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dimi_pat

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Ahead of Valentine's Day, I thought I'd share some things that I thought were interesting about Aphrodite, the Greek Goddess of love:

1. Aphrodite Was Born from Sea Foam.
In Greek mythology, it's said that Aphrodite was born from the sea foam that formed when Cronus cut off Uranus's genitals and threw them into the ocean. As the spirit of desire and physical attraction, Aphrodite's birth story reflects the power of nature and the irresistible force of passion.

2. She Was Married to Hephaestus.
Despite her reputation as the goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite had a less-than-romantic marriage with Hephaestus, the god of blacksmiths and volcanoes. Hephaestus was unattractive and had a limp, and Aphrodite had several affairs with other gods and mortals. To me, this seem like an unlikely match.

3. She Possessed a Magic Girdle.
To make herself even more desirable and seductive, Aphrodite had a magic girdle that could make anyone fall in love with her. It's said that she used this girdle to win the hearts of both gods and mortals and cause conflicts and jealousy among them.

4. She Had Children with Several Gods and Mortals.
Aphrodite was famous for her many love affairs, and she had children with several gods and mortals. Her most famous son was Eros, the god of love and passion, who was sometimes depicted as her lover as well.

5. She Was Worshiped throughout Ancient Greece.
As the goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite was a popular deity throughout ancient Greece and was worshiped in many cities and temples. She was also associated with fertility, sexuality, and even war, as seen in her role as a protector of soldiers and sailor.

6. Her Symbols Included Doves, Roses, and Mirrors.
Like most deities, Aphrodite had several symbols that represented her qualities and powers. Her most common symbols were doves, roses, and mirrors, which reflected her beauty, love, and vanity.
 
There are some tidbits here I didn't know about here, such as the part about the magic girdle.

Boy, if only love were that easy LOL.
 
Ahead of Valentine's Day, I thought I'd share some things that I thought were interesting about Aphrodite, the Greek Goddess of love:

1. Aphrodite Was Born from Sea Foam.
In Greek mythology, it's said that Aphrodite was born from the sea foam that formed when Cronus cut off Uranus's genitals and threw them into the ocean. As the spirit of desire and physical attraction, Aphrodite's birth story reflects the power of nature and the irresistible force of passion.

2. She Was Married to Hephaestus.
Despite her reputation as the goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite had a less-than-romantic marriage with Hephaestus, the god of blacksmiths and volcanoes. Hephaestus was unattractive and had a limp, and Aphrodite had several affairs with other gods and mortals. To me, this seem like an unlikely match.

3. She Possessed a Magic Girdle.
To make herself even more desirable and seductive, Aphrodite had a magic girdle that could make anyone fall in love with her. It's said that she used this girdle to win the hearts of both gods and mortals and cause conflicts and jealousy among them.

4. She Had Children with Several Gods and Mortals.
Aphrodite was famous for her many love affairs, and she had children with several gods and mortals. Her most famous son was Eros, the god of love and passion, who was sometimes depicted as her lover as well.

5. She Was Worshiped throughout Ancient Greece.
As the goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite was a popular deity throughout ancient Greece and was worshiped in many cities and temples. She was also associated with fertility, sexuality, and even war, as seen in her role as a protector of soldiers and sailor.

