
remained through the war on the Trojan side.
[31] See Tennyson's poem, _Oenone_.
Oddly enough the beautiful goddess was mated to the ugliest of the gods,
the lame blacksmith Heph[ae]stus (or Vulcan). At his forge were made those
fateful arrows of the little god Eros (or Cupid), the mother standing by
to tip their points with honey.
The power of love in human life made the ideal of Aphrodite very dear to
the hearts of the Greeks. All that is most tender and sacred in this
human relation was personified in her. As love ennobles the life and
makes it unselfish, so, they reasoned, must Aphrodite be a grand and
noble being. Again, as love glorifies the life, and brings joy into its
commonest details, she must also be beautiful and laughter-loving. In
short, one cannot think of any quality of love which was not reflected
in the person of the glorious goddess. Temples were built in her honor,
and she was worshiped in festivals and sacrificial rites. Statues of her
were set up in many places, and one of the most famous which has come
down to us is reproduced in our illustration.
[Illustration: Neurdein Fr[`e]res, Photo. John Andrew & Son, Sc.