Aphrodite

(foam-risen)

Aphordite was the goddess of love, beauty, the Trojans, growth, and flowers. One theory of Aphrodite's birth is that she was born from foam. The foam was the result of Cronus mutilation of his father Uranos. He cut off his "male organ," which fell into the sea and created the foam that the goddess rose from. Once Aphrodite rose from the foam she walked onto the beach of Cyprus and was worshipped on the island.

Paris chose Aphrodite over Hera and Athena in a beauty contest. In return, Aphrodite made Helen fall in love with Paris starting the Trojan War. She had also fallen in love with the Trojan shepherd Anchises, with whom she had a son, the famous Aeneas - later believed to be the founder of Rome.

Aphrodite also had many other children, none of whom where fathered by her husband (Hephaestus). Aphrodite and Ares had a daughter, Harmonia. Hermes and Aphrodite had a child named Hermafroditus who was half man, half woman. With Dionysos she had the ugly, but popular Priapos.

In Roman mythology her name was Venus.

Aphrodite also had many epithets:

Acidalia, Acraea, Ambologera, Anadyomene, Antheia, Apostrophia, Aracynthus, Areia, Argynnis, Calascopia, Casthanietis, Colias, Delia, Erycina, Euploea, Hecaerge, Hera, Mehanitis, Melaenis, Melinaea, Migonitis, Morpho, Panaceia, Pandemos, Paphia, Phila, Plinthia, Unania, Zerynthia