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In ancient Greece, she was known as Aphrodite. In Japan, she was called Benzaiten. And in the Norse tradition, she was Freya. Three distinctly different cultures, three completely different names, one goddess; the goddess of love.

In nearly every ancient culture around the world, there was a love goddess. It was her job to see that men and women did what was necessary to pro-create. For ancient societies, a woman's main job was to bare children. When a woman had trouble conceiving a child, she would pray to her chosen fertility goddess. In those days, it was thought that all things associated with children, was the woman's job. It was inconceivable that it was because of the man, that a woman couldn't bare children. It was also thought to be the woman's fault if she couldn't produce a male child. However, in many societies, there was more than one fertility goddess.

Many times, a culture's love goddess isn't seen in a favorable light. Though she is prayed to for children, she is also known for her sexual appetite and for seducing men simply for her own wanton pleasures. The Babylonian love goddess, Ishtar, was actually thought to be an evil deity. It was thought that if she made love to a man, she would kill him after the fact. Her Sumerian counterpart, Inanna, was thought to seduce mortal men for her pleasure then cast them aside.

It seems that in many cultures, the line between marital love and sexual love was as obscure as it is today. Several cultures had separate goddesses representing both types of love. Many ancient societies believed that ritual love was vital in order to insure that they would have a successful harvest. It was thought that in ancient Egypt, a priestess known as the "God's Wife" would have ritual sex with the Pharaoh in the temple. This wasn't seen as an act of lust, but as an act of devotion to the gods themselves.

Early Jewish traditions also spoke of a sexual deity called Lilith. However, she was seen as a demonic female who visited men in their sleep, causing them to become aroused. Some experts believe that Lilith was most likely a very early love goddess who was demonized after the Jewish people became a monotheistic sect. Legends tell us that Lilith was actually the first wife of Adam, but because she had no intentions of being dominated by him, she flew away into the night, becoming the demon she is seen as today.

No matter what ancient culture you research, you're sure to find that there is a goddess who represents love. Love has always been a universal emotion, and most often seen as a feminine trait. Though there are also male deities that represent love, it's the females that are most remembered. From the classic tales of ancient Greece and Rome, to the oral traditions of the native Americans, love is seen as a beautiful woman. She is the bringer of children, the seducer of men, and in some cases, the harbinger of death. Though her name is different from one culture to the next, she is, and always will be, the goddess of love.

Learn more about this author, Christine Senter.
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