Aphrodite was the
beautiful
goddess of love. Her Roman name was Venus
and
she lived on Mount Olympus. She was
married to
the lame crafts-man god, Hephaestus. Aphrodite
involved herself on several noteworthy occasions with the affairs of
mortal
heroes. She was said to have been born
from the
foam of the sea. She can also be said to
have caused the Trojan War.
When Peleus and the sea-nymph Thetis were to be wed, all the gods and
goddesses
were invited to the ceremony. except for one. The
goddess left a golden apple on the banquet table. The
fruit was inscribed, “For the fairest.” All
of
the goddesses began to argue about who should possess the prize. The judge was to be a noble Trojan youth,
Paris,
who was a shepherd at the time. The three
finalists- Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite- found him in
a meadow. All three goddesses offered
bribes. Hera’s
was that she would help him rule the world. Athena’s was that she would make him
victorious
in battle. Aphrodite’s was that he would
receive
the loveliest woman in the world- Helen, who was married to the king of
Sparta. Aphrodite was awarded the golden
apple, and Paris
was awarded Helen. Helen’s husband and
his brother sent out a Greek army to bring her back.
The Trojan War had begun.
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