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Aphrodite is one of the major goddesses of the Greek pantheon. She was born from the foam of the ocean after her father Ouranos was castrated by Kronos and his genitals fell into the sea. Aphrodite was the goddess of sexual love. She was the consort of Hephaistos, and mistress to several other deities.

Her known period of worship is estimated from circa 1300BC until Christianization circa 400AD. Literary sources for Aphrodite are: Iliad and Odyssey by Homer; Theogony, and Hymn to Aphrodite by Hesiod; temple hymns particularly Hymn of Sappho.

Aphrodite sacred animal is a goat. Her name derives from the Greek word for the sexual act. Aphrodite seems to have evolved form the Phoenician, or Mesopotamian goddess of love. Her earliest known cult was on the island of Cyprus. She is even sometimes perceived as being androgynous, and even bearded.

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