The myth of Aphrodite and Ares, the union of beauty and war

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The myth of Aphrodite and Ares is very interesting for several reasons. The first of them, because it tells us about a theme that is recurring in Greek mythology: the strange link that exists between beauty and war. These two mythological gods enshrine that association.

The myth of Aphrodite and Ares is one of the most interesting in Greek mythology. Let’s first say that Aphrodite was the goddess of beauty and sexual love. She had been born from the sea and her beauty was superior to that of any creature.. Everyone who saw her, gods and mortals, was captivated by her beauty and she knew it. Partly, that’s why she was very vain.

Hephaestus, god of fire, forging, blacksmiths and craftsmen, was one of those who secretly loved Aphrodite. Hephaestus was the son of Hera and Zeus, god of gods. He was also the complete opposite of Aphrodite: an unattractive creature. In fact, according to the myth of Aphrodite and Ares, when Hephaestus was born his own mother became upset with his ugliness and expelled him from Olympus.

Hephaestus was lame and hunchbacked. He looked unkempt and unpleasant. Faced with the humiliating rejection he received from his own mother, he decided to take revenge on him. That’s why He built a magical throne in his workshop and through deception He got Hera to sit there. By doing so, she was trapped and unable to move..

“The last ones we forgive for their infidelity are those we have disappointed.”.

-Emil Cioran-

Hephaestus and Aphrodite

Faced with Hera’s pleas, Hephaestus set only one condition to free her: that the gods give him Aphrodite as his wife.. Zeus granted his wish. The myth of Aphrodite and Ares tells that the goddess of beauty was not amused by the situation. She detested Hephaestus because he was not beautiful like her.

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Hephaestus tried tirelessly to win Aphrodite’s affection. He designed beautiful jewelry for her in her workshop. However, she had no interest in the fire god. On the contrary, every time I could, I was unfaithful with other gods, and even with mortals, without her husband realizing it.

On the other hand there was Ares, god of war of violence, of male virility and defender of the weakest. He was also the son of Hera and Zeus. Unlike Hephaestus, he had a very handsome figure. He also had a soft spot for goddesses and women. He never took the trouble to conquer them, but he simply made them his own.

The myth of Aphrodite and Ares

According to what is stated in the myth of Aphrodite and Ares, When the god of war met the goddess of beauty, he fell in love madly. Unlike what he did with her other lovers, he decided to court her. He showered her with gifts and compliments to win her love. The two spent a lot of time together, until Aphrodite fully reciprocated.

Hephaestus, her husband, spent every night in his forging workshop. The two lovers took advantage of this situation to love each other until dawn. Ares was always accompanied by a young man named Alectrion. He stayed guarding the door. His mission was to tell them when Helios, the Sun, appeared., on the horizon. Helios saw everything and they had to keep their romance a secret.

For the Greeks, any god or goddess could have all kinds of love affairs with whoever they wanted. What was not allowed was having only one lover and keeping him, that is, formal infidelity.. The relationship between Aphrodite and Ares was precisely that.

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Even, Hephaestus knew of his wife’s encounters with others, almost always fatal, and was never concerned. because, Aphrodite being the goddess of desire, she took it as part of her divine task.

The penalty

Everything was going well, until one day, Alectrion, tired of the daily routine, fell asleep while keeping watch.. That’s why she couldn’t tell him that Helios was already there. The latter saw the lovers between the same sheets in which Aphrodite slept with Hephaestus. Filled with indignation, he sought out the god of fire and told him everything.

The myth of Aphrodite and Ares tells that Hephaestus felt hurt deep in his heart. As usual, he only thought about getting revenge. To do so, he designed a fabulous network of gold threads. They were so thin that they could not be seen, but at the same time they were extremely resistant. Using tricks, she left the net of gold threads on the bed. He then told Aphrodite that he was going on a trip.

Ares, who was always aware of what Hephaestus was doing, took the opportunity to immediately go to see Aphrodite. When they were loving each other, the network of golden threads fell on them and trapped them. Immediately, Hephaestus was present and summoned all the gods to humiliate them and make clear his wife’s betrayal. They laughed so much at the situation that their laughter seemed eternal.

It is unknown who was more embarrassed, the discovered lovers or the deceived husband. A big scandal broke out: Hephaestus demanding the return of the dowry, the gods laughing and more than one wishing to take Ares’s place.

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Escape and Outcome

Finally, The lovers were released and both promised that they would not repeat the experience.. The two fled as soon as he lifted the net. Ares hid for a time in Thrace and Aphrodite went to Cyprus.

But, unfortunately for the embarrassed husband, The lovers did not try very hard to keep their promise. The relationship of Ares and Aphrodite was consolidated. From their union, children of a warlike nature like their father were born: Deimos and Phobos (twin brothers, who are known as the personification of fear and horror). As well as, they had children of fickle and passionate nature: Eros (Cupid), Anteros and Harmony.

After the scandal, all the gods understood that neither love nor war are controllable, that the force of desire is unstoppable and that there are no laws that can govern feelings. And so, the scandalous love story of these two gods could and will continue until the end of time.