Aphrodite plays a role in one of the most important myths in Greek

mythology. The goddess is indirectly the cause of the Trojan War.

The story begins with a beauty contest between three of the
goddesses; Aphrodite, Hera and Athena, the prize being a golden
apple marked To the Fairest. They asked Zeus to be the judge, but
Zeus, not wanting to face the wrath of his wife, refused. Instead, he
found a man named Paris, who was the Prince of Troy. The
goddesses, decided not to play fairly, and bribed him. Athena, the
goddess of war, told Paris, if he picked her that he would lead Troy to
a victory against Greece. Hera, the goddess of marriage, promised
to make him the Lord of Europe is she was chosen. Finally,
Aphrodite promised Paris that he could have the most beautiful
women in the world as his wife. Being the young man that he was,
Paris chose Aphrodites offer, and gave her the golden apple.
The most beautiful women in the world at the time was a woman
named Helen, who was already married to Menelaus, the King of
Sparta. Paris was taken to Sparta, and upon his arrival made friends
with the king. Trusting Paris, King Menelaus left the palace to take
care of work, but when he returned both Paris and Helen were gone.
This onslaught of events, beginning with the acceptance by Paris of
Aphrodites offer, is in actuality, what started The Trojan War.

Aphrodite is known to be associated with many symbols. These

include the apple, the dove, the myrtle tree, the rose, the swan, and
the sparrow.

Aphrodite can be described as graceful, charming, desirable,

seductive, and cunning, but also mischievous and trouble causing.

If a writer relates a character to Aphrodite, it can mean many things.

The first of these is that the character is implausibly beautiful and
irresistible. It could also imply that the character has caused
massive trouble out of selfishness, if mentioned negatively. Since
Aphrodite is also somewhat of a matchmaker, it could mean that the
character has helped others find their match. It can also refer to a
very sexual character, which may not be faithful. Because of
Aphrodites multiple personality traits, a reference to her could mean
many different things both good and bad.

Since Aphrodite was the goddess of beauty, she is shown on many

beauty products for women. These products imply that if you use
them, you will be as gorgeous as Aphrodite.

There are two myths as to how Aphrodite, known as Venus by the

Romans, came into existence. The first and most popular theory
comes from when Uranus was murdered by Cronus. Cronus threw
Uranus body into the ocean, and from the foam rose Aphrodite.
From this story, her name directly translates to foam. This myth
describes her to be the creation of Heaven and Earth. The second
myth states Aphrodite to be the daughter of Zeus and Dione.
Although there are different versions of her birth, she is known to all
as the goddess of love, beauty, and sexuality.