Love and MythA website by Studio Esoterico CornelioDeities of love
Every civilisation has given desire a face. In this section we meet the deities who, in the religions of the world, ruled over love, attraction and union: from the Greek Aphrodite born of the sea foam to the Roman Venus, mother of Aeneas, from the winged boy Eros to the Cupid of Apuleius, and on to Freyja in her chariot drawn by cats, Hathor the Golden One worshipped at Dendera and Inanna, queen of heaven at Uruk. The view widens to the India of Kamadeva and Rati, of Radha and Krishna, to the Africa and Caribbean of Oshun and Erzulie, to the Ireland of Aengus, the Mexico of Xochiquetzal, the China of Yue Lao and the Japan of Benzaiten. Each article describes sources, places of worship and works of art, carefully separating what the documents attest from what tradition has handed down. The result is a small map of the sacred side of love, in which distant figures reveal surprising similarities and deep differences.
Aphrodite between Hesiod and Homer: the goddess born of the sea foam
The two births of Aphrodite in Hesiod and Homer, the sanctuary of Paphos on Cyprus, the conical stone described by Tacitus and the goddess's eastern roots.
3 min read02Eros, from the beginning of the cosmos to the boy with the bow
Eros in the Theogony, in Aristophanes' Birds, in Sappho's lyrics and in Plato's Symposium, down to the cult at Thespiae and the Hellenistic winged boy.
3 min read03Venus in Rome: from goddess of gardens to mother of Caesar's line
How a modest Italic goddess became Venus Erycina, Venus Genetrix and mother of the Aeneadae: temples, dates and the political meaning of her cult in Rome.
3 min read04Cupid and Psyche: Apuleius's tale and the god who falls in love
The tale of Cupid and Psyche in Apuleius's Metamorphoses: plot, trials, wedding on Olympus, allegorical readings and its legacy from Raphael to Canova.
3 min read05Freyja, lady of the Vanir: love, magic and war in the Norse world
Freyja in the Eddas and Heimskringla: the Vanir, the cat-drawn chariot, the Brísingamen necklace, golden tears for Óðr and Fólkvangr, hall of the fallen.
3 min read06Hathor, the Golden One: Egyptian goddess of love, music and joy
Hathor in ancient Egypt: house of Horus, Eye of Ra, the sistrum, the love songs of Papyrus Chester Beatty I and the temples of Dendera and the Sinai.
3 min read07Inanna and Ishtar: the queen of heaven of Uruk and the descent below
Sumerian Inanna and Akkadian Ishtar: the Eanna of Uruk, the hymns of Enheduanna, the descent to the underworld, Dumuzi, Gilgamesh and the Ishtar Gate.
3 min read08Kamadeva and Rati: the Indian god of desire and his consort
Kamadeva, Indian god of love, with his sugarcane bow and flower arrows: the Rigveda, the eye of Shiva, Kalidasa's poem and the lament of his wife Rati.
3 min read09Oshun, river orisha: love and fresh water from Africa to the Americas
Oshun, Yoruba deity of love and fresh water: the sacred grove of Osogbo, its yearly festival, traditional stories, Ochún in Cuba and Oxum in Brazil.
3 min read10Aengus Óg, the Irish god of youth and the swan maiden
Aengus Óg in Irish tales: son of the Dagda and Boann, lord of Brú na Bóinne, the Dream of Óengus with Caer Ibormeith and the flight of Diarmuid and Gráinne.
3 min read11Xochiquetzal, the Aztec goddess of flowers, beauty and love
Xochiquetzal, precious flower feather: the Mexica goddess of love and the arts, the paradise of Tamoanchan and the colonial sources of Sahagún and Durán.
3 min read12Yue Lao, the old man under the moon and the red thread of fate
Yue Lao, Chinese deity of marriage: the Tang tale of the Betrothal Inn, the red thread that binds future spouses and the temples dedicated to him.
3 min read13Benzaiten, the Japanese goddess of water, music and love
Benzaiten, from India's Sarasvati to the Japanese goddess with the biwa: the Seven Gods of Fortune, the shrines of Enoshima and Chikubushima, her jealousy.
3 min read14Astarte, the great goddess of the Phoenicians from the Levant to Pyrgi
Astarte in the texts of Ugarit, at Sidon and Tyre, in the Bible, in Egypt and Cyprus, down to the gold tablets of Pyrgi that link her to the Etruscan Uni.
3 min read15Turan, the Etruscan goddess of love on bronze mirrors
Turan, Etruscan goddess of love: her name, the engraved mirrors with Atunis and Elcsntre, the Lasa attendants, dedications in sanctuaries, Aphrodite.
3 min read16Anteros, Himeros and Pothos: the brothers of Eros and the forms of desire
The Greek Erotes: Himeros at the birth of Aphrodite, the altar of Anteros in Athens, Scopas's statues at Megara and the cupids of Pompeian painting.
3 min read17Aphrodite Urania and Pandemos: the two Venuses from Plato to Titian
Aphrodite Urania and Pandemos: Pausanias's speech in the Symposium, the cults of Athens and Elis, Ficino's two Venuses and Titian's Sacred and Profane Love.
3 min read18Lada and the Slavic goddesses of love: medieval chronicles and scholars
The Slavic goddesses of love tested against the sources: Mokosh in the Primary Chronicle, Lada and Dzidzilela in Długosz and the debate among modern scholars.
3 min read19Erzulie Freda, the lady of love in Haitian Vodou
Erzulie Freda in Haitian Vodou: the lwa of love and luxury, the heart of her vèvè, her divine husbands, her tears and the image of the Mater Dolorosa.
3 min read20Radha and Krishna: divine love in poetry, mysticism and painting
Radha and Krishna in Indian tradition: the cowherd girls of Vrindavan in the Bhagavata Purana, Jayadeva's Gita Govinda, Chaitanya and Kangra miniatures.
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