Aphrodite

Aphrodite is the seminal Goddess of Love, the daughter of Zeus and flower of the Greek Pantheon. She is the patron of Love, Beauty, Fertility, and of course Sex as well. Her favored animal is the Swan. 
== Facts: ==
-Aphrodite is probably the best known love goddess in the world. She is a powerful Patron of her own Order, the Order of Courtesans, and is an expert in Love Magick. 
-All those who follow Aphrodite will end up learning much about Love Magick themselves. 
-Aphrodite is the daughter of Zeus, King of Olympus and Chief God of the Greek Pantheon. When she was young, according to Greek mythology, the other gods feared that Aphrodite's beauty would lead to conflict between the male gods who would vie for her hand. 
-To avoid this, Zeus married her off quickly to Hephaestus. Hephaestus was a strong and capable god of fire, volcanoes and forgecraft, but he was also dirty and ugly. Despite this, Aphrodite offered Hephastus her love - but she also had liaisons with other male gods and even male mortals. A plethora of Pagan Bloodlines in Greece and the Aegian Sea can be traced back to Aphrodite's romantic escapades. 
-Aphrodite is the daughter of Zeus and Dione. Modern Occultists speculate that she may actually have originated much earlier as the mysterious Dawn Goddess of the Indo-European peoples, or that she may be that goddess' grandchild. 
-Aphrodite is a social animal, and she's not all that bad at Magick either. However, Aphrodite clearly isn't a fighter and she abhors all forms of violence. 
-This abhorrence of her's is comical since it was Aphrodite's spell on Helena of Troy that triggered the Trojan Wars!
-Needless to say, Pagans who closely follow Aphrodite can develop powers like those of the Order of Courtesans. 
-To those Pagans eager to follow Aphrodite, beware; Aphrodite is beloved of the male gods on Mount Olympus, but she is actively hated by several of the female gods. The goddess Athena is particularly jealous of Aphrodite's beauty, and she will take an instant disliking to any Adepts who dedicate themselves to Aphrodite. 
-The term 'Aphrodisiac' is obviously burrowed from the name of Aphrodite. 
== Avatars of Aphrodite: ==
-Aphrodite Oorunia = This Avatar of Aphrodite is concerned with homosexual eroticism and overseas the love-lives of gay people. She is popular within the League of Charonea. 
-Aphrodite Pandemos = This Avatar of Aphrodite appears as a young maiden and concerns herself with the struggles of young women. She specifically helps young girls avoid the pitfalls of adolescent love life and she admonishes them to take control of their emotions. Category:Pagan
Category:Love
Category:Filiki Eteria