6. Her Symbols Included Doves, Roses, and Mirrors.
Like most deities, Aphrodite had several symbols that represented her qualities and powers. Her most common symbols were doves, roses, and mirrors, which reflected her beauty, love, and vanity.
Aphrodite [froth/Purattu/Euphrates/
Prasuti] was the Greek name for Inanna/Ishtar/Astarte, the daughter of Anu [Uranus/Sin] .
Anu and Uranus both mean sky or heavens. She is also called Ino in Greek myth. Ino was also called Halia meaning salty and Leucothea meaning white goddess. At Thalamae in Laconia, near Sparta, was the oracular shrine of Ino-Pasiphae.
Tammuz is called Athamas and Adonis in Greek myth.Tammuz is also Greek Cronus
[Baal Hammon] and Pan [ Egyptian Min ; Greek name Minos/Hindu Daksha-Prajapati/Priapus]. Rhea Silvia is Rhea Pitys [Repit, wife of Min in Egypt].
Aphrodite also corresponds to Tamtu/Tiamat [Tanit] and Nammu in Babylonian mythology. Tamtu Halia was called Thetis Halosydne in Greek myth and as such was the daughter of Nereus [ Nireus/Nirah/
Triton]. Triton is Anu or Sin in Babylonia.
Abzu is Abas/Apollo Abae/Cycnus/Varuna in Greek mythology. Abzu/Abas/Apsu/Apas represented spring water/fresh water while Tamtu represented salt water/sea water. Nammu was the mother of Enki [Nudimmud] and grandmother of Anu.
Lynceus [Lug/lynx] also signifies Apollo.
Tamtu Halia/Aphrodite was also regarded as the daughter of Tantalus and Dione.
Dione was the wife of Tantalus [Mercury/Thanatos] and Hermes [Anu/Sin/Moon god]. Dione by either was the mother of Aphrodite.
Inanna boasted of taming horses and was given the name Hippodamia in Greek myth, meaning horse-tamer.
Ops is an alternative name for Rhea and is punned with Area, a title of Aphrodite, as lover of Ares. Peleus and Pelias are names of Ares [Mars/Nergal/Aplu Enlil/Apollo].
Achilles [Pelides] is Pelops ,the son of Peleus and Ops [Ide/Ida/Idaea/Cybele/Rhea].
Oenomaus is Anum/Anu, and has numerous alternative names in Greek myth such as Centaurus [Chandra],Minotaur,Chiron and Pirithous. Anu's symbol was a Maltese cross [constellation Crux].
Phaedra is a name for Persephone/Eos.
Oenomaus was the son of Poseidon
[Enki/Ea-Nudimmud/Endymion] and Tyro [Sterope] rather than Pelias [Cycnus].
Thyia, naiad of the Castalian spring at Delphi was Theia [Thia].
Hephaestus is Wepwawet [Ptah], husband of Sekhmet [Bast/Ubastis/Artemis].
Tammuz/Dumuzi is Duamutef/Wepwawet. Inanna changed an unnamed shepherd [Tammuz the Shepherd/Sipad] into a wolf [Lycus/Autolycus].
Antiope [Anahita Aban/Inanna/Naiad/Nycteis/Nut/Artemis/
Callisto] was the daughter of Belus [Bel Enlil/Aeolus/Tantalus/Nycteus/Night/God of Winter/Boreas] and was the mother of Pelops/Amphion and Niobe [Nebthet/Nephthys/Nephele/navel/Omphale/umbilicus/'Um Phl daughter of Shapash/Latin Nubes/Chryseis/Ma of Chryse/Ninmah/Maia/Hebe/Dia/Hebat/
Hera]. Because Zeus was confused with Amun-Ra [Cronus/Saturn/Ammon] and Hera was confused with Mut [Demeter], there was great confusion. Hera [Nyx/Hebe/Dia/Lyssa] does appear in Egypt as Nephthys,
whereas Zeus was notable by his absence in Egypt. Amphion's brother was Zethus [Seth/Sutekh/Sydyk/Zadok/Telipinu/
Delphinus/Poseidon].
Mars [Apsu/Apis/Hapi/Epaphus/Epopeus] and Aphrodite
[Nerio/Nereid] were the god and goddess of Spring [March and April marked the beginning of the Roman Spring].
Antiope was also called Antigone and Euryale.
Actaeon [Actaeus] son of Aristaeus is Actis son of Helios. Acte/Akte means coast [Cote].Actaeon is the Egyptian god Shu [Brahma] who strives to keep Geb [Keb/Cepheus] and Nut [salt sea] apart. Brahma [Greek Priam/Branchus/Welsh Bran] became a stag/hart/heorot/Erotes[sons of Eros]. In this myth Prajapati [Priapus/Daksha/Skillful/Medraut/Paris/
Pan/Min/Faunus/Fawn/Oisin/'Little deer' ] was often mistaken for Brahma. Brahma is Lycaon/
Nycteus and Prajapati is Lycus. Actaeon was the lover of Semele [Zemelo/Zemlya/
Mother Earth and Samal,a vulture goddess [Phene],and Aramaean kingdom of Samal,now Zincirli,near the Karasu Creek/Western Euphrates]].The Lyra constellation is depicted with a vulture. Cercyon is Ares. Alope [vixen] is Selene/Amphitrite/Aoife/Nephthys.
