of Romance and Beauty
Venus meant "charm" and this Roman goddess certainly knew how
to do that! Although she was a latecomer to Roman mythology,
she rose quickly among the ranks.
Like the Greek goddess Aphrodite whose mythology
she inherited, the Roman goddess Venus assumed
the divine responsibility for love, beauty, and
sexuality, not to mention marriage, procreation,
and domestic bliss.
Venus was the ultimate multi-tasker! She was
also known as the Venus Verticordia, goddess of
chastity in women, (despite her numerous randy
affairs with gods and mortals), as Venus
Victrix, the goddess of victory in war, and also
a nature goddess, associated with gardens and
the arrival of spring.
When her son Aeneas fled Troy and founded the
Roman race, Venus became known as the divine
ancestor of the Roman people (the Venus Genetrix)
and was treated with special honor.
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Latest addition to the
Glass Art Goddess Collection
by Colin Heaney
Venus had many identities before she came to
Rome –- Inanna, Ishtar/Astarte, and the Greek goddess
Aphrodite. She had been recognized since the beginning of
time as the brightest “star” in the heavens, except, of
course, for the Sun.
The primordial Venus (Inanna, Ishtar, and
Astarte) was a triple goddess – the morning (and evening)
star represented her as the maiden who rose every morning,
renewed in her youthful beauty, then waxing into her
fullness of motherhood, and next becoming the crone,
gradually waning in her power and strength but planting the
seed of wisdom for the next cycle as she faded into the
darkness of eternal night.
Because of her association with love and
with feminine beauty, the Roman goddess Venus has been a
favorite subject in art and poetry. To this day she is a
cultural icon of love and beauty, a reminder of the awesome
power of female radiance and beauty.
Now that you
know a bit about her, be sure to read the fascinating (and
sometimes outrageous) stories about her behavior:
Myths of Venus/Aphrodite
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symbols of the Roman Goddess Venus and the Greek Goddess Aphrodite
abbreviated version of her