Greek Mythology : Ares and Aphrodite

Not really a specific myth, but I really love the love story between Ares, the god of war, and Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty and love.

Very few pieces of literature come close to creating a love story this strong, in my opinion. Greek mythology does a great job of telling us the story between the two gods.

Aphrodite, the most beautiful goddess and most desirable woman was set to marry Hephaestus, the cripple son of Zeus and Hera, who was the blacksmith of the Olympian gods.

The marriage was one sided, a favor Hera owed her son Hephaestus for dropping him off Mount Olympus when he was born because he was cripple. Aphrodite was not pleased with the marriage, but had to endure it.

The goddess of beauty was in love with Ares, and the two had an adulterous relationship for as long as her marriage to Hephaestus lasted. Four sons, Eros, Anteros, Deimos and Phobos and one daughter, Harmonia, were the fruit of their relationship.

One specific myth narrates a time where Hephaestus caught Aphrodite and Ares in the act by the help of the all-seeing good Helios. As the story goes, Hephaestus created a net in his workshop, which he used to capture the couple, making them unable to move and escape, and he dragged them for the rest of the gods to see and ridicule them for the adulterous act. Poseidon was the only god that defends them, and told the enraged and hurt Hephaestus that he should let Ares go, and he would personally see that he paid for the shameful and disrespectful act.

I generally am fond of the idea that love and war go hand in hand. Love is not always peaceful and serene. It can be pain, it can be heartache, it can be brutal, it can be destructive. And war is destructive by its nature. War is the absolute chaos. Ancient Greeks (and not only) flirted with the two ideas, combining the passion that comes with love and the destructive and absolute, chaotic nature of war, impersonating the ideas and creating a passionate love story that has inspired endless works and still does.

Let's not forget that the Trojan War began by love as well.

As the saying goes, “All's fair in love and war.”

(Image credit to the artist here: https://hellstern.deviantart.com...)

-Sorry for any inconsistencies and mistakes that might exist in the story. I haven't read or studied mythology, I just know a couple of myths. If you spot mistakes in my blog, feel free to offer corrections.