es, yes! You really are very beautiful. You are all really beautiful, some of you with short stature, some with tall stature, some with a paunch, some with a thin waist, some with thin legs, some with thick legs, some with blond hair, some with red hair, some with undyed white hair, some with green eyes, some with brown eyes, some with braces, some with glasses, some with their lenses, some with their aesthetic touches. Yes, maybe if you enter a beauty contest right now, they won't choose you first, you're right. Oh dear, so what! Even the first beauty contest in Greek mythology is suspicious. What I mean by 'suspicious'; There's bribery behind it all! That is to say, someone's declaration of you as beautiful can be related to their own interests from time to time. By Jove, I'm not saying that. The Roman poet Ovidius says it. Therefore, the main thing is that you declare your own beauty. Crowd around me and let me tell you how Aphrodite got the title of "Goddess of Beauty".
"To the Most Beautiful..."
Zeus, the King of the Gods, who wants to have intercourse with almost all the females encountered, despite being married to Hera, sets his eyes on Thetis, the Goddess of Water. At that time, Poseidon also has a crush on Thetis. However, according to a soothsayer (according to one narration Themis, according to another narration Prometheus), Thetis is cursed: The child she will give birth to will be stronger than her father. Zeus, who says "If I can't have you, no one can" can't afford to lose his power, so he chooses the land and decides to marry Thetis to the mortal King of Phthia. Zeus, the King of the Gods, turns Mount Pelion in Thessaly into a wedding hall and invites everyone, neighbours, relatives, gods, fairies, whoever anyone to the wedding. Except for one person: Eris, the God of Instigation and Mischief! Uh, the world is a small place. Eris soon realizes that she is the only one not invited to the wedding, and she prepares the seeds of instigation that she will plant in the middle of the wedding. She rolls the golden apple with the inscription "To the Most Beautiful One" in front of Hera, Athena and Aphrodite. The three goddesses, who want to have the apple, set their eyes on Zeus to choose the "most beautiful". Zeus thinks of cunning to get himself out of this choice and he says that because he is a god, he cannot choose impartially, that only a noble mortal can decide impartially who is truly beautiful. Calling the messenger God Hermes, Zeus said, “Take Hera, Athena and Aphrodite with you and quickly take them to Paris, who is a shepherd on Mount Ida. Let him make the choice.”
By the way, Paris is not an ordinary teenager, just so you know. He is the lost son of the Trojan King Priamos. With his extraordinary beauty, intelligence and physical strength, he is a true nobleman, I mean.
Hermes and three adorned beautiful goddesses find Paris grazing her flock on the mountain's highest peak. The Messenger of the Gods approaches Paris and delivers both the golden apple and Zeus' message:
"Because you are handsome as well as understanding the affairs of the heart, Zeus orders you to choose the most beautiful of the three goddesses."
Astonished Paris; "How do I decide with my shepherd's mind the best of divine beauty? I'll share this apple equally among the three of you." Even though he says this, the quick-witted Hermesnot is not deterred by his cunning:
"You don't speak above the word of the great Zeus. Don't expect any advice from me on how to solve this, because I can't. You are a smart man. Use your head."
Staring at the goddesses like a sacrificial sheep, Paris, in order to get away with it at the end of the election, said, "I am an ordinary human being who makes stupid mistakes. I beg the losing goddesses not to be angry with me." The three goddesses say that they will respect Paris' decision at the end of the election. Turning to Hermes, Paris asked, "Shall I evaluate them as they are, or naked?" . Hermes, laughs in his sleeve, he replies:
"You will determine the rules of the contest."
Paris wants to evaluate the goddesses naked. Hermes tells the goddesses to undress and politely turns his back on them. Goddesses undress in a short time. The Goddess of Justice, Athena, asks Aphrodite to take off the magic belt that makes everyone fall in love with her so that there is no injustice. Does Aphrodite stop? She gives a sharp reply:
"Alright. If you take off your helmet, I will do as you say; Without it, you are completely hideous."
The Consideration of Paris by Peter Paul Rubens
Paris wants to evaluate them one by one so that he is not confused by the bickering of the goddesses:
"Holy Hera! Could the other goddesses do us the favor of leaving us alone for a while?"
Hera, left alone with Paris, turns around and displays her stature and toles to Paris:
"Examine me thoroughly. Remember that if you choose me, I will make you the master of all Asia and the richest man in the world."
Proud Paris politely declines the bribe and invites the next Goddess Athena to join him. Athena, like Hera, makes promises:
"If you are prudent enough to give the prize to me, I will not only make you victorious in all the wars you have fought, but I will also make you the most handsome and wise man in the world."
Grasshopper Paris manages to politely bypass the second bribe promised to him, saying he will be fair. When it comes to Aphrodite, there is no trace of our proud and fair grasshopper. Aphrodite snuggles next to Paris. Paris blushes with embarrassment. Aphrodite, seeing that Paris has come to mature, begins to speak:
"Don't skip any details. Take a good look. As soon as I saw you, I said: Oh! Why does the most handsome man in Phrygia spend his life chasing these stupid cattle? Paris, though you can live in the City why are you doing this to yourself? What would you lose if you married a woman as beautiful as me and as passionate as I am, for example, Helen of Sparta? If Helen saw you once, I'm sure she would leave her home, her family, everything for you. You probably know Helen."
Paris, who does not know Helen, asks Aphrodite to tell him about her. Aphrodite also gladly tells:
"Helen is blonde and delicate-skinned. Since she was born from a swan egg, she can say that his father was Zeus. She likes hunting and wrestling. All the princes of Greece desired her. She married Menelaus, brother of the Great King Agamemnon, but that's a minor detail. You can win her if you want."
Paris is surprised:
"How can she marry me if she is married?"
The goddess Aphrodite is sure of what she is capable of:
"Oh dear. How naive you are! Do you not know that it is my divine duty to arrange such affairs?" I think you should go to Greece. Let my son Eros guide you. Let Helen see you; Look how she falls in love with you."
Paris wants to be sure of Aphrodite's words:
"Will you swear to that?"
When Aphrodite takes the oath, there is neither pride nor justice in Paris. Captivated by the third bribe, Paris, the grasshopper, thus hands the golden apple to Aphrodite. With this decision, Paris not only attracts the hatred of Hera and Athena, but he also causes Menelaos, whom he angered by escaping with Helen, to ignite the wick of the Trojan War, which lasted for about 10 years and was spoken for centuries. Aphrodite, on the other hand, enjoys the title of "Goddess of Beauty" with the golden apple she receives.
The Birth of Venus - Sandro Botticelli
O beautiful Aphrodite (name in Roman mythology: Venus)! Sometimes, in an archaeological dig, you come across as a stout figurine with big hips and big breasts, and sometimes in a painting, you appear tall, with a quince belly and long blond hair. Aphrodite, tell me Aphrodite! Which aspect of you do you find more beautiful in this world?
Venus of Wilendorf, BC 20000, Limestone, 11 cm
Aphrodite cannot answer us right now, but Venus in our birth chart can tell us in which aspect we can like ourselves more and find ourselves more beautiful.
