Daughter of Heaven and Of the Deep

[smokingboot]

Around this time seems to have been the festival of Venus, during which women of all ages venerated the goddess of love by bathing and scenting themselves with myrtle (her sacred plant). They asked for blessings of course, on their marriages and partnerships, but her influence was originally far more extensive than that.

Because this is her feast day, I am tempted to fill my LJ with various hymns, prose and poems, but it's probably more constructive to further understanding of this goddess by listing some of her epithets. They are by no means all fluffy, and include such gems as shrieker, raven, strangler, and holy cow. She is very old, and while she is still definitely the Golden Girl of Olympus, that's not all there is to her. Some of her titles are listed here:


Adamasteia - untamable; inexorable
Aega - bright, pleasing
Aegophagos - goat eater
Aeigenetes - immortal
Aeneis - everflowing
Agape - love feast
Agasaya - shrieker; Semitic war Goddess absorbed by Ishtar, then Aphrodite
Agatheiros - bright haired
Agave - high born
Agestratos - leading the host
Aglaoguios - with beautiful limbs
Aglaodoros - bestowing splendid gifts
Aglatheiros - bright haired
Agrotera - fond of the chase; berserker
Ailomitres - with gleaming belt
Aiolothorax - with gleaming breastplate
Aisa - Goddess of Fate
Akesa - averter
Akidalia - restlessness; of the barbs; fountain Goddess of Boeotia, bathed with the Charites in it
Akraea - the everpowerful; of the citadel; of the highest point; worshipped on high
Alexeteira - defender
Aleximoros - warding off death
Alkyone - queen who wards off (storms)
Alinekteira - swimming in the sea
Amathusia/Amathuntia - patient one; from Amathus on Kyprus
Ambologera - delaying old age; title in Sparta
Anaea - same as Anaetis
Anaetis - of Venus; originally Earth Goddess of Anatolia
Anandyomene - she who rises from the waves
Anaxarete - immovable queen
Androphonos - slayer of men
Anosia - slayer of men
Antheia - flowery one; used at Knossos
Aoidos - singer, bard; also title of the Sphinx
Apaturia/Apaturos - keeper of secrets; used at Phanagoreia
Aphakitis - ineffable
Aphiogenes - foam born
Aphreia - of the foam
Apostrophia - the expeller
Arakynthias - prayed to at Mount Kynthus
Areia - warrior, warlike; used in Sparta and Korinth
Argennis - white
Argipous - swift footed
Ariontia - Goddess of the high Moon; originally separate Spartan Goddess
Arma - of love or of the chariot; used at Delphi
Asphalia - the securer
Asphaleios - the screamer;originally thought to be a separate sea-goddess.
Aspis - of the place of the shield; used at Amorgos
Asteria - of the Sun, shining
Asteropeia - Sun face
Astronoe - astronomer, astrologer, knower of stars; Phoenician mother Goddess similar to Cybele
Atanea - causing infatuation
Atargatis - divine Ata
Athanatos - immortal
Baiutis - Goddess of small ears
Basilaea - queen
Bathukarpos - the Goddess of abundant fruits
Belestiche - darting verse
Beroe/Beropheroe - she who lays eggs
Cecilia - lily of heaven
Ceto - danger of the sea
Columbe - holy dove, Roman title
Delia - invisible one
Derceto - whale of Der
Despoena - mistress
Dianaea - of the sky Goddess; sometimes used to describe objects sacred to her
Dike - justice
Dione - Sky Goddess; divine queen
Doris - bountiful
Doritis - giver of good things
Eileithyia - she who helps women in childbed
Elemon - merciful
Enkheios - Goddess of the spear
Epaphos - holy cow
Ephippos - horse riding
Epistrophia - she who turns people to love
Epitragia - of the wheat, or turned into a she goat
Epitymbria - she of the tombs
Eriphyle - many leaves
Erykina - of Mount Eryx on Sicily, site of one of her temples; of the heather
Eubola - good counselor
Eudaimonia - benediction
Eudoso - generous one; used in Syracuse
Eumenes - well disposed
Eunemia - Goddess who gives fair wind
Eunomia - good order
Euploia - of the fair voyage; Goddess of fair weather; used in coastal settlements
Gaeaochos - earth surrounding
Galataea - milk giving Goddess
Genetyllis - Goddess of one's birth hour
Gorgo - grim
Harmonia - uniter, concord; used in Thebes
Hegemone - dominance; leader
Hekaerge - hitting at a distance
Hekaergos - working from afar
Hera - the earth; lady
Hero - divine one
Hetaera - companion, protector of courtesans
Himeros - desire
Hippodameia - horse tamer
Histoponis - worker at the loom
Hyade - the rainmaker
Hymen - veil
Hysteria - womb
Idalia - type of bird; used at Idalion on Cypress
Irene - peace
Kalias - Goddess of the grotto; originally separate Samothrakian deity
Kallipygos - beautiful buttocks
Kardiognostes - knower of hearts
Kepois - petrel(?)
Kleidouchos - tutelary deity, literally holding the keys
Knidia - of Knidos, of the nettle; of Knidias in Karia
Koloios - jackdaw; presided over birth and childcare, also had town named for this aspect of her
Komaetho - bright haired
Koronis - crow, raven
Kremnophylax - watcher from the sea cliffs; used at Troezen
Ktesylla - holding the comb(to card wool); used at Keos
Kypigeneia - born on Kyprus
Kypris - of the copper; of the reeds in Egyptian
Kythereias - of Kythera, the island or city on Crete; may mean secret of the wool
Leiontodiphros - in a chariot drawn by lions
Leiontopales - wrestler with lions
Lemnos - she who pours out
Leukothea - white Goddess
Limenia - protector of the haven; source of birth
Liparozonos - bright girdled
Lykeia - wolfish
Maera - destroying fate
Margarita - the gate
Maea - grandmother or creator
Mandrogoritis - Goddess who soothes to sleep
Mari - sea
Marina - ocean
Mechanitis - inventor; used at Megalopolis
Medousa - guardian Goddess
Megale - the greatest
Melanie/Melanis - dark one; used at Korinth, Thespiae, and Mantinaea
Meleia - sweet one
Melia - ash tree
Melinaea - dark one; used at Meline
Melissa - bee
Merope - bee eater or eloquent speaker; originally separate Goddess with owl totem, later applied to a bright coloured bird that ate bees
Migonitis - union
Moera - older than time
Moira - strong one
Molpadia - death song
Morpho - one who shapes or fair shaped; used at Sparta
Mycheia - in the centre
Mylitta - actually Mu'Allidtu, Phoenician Goddess
Myrto - sea, ocean; may be related to 'myrton' a word used both for the female genitals and the myrtle tree
Myrtoessa - Goddess of the sea; Arkadian spring nymph
Nanaea - same as Anaetis
Nerine - valour, Sabine title
Nesobasilaea - queen of the islands
Nike - victorious
Nikephoros - bringing victory
Niobe - snowy one
Nymphia - bride
Olympia - divine
Orithia - the upright
Orsotraina - wielder of the trident
Panaghia - all holy
Pandemos - of the people; used at Megalopolis and Thebes, a festival held in her honour in the latter
Panteleia - perfect to all
Paphos - of the city of Paphos; may be related to a word meaning kill or end, suggesting Aphrodite as deadly crone
Parakyptousa - the Goddess who looks out the corners of her eyes
Pasiphae - she who shines for all
Pasithea Kale Euphrosyne - the Goddess of Joy Who is Beautiful to All
Peitho - persuasion
Pelasgia - sea
Peorite - Aphrodite of Lykia
Phaedra - bright shiner
Philia - of friendship
Philommeides - loving laughter
Phobestratos - striking fear or panic into armies
Piscaea - of the fish
Platanus - plane tree
Pleione - dove
Pontia - of the deep sea
Porne - titillator
Portia - of the door
Praxis - action, success
Prostatis - protector
Psithuros - whispering voice
Pythionike - victorious serpent
Rhamnus - of the buckthorn
Rhigidenes - she who makes rigid
Rosmarina - dew of the sea
Salacia - sea, from Salasso
Salassomedoisa - ruler of the sea
Schoenis - of the rush basket
Scotia - of the darkness; Aphrodite as sea Goddess
Scylla - she who rends;
Selene - Moon
Silvia - of the woodland
Sosandra - savior of men
Sparta - sewn one
Sphinx - strangler
Stella Maris - star of the sea
Sterope - of the stars; lightning
Strateia - Goddess who goes with the army
Stratonike - of the victorious band; used at Smyrna
Symmachia - the Goddess who is allied in war
Tanais - same as Anaetis
Thalassa - sea
Tyche - fortune
Tymborychos - Goddess of groves
Urania - heavenly, celestial one; used in Lakonia
Venus - hunter or lover; venery means both deer hunting and the pursuit of sexual pleasure
Verticordia - Roman term for Epistrophia
Xenia - ally
Zephyritis - of the gentle breeze; named for an Egyptian town
Zerynthia - rich in game; Thrakian title
Zeuxidia - the charioteer
Zoodoteira - giver of life



