CMLT316 Chapter Notes - Chapter 9: Anchises, Cinyras, Homeric Hymns
3 Jun 2018
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CH 9: Aphrodite and Eros
The Duality of Aphrodite (Venus)
Aphrodite Urania
● Came to be characterized as the goddess of pure love that as its end not physical
satisfaction but spiritual gratification
● The sensual APhrodite Urania, sprung from Uranus (god of the heavens), became the
heavenly or celestial Aphrodite of philosophy and religion
Aphrodite Pandemos
● Daughter of Zeus and Dione
● Goddess of sex and procreation of children
○ Concerns are of the body and not of the mind, spirit, or soul
● This duality in Aphrodite’s nature came to be described as sacred and profane love, the
most universal of all archetypal conceptions
● Aphrodite received two epithets in connection with her birth on the sea, Cytherea and
Cypris since she was brought first to the island of Cythera and then Cyprus. The latter
especially associated with her worship
The Character of Aphrodite
● Goddess of beauty, love, and marriage
● Her power was very great
● Her universality led to a gamut of conceptions of this goddess
● Presided over everything from hallowed married love to temple prostitution
● Depictions of her in art, literature, and music reflect not only the duality but also the
multiplicity of her nature
Attendants of Aphrodite
The Three Graces
● The Carites are feminine personifications of aspects of charm and loveliness
The Hours of Seasons
● The name of these daughters of Zeus and Themis is Horae, meaning hours, and then
time, and then seasons
● Their number increases from two to four, and they represent the attractive attributes of
the various times of the year
The Ithyphallic Priapus
● Priapus is the son of Aphrodite
● Personifies the elemental, sexual side of his mother’s nature
● He bears a huge and erect phallus
● Began as a respectable fertility god bringing good fortune for crops and procreation
● He developed into an erotic and sometimes obscene inspiration for later art and
literature
Pygmalion
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Document Summary
Came to be characterized as the goddess of pure love that as its end not physical satisfaction but spiritual gratification. The sensual aphrodite urania, sprung from uranus (god of the heavens), became the heavenly or celestial aphrodite of philosophy and religion. Goddess of sex and procreation of children. Concerns are of the body and not of the mind, spirit, or soul. This duality in aphrodite"s nature came to be described as sacred and profane love, the most universal of all archetypal conceptions. Aphrodite received two epithets in connection with her birth on the sea, cytherea and. Cypris since she was brought first to the island of cythera and then cyprus. Her universality led to a gamut of conceptions of this goddess. Presided over everything from hallowed married love to temple prostitution. Depictions of her in art, literature, and music reflect not only the duality but also the multiplicity of her nature.