Arthur Pendragon is Achilles/Krishna.
The Seth animal was a combination of a Fennec FOX [foxes slay chickens/chicken-hearted/cowards] and a hyena.
Epaphus is Epaphroditus meaning favourite of Aphrodite i.e. Ares.
Aeacus [Aiakos] is Mercury [ eagle-god/Aquilo/Boreas]
and was the father of Aegina [Artemis Aeginaea/Ino] by Athena Aphaea/Hecate. Ai means alas and was used as a prefix ; see Ailinus/Linus [Lynceus/Cycnus] and Aidoneus/Aides/much later AIDS pun I suspect/Celtic Donn/Hades. Aidoneus is from Adonai, a title of Yahweh/Jehovah
at Jerusalem [City of Shalim] who the Greeks usually assumed was Shalim, a name for Hesperus/evening star/Osiris/
Serapis [Evenus].
Given the Jewish soldiers' colony at
Elephantine accepted Anat-Yahu [Anuket] as the consort of Yahweh it is clear Yahweh/
Yahu(n) [Roman Janus Quadrifrons whose priest was the high priest of Rome/rex sacrorum] is a name for Yakin/Hyacinthus/
Mercury/Brahma/Abraham/Adam [see Bit-Yakin Chaldaean tribe]/Aeetes/Aiakos. Ibrihim looks like Ibri'im,
possibly meaning Hebrews. Sati [Io/Isis/Hathor] is Jocasta, wife of Shiva [Dionysus/Osiris] and Khnum of Elephantine [Horus/Oedipus/swollen-foot/Elephant-god/Ganesha/Ganymedon].
Janus was the husband of Circe and the father of Picus [Apollo/Abellio/Mars/Cycnus] and Canens [Diana]. Pomona [apple] was linked with Picus.
The serpent in the Garden of Eden was Shalim [Draco]. The Biblical story relates to each male god being overthrown by his son, or in the case of Osiris by his younger brother, in the original form that religion took. Sol/Atum was overthrown by Shu [
Eurytus/Hyacinthus/Yakin/Iakxne/Yahu/
Mercury/Musa/Mouse/Enlil/Kur/Zagreus/
Iakkhos/Legion Eagle/Budha/Bromius/Brahma/Liber Pater/Eleutherios/Bres the son of Elatha and Eri].Elatha is Helios and Eri is Eos Erigeneia. Shu/Danaus was overthrown by Apollo/Lug/Lynceus/Cycnus/Tiger/Tigris [rivers flow into the Tigris off the Zagros Mountains]. Yahweh/Yahu is being confused with Shalim/Dionysus/Shiva/
Hades/Hindu Vala/Norse Vali/Osiris.
Cycnus/Hector/Abel was killed by Achilles/
Osiris/Leo/Eden serpent/Mitra.
Set/Makara/Delphinus/Telipinu/Irish Delbaeth/Lir slew Osiris.
Areion/argent/arian/Pegasus/seahorse/
Lichas/Lugaid/Lleuad/Fionn/Hypnos/
Somnia/Hermes Hypnophoros/Asleep/
Sleep/Asclepius/Sleipnir/Fiacha/Raven slew Heracles/
Endymion/Ea-Nudimmud/Nuada/Nodens/
Castor Hippodamus [Horse-tamer]/Vritra
[supposedly killed by Indra Vritrahan for blocking the waters].
Salmoneus/salmon/Shulmanu/Cronus/
Solomon slew Uranus/Anu/Sin/Fionn/Gwyn/Da'ud/David/Djehuti/Thoth. Zeus/
Indra [Scorpio/scorpion-man/Man/Andros/Androgeos] slew Cronus/Minos. Each god rode on his successor providing a reason for his downfall.
Janus Quadrifrons had 4 heads. Brahma had 4 heads. Please note with the demise of the kings of Jerusalem the high priests of Yahweh [Thanatos/Geras/Apate] took leadership of the Jewish people, combined with a council of elders
[called Gerousia at Sparta and Senate at Rome]. Kings are linked to Horus/Sol/Ra.
Kings could be deposed if they failed to meet their obligation in the matter of water provision [Aquarius] to Man [Zeus],
meaning mankind/their subjects. See the origin story of Sargon [King-born] of Agade in relation to Aquarius. Epeius is Odysseus/Pegasus [ constellation has three legs/fish tail/Isle of Man's emblem].
Astarte was a 'daughter of the Night' [Mercury] and a 'daughter of Sin [Anu]'.
The name Jehovah is a Roman period attempt by the Jewish elite to curry favour with the Romans by making Yahweh/Yahu seem linked to Jove/Jupiter [Baal Hadad].
Bosheth ['Shame'] was substituted for Baal in the Old Testament by the priests of Yahweh.
For the Roman view of Venus [Inanna] see the Latin word inanis [inane].
On the Ninnion Tablet Iacchus is shown with one torch raised and the other inverted. An inverted torch was the symbol of Thanatos.
Aphrodite [Rhea Silvia/Rhea Pitys/Repit] is
Demeter [Deva-meter],the mother of Hades [Pluto],her first born in Greek myth;
Poseidon and Zeus.
Set [Satan/Enki/Lucifer] was the father of Sin [Anu].
 
