If there is something that mythology has taught us, it is that the relationships between gods and humans were not, precisely, simple. And of course this is just what can be said about Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty , sensuality and love according to Greek traditions.
Indeed, along the following lines we want to dwell on the descent of Aphrodite, attending to the logical characteristics of this type of myth, which varied slightly over the years, and therefore certain inaccuracies that can be found according to the source consulted.
In this context, the Greek goddess of beauty, sensuality and love are known for numerous relationships and, as a result of them, a good number of sons and daughters.
In fact, legend has it that he was a partner of the Olympian Hephaestus although, paradoxically, no succession emerged from it. This could have to do with the fact that she was not really in love with her husband, but only obeyed orders from Zeus , who, aware of her beauty, rushed to marry her to avoid inconveniences on Olympus.
A total of 16 children!
As a result, Aphrodite would have had multiple “extramarital” relationships, from which 16 children would have arisen, always in potential, counting both men and women.
Who were the children of Aphrodite?
Probably the most famous son of Aphrodite was the Trojan prince Aeneas, hero of the battles against Greece and who, already defeated, fled to promote another milestone no less: the founding of Rome.
On the other hand, the winged god of desire, Eros , is also usually included in the lists of sons and daughters of Aphrodite and, due to his frequent representation with bows and arrows, it is assumed that Ares, the Lord of War, could have been his father, although there is no unanimity on the matter.
Easier to guess are other descendants of Aphrodite, such as Hermaphroditus, the fruit of her love affairs with Hermes . They say that, near the stream where the nymph Salmancis lived, Aphrodite claimed that those who fell into it would have both male and female nature. It is precisely from there that the word “hermaphrodite” that we use to this day derives.
In certain cases, some popular daughters of the goddess could share father with children, as happens with the fortune goddess Tique and Hermes , or with the calm Harmony and Ares.
Other famous sons were Priapo, Himineo, and the twins Deimos and Phobos.
