What do you know about the most beautiful Greek goddess, Aphrodite? She’s one of the most famous and popular of all the ancient gods, and we’re still fascinated with her today! Today we have 15 fun facts all about the goddess of love and her powers! Discover how she was born, who she was married to, and the weird animal that pulled her chariot! And if you’re a culture vulture who needs MORE Greek god facts, you’re in luck! We’ve also got these awe-inspiring Zeus facts! Or how about these incredible Poseidon facts? And we know you’ll love these heroic Hercules facts! And we’ve got loads more facts right here, on everything from gods to geography!

1. She’s From Ancient Greece

Aphrodite is a goddess from Ancient Greek culture, and the first references to her go way back to around 700 BC – that’s about 2700 years ago! She was probably based on an older goddess, such as Ishtar, who was worshipped by the Mesopotamians. She might also have been inspired by the Phoenician (in the modern day Middle East) goddess Astarte.

2. She Had An Unusual Birth

Aphrodite had a weird start in life, like lots of the Greek gods. She wasn’t born in the usual way, but from the foam of the sea, appearing out of the waves as a fully formed beautiful woman. Her father was Uranus, father of many of the gods, and according to writer Homer her mother was Dione. Although her dad might also have been Zeus…no one is quite sure!

3. Aphrodite Has Lots of Famous Relatives

Aphrodite was one of the Olympians – the 12 ‘main’ gods who lived high up on mount Olympus. That means she was related to many of the other important gods, and her siblings included Apollo, Athena, Ares and Hermes.

4. She is the Goddess of Love

Aphrodite is the goddess of love, fertility and beauty. She was always depicted as a beautiful woman and was worshipped by lots of different people, including couples who were trying to have children. She was also associated with smiling and laughing!

5. She Appears in Lots of Myths

Aphrodite is one of the most famous Greek gods, so its no surprise she turns up in a lot of their stories. This includes Homer’s Iliad and the Judgement of Paris, where she is chosen as the most beautiful goddess (after promising to get Helen of Troy to marry Paris). She also commonly appears to help mortals and heroes in their quests, or to find love.

6. Her Roman Counterpart is Venus

The Romans nicked the ideas for lots of their gods from the ancient Greeks, and Aphrodite is no exception. Her Roman counterpart was Venus, but the Romans weren’t the only ones with an Aphrodite equivalent – lots of ancient cultures had a goddess of love and fertility. This included Isis (ancient Egypt), Prende, (Albania) and Freya (Norse mythology).

7. She Was Married to Hephaestus

Aphrodite was married to another god, Hephaestus, who might also have been her brother…yeuch. The ancient Greek god were weird like that. Hephaestus was the blacksmith of the gods – he lived inside a volcano and made thunderbolts for Zeus. It wasn’t a very happy marriage – Aphrodite cheated on Hephaestus lots with other gods, and eventually she got together with Ares, the god of war, instead.

8. Aphrodite Had Lots of Kids

It stands to reason that the goddess of fertility would have children – and Aphrodite has lots! These include Eros, Phobos, Pothos, Harmonia, Rhodos and the three graces. Like their mother, all of Aphrodite’s children were beautiful and charming.

9. Her Symbols Are Swans and Doves

If you ever wondered why swans and doves are associated with romance, here’s your answer! These birds were symbols of Aphrodite’s, and she’s sometimes depicted in a chariot pulled by swans or doves (not very practical). Other symbols of Aphrodite included roses, myrtle, apples and pomegranates!

10. She Wasn’t Always Nice

Like all of the Greek Gods, Aphrodite was know to have a bit of a temper – she could get very jealous, and wasn’t always nice to humans. In one myth, she becomes jealous of the beauty of a human woman, Psyche, and asks her son Eros to shoot her with an arrow and make her fall in love with a beast. Unfortunately, Eros falls for Psyche instead! In another myth, Aphrodite puts a spell on a woman named Medea, which makes her go mad and do terrible things. Don’t mess with Aphrodite!

11. Lots of People Worshipped Her and Asked for Her Help

Aphrodite was a very important Greek god, and there were lots of places all over Greece to worship her. These included sites in Athens, Cyprus (where she was supposedly born) and Corinth. She also had her own festival – Aphrodisia, which took place in the summer all over Greece.

12. She’s Depicted in Lots of Art

Aphrodite is one of the most recognisable figures in all of Greek myth, and that’s because she’s been depicted in art so many times. The Venus de Milo, for example, is a famous sculpture of the goddess from between 100-200 BC. It famously no longer has any arms! Another famous depiction of Aphrodite is ‘The Birth of Venus’ by Renaissance painter Botticelli. Although she is called Venus, the painting shows her arriving on the Greek island of Cyprus from the sea, stepping out of a giant scallop shell.

13. And Lots of Films and TV Too

Aphrodite has been in lots of films and TV shows too! This includes the Disney classic Hercules, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and the TV series Hercules: The Legendary Journey.

14. She Had A Special Belt

Aphrodite possessed a magic belt (or girdle) that was said to contain special powers. It was supposed to make the wearer fall in love, and on one occasion the goddess Hera even borrowed it to distract Zeus during the Trojan war!

15. You Can Still See and Visit Aphrodite’s Sites and Art Today

If you want to find out more about Aphrodite and her myths, you can still visit sites associated with her today! The island of Cyprus even has a beach where she was supposedly born. Or you can visit the ruins of her temple in modern Corinthia. Or why not visit an art gallery and see if you can spot any pictures of Aphrodite in her sea shell?