OK, I can't stop myself adding one of the orphic (not homeric - damn I must be tired) hymns. But I will stop after this!


Aetherial, Illustrious, Laughing Queen, Born of the Sea and Lover of the Night,
Mother of Longing, All-Connecting, who joins the world in harmony,
All things spring from You, Oh Divine Power.
The Triple Fates are ruled by Your decree,
All the works of craft and love yield to Your hand,
With a smile, Oh Aphrodite, you sway the all-encircling heavens, the fruitful Earth and the Storming Oceans.
All obey You, all are awed by You.
Companion of the Brumal God,
Beautiful Goddess of Marriage, Mother of Love, Lover of the Banquet,
Source of Persuasion who grants secret favors, Illustrious born, seen and unseen,
Gentle Lover, Lupercal, who smiles upon mortals,
Prolific, Most-Desired, Life-Giver, Kind Goddess wielder of the scepter of all the Immortals, You bind mortals and every tribe of beasts in magic chains of mad desire.
Come, Lovely Cyprian, and bless these rites,
Whether radiant in the heavens,
Or presiding in the temples of Syria,
Guiding Your golden chariot over the sacred floods of Egypt,
Or dancing on the azure shores by billowing seas,
with circling choirs of mortals, and beauteous Nymphs with cerulean eyes,
Or riding out along the dusty banks renowned of old,
Or if in Cyprus with Your fair Mother, where married women yearly come to praise You, and the pure virgins sing hymns to You and to Adonis,
Come, Divine Union, for You I call with holy, reverent mind.



It's hopeless. I copy in one poem and my mind instantly flies to the thousands of wonderful pieces written in her honour. How can I leave out the Orphic hymns? Or Sappho? But I must stop somewhere.

Happy Lurve day one and all. May those who seek it find it, and in doing so hold beeeg parties for the rest of us.

Kiss, kiss, kiss!