n.
Greek goddess of sexual love and beauty.
She is also associated with the sea and, according to legend, was born of sea foam arising from the genitals of Uranus . Sparta, Thebes, and Cyprus honored her as a goddess of war. Many scholars believe that her cult is Semitic rather than Greek in origin. According to Homer , she was the daughter of Zeus and his consort Dione, and she married Hephaestus but betrayed him with Ares . She had many mortal lovers. Her main centres of worship were on the islands of Cyprus and Cythera and at Corinth. As a fertility goddess, she is associated with Eros , the Grace s, and the Horae (seasons). Venus is her Roman counterpart.