Aphrodite

Aphrodite was the ancient Greek goddess of love (called Venus by the ancient Romans). Her name means "foam-born," because she rose out of the sea, fully grown, mature, and magnificently beautiful, as shown in The Birth of Venus, the famous painting by Botticelli. She was a goddess of triple aspect: Aphrodite Urania -- ideal, spiritual love; Aphrodite Genetrix -- marriage; and Aphrodite Porne -- lust and prostitution.

Aphrodite played an essential role in the story of the Trojan War. At a wedding, all the gods and goddesses were invited except Eris, the goddess of discord. She attended the wedding anyway, and tossed out a golden apple, inscribed "To the fairest." Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena each claimed to be the fairest. To settle the dispute, Zeus gave the choice to Paris, a prince of Troy. Each of the three goddesses tempted Paris with a special gift. Venus won by offering him the love of the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen, who was already married to Menelaus, the king of Sparta. Paris carried Helen off to Troy, the spark that ignited the Trojan War.

English word: Several words are derived from the names for Aphrodite. The most obvious is aphrodisiac, a substance that stimulates sexual desire. Several English words derive from Aphrodite Genetrix: genital -- related to the reproductive organs; progenitor -- ancestor; even gentleman and gentlewoman -- man or woman "of gentle birth." Another English word derived from an aspect of Aphrodite is pornography -- sexually arousing written material or its graphic portrayal. Another English word that may derive from Aphrodite is April, the month when love blooms.