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Apollo and Artemis Personality Contrasts

I’ve always been fascinated by Apollo and Artemis, especially the contrast between them as twins. On the surface they share so much, archery, associations with youth, strong connections to nature, but symbolically they seem almost like opposites in some ways. Apollo often represents order, reason, light, music, and prophecy, while Artemis feels more wild, instinctive, independent, and tied to the untamed natural world.

I’m curious how others interpret their relationship and balance. Do you see them as complementary forces, like civilization and wilderness, or more as two expressions of similar divine energy? And are there specific myths that you think best highlight their differences or similarities?

I’d love to hear perspectives, especially from people who study mythology more deeply or look at the symbolic meanings behind the gods.

What is the symbolism behind Medusa?

I’m Greek, but I feel like I only ever heard the surface version of Medusa growing up, the “monster with snakes for hair who turns people to stone.” Lately I’ve been seeing people talk about her in a completely different way, more symbolic than literal, and now I’m curious what the deeper meaning actually is.

Was she always meant to be a monster, or is there more to her story? I’ve also heard that in some versions, she wasn’t originally a monster at all, which changes how you look at everything.

Is Medusa meant to represent danger, protection, transformation… something else entirely? And how did ancient Greeks view her compared to how we interpret her now?

I’d really love to understand this from a more cultural and mythological perspective, not just the simplified version most of us grew up with.

Role of Women in Greek Myths?

Greek mythology is full of powerful stories, but lately I’ve been thinking about the role of women within those stories and I’d love to hear everyone’s interpretations.

Women in Greek myth are everywhere: goddesses, queens, witches, victims, heroes, catalysts. Yet their roles can be wildly contradictory. We have figures like Athena, symbolizing wisdom and strategic power, alongside Aphrodite, who shapes fate through desire. Then there’s Hera, often portrayed as jealous, but also deeply tied to marriage and sovereignty. Mortal women, like Penelope, Helen, Medea, or Ariadne, each carry a different kind of strength, suffering, or agency.

Some myths elevate women as creators or protectors; others reduce them to cautionary tales. And in some stories, women seem to drive the entire narrative even when the focus is supposedly on male heroes. So what do you think? What is the role of women in Greek myths?

Understanding Hades and the Greek Underworld

I’ve been spending some time reading Greek mythology purely out of curiosity, and I keep coming back to Hades and the Underworld. It’s often portrayed as something dark or frightening, but the more I read, the more complex it seems. Hades himself doesn’t always come across as evil so much as stern, bound by rules, and responsible for maintaining order among the dead.

I’m curious how others interpret the Greek Underworld as a whole. How did ancient Greeks actually understand it? Was it mainly a place of punishment, or more of a neutral destination for most souls? I’ve come across references to different regions like the Asphodel Meadows, Elysium, and Tartarus, and I’m trying to understand how these fit together in the broader belief system.

If you’ve studied this topic, read specific myths, or have favorite sources or interpretations, I’d love to hear how you make sense of Hades and the Underworld.

Exploring the Story of Persephone and Spring

I’ve recently started learning more about Greek mythology, and I keep coming across the story of Persephone and how it’s connected to the arrival of spring. The idea that her return from the underworld brings life back to the earth is really fascinating to me, especially how it ties into the seasons in such a symbolic way.

I’m curious how others interpret this myth beyond the basic explanation. Do you see it more as a story about nature and seasonal change, or is there a deeper emotional or psychological meaning behind it? I’ve also read a bit about Demeter’s role and how her grief affects the earth, which adds another layer to it.

Would love to hear how others understand or connect with this story!
Share and discuss Greek mythology!

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