Aphrodite is the goddess of romantic love, sexual desire, and physical beauty. She is also known as Venus in the Rome.
She urges her followers to take whatever pleasure can be extracted from life without allowing social strictures to squelch their freedom, creativity, or passion. Though she promotes the ideals of good, she does not demand that anyone take up arms to promote it. Though her own actions have provoked great conflicts, Aphrodite would prefer to see mortals make love rather than war.
Aphrodite's clerics are matchmakers, dispensers of advice to the lovelorn, and general meddlers in other people's personal business. They are also prominent hedonists, seeking out every opportunity to enjoy what pleasures this world offers before moving on to the next. Most are gentle and peaceable, and few find any reason to adventure. Those that do adventure generally do so out of a belief that their actions can improve the world, making it a more peaceful place where love and beauty can flourish in the absence of violence and evil.
Temples
Aphrodite's temples are beautifully decorated with fine art and precious implements. They are usually found only in cities, though Aphrodite herself, as one of the twelve Olympians, is revered wherever the rest of the pantheon is worshiped.
Enjoy the suckle fruit of life, and taste the multitudes of joy that it has to offer. Cherish art and creativity. Be merry with song and laughter. Embrace love, and one another. But hold, there is no need to fight, for there is plenty to go around.
Aphrodite was usually depicted as a highly attractive young woman who dressed elegantly and loved to wear jewelry. Her eyelashes were curled and she had a constant smile on her lovely face. Aphrodite had a tender neck and symbolized the feminine beauty. She is usually smiling and in fact is often called "smile-loving" or "laughter-loving Aphrodite."
Aphrodite was married to the lame smith Hephaestus, the Olympian God of the Iron, but her heart was devoted to Ares, the God of War, with whom Aphrodite was having a passionate, but secret love affair.
According to a myth, Aphrodite gave birth to Eros, the winged cupid of love and was often accompanied by him. Other children of Aphrodite were Himeros (desire), Pothos(desire), Phobos(fear), Deimos (terror), Armonia (Harmony) and the Nymph Rhode.
