Here is an
interesting Greek myth which talks of Aphrodite’s infidelity.
Let me introduce
the characters first –
Aphrodite – goddess of
love and wife of Hephaestus; she is also known as Venus in Roman mythology
Hephaestus – the
blacksmith of gods, also known as Vulcan in Roman mythology, (the word ‘volcano’
gets its name from Vulcan; the
ancient Romans believed that a volcano occurred when Vulcan was working in his
forge making thunderbolts and weapons for the gods)
Ares – the god of war also
known as Mars in Roman mythology.
Helios – the Sun god
Aphrodite and
Hephaestus did not have a happy married life as Aphrodite never liked the old
and lame Hephaestus. From his end, Hephaestus was too busy with his craft and
did not make any effort to work on the relationship. Ares was a handsome young
man, and soon Aphrodite and Ares were meeting at Hephaestus’s home, in his
absence.
During one such
escapade, Helios, who is everywhere during the day, saw them on Hephaestus’
bed. He reported the matter to Hephaestus, who was angry. Hephaestus planned to
catch them red-handed. Hephaestus made a fine invisible net of bronze and laid
it on his bed. He left for his work soon after. When Ares saw him leaving, he
immediately came to Aphrodite and both headed for the bed. No sooner had they
gone to bed, both of them were ensnared in the invisible net, so much so, that
they couldn’t even move.
On getting the
message from Helios, Hephaestus came back and caught them in the act. He made a
lot of noise and called all the gods and goddesses to come and see both of
them. The goddesses were embarrassed by the act of Aphrodite and so they all
stayed back, but the gods came and took voyeuristic pleasure in seeing both in
the act, with not a shred of cloth on them.
Some gods made
fun of Hephaestus for making a marital issue public, while some envied Ares,
while still others just laughed at the predicament. After much embarrassment,
Poseidon, the god of seas, decided to mediate. He requested Hephaestus to let
go of Ares after making him pay a fine for adultery. Poseidon even agreed to
stand guarantee for the payment. Hephaestus released both of them and Ares
immediately left the city. It is said that Aphrodite later gave birth to a
child, who was named Harmonia (the origin of the word ‘Harmony’).
On the surface
of it, the myth gives a moral message against infidelity, which I will skip as
I am sure all the readers have understood it. Let me give you an insight into
the symbolism of such myths.
According to
some scholars, this was a comment on the art of blacksmithing -
Fire (i.e.
Hephaestus) softens iron (i.e. Ares). In this work, as in any work, one needs
to apply passion (i.e. Aphrodite). After the iron has been softened, one needs
to use water (i.e. Poseidon) to cool it off. From this myth, one can surmise,
that the essence of hot and dry and its opposite, i.e. the cold and wet,
sometimes draw the universe together and sometimes pull it apart. When
together, it gives birth to harmony. This is one of the most beautiful
interpretations of an otherwise simple tale of infidelity.
Some scholars
have gone ahead to say, that the union of Aphrodite and Ares amounts to
adultery. According to them, the two are not naturally inclined to be together,
and thus goes against the norm, but when together, produce harmony. Some scholars
have interpreted the laughter of the gods too. According to them, the union of
love and strife is a cause for joy, which is to be seen in the form of divine
laughter as against the cynical as seen in the myth.
Whatever message
one takes is on one’s own self, but one thing is for sure, the myth is pregnant
with inherent symbolism!
