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In this episode, we're continuing our series about the Olympian gods and goddesses of Greek mythology. A series I have the pleasure of reading for you. Each story was written by the very talented Frankie Regalia, who we're very grateful to for her creative and wonderful tale. Tonight we will be introduced to the embodiment of beauty and love herself, the goddess Aphrodite. Being a primordial being, this goddess is all forms of love and beauty at once.
She is one of the most powerful gods on Olympus, because her influence in the realms of love can even affect her godly peers. There is not a human in the history of the world who has not in some way either sent her praise or cursed her for her work. She can be as spiteful and jealous as any love, and yet she can also contain unending gentleness, compassion and affection. Not only will we witness the full strength of her power, but we'll also follow her descendants through the years.
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Tomorrow, Heather will read us a soothing story about a young woman who spends time looking through old photos, reflecting on her move to the Blue Ridge Mountains. Check out all the info on our premium membership by clicking the link in the episode description. Now, my friends, it's nearly time for our story. But first, we must make ourselves presentable for Aphrodite. She is a creature of immeasurable beauty, both within and without. So turn your attention inwards. Notice your breath.
as your chest rises. in its natural rhythm. with each breath. Allow yourself to sink little by little. into your own precious body. Rejoice in the comfort of your position and the warm embrace of your band. All your muscles. and powerful in your limbs to the tiny ones that control your expressions. are relaxing in the expectation of sleep that is to come. your mind begins to slow as well. Instead of the fast pace of daily life, your mind eases down into the pleasant stroll of evening.
Every corner of your mind is clean and clear from clutter. ready for a story. Followed by the enticing adventures of dreams. Take a few more deep breaths. bringing forth to your mind the image of pure aquamarine waters. The Mediterranean has never looked so pure or beautiful. Unless... It's where our story Beckins.
on the eastern edge of the mediterranean not far from a large island the sea begins to boil The perfect blue of the water turns to foamy white and the marine animals scatter from the area. It is early in the lifetime of the world, and strange powers change the very nature of land or sea almost daily. This is the birth of something else entirely. A force like no other is about to emerge. And the world will never be the same.
The boiling waters seem to reach a fever pitch, just as the top of her head breaks the surface of the water. The face of this being is pure beauty. Her features dance and shimmer. They change depending on the viewer, always shifting to become the most beautiful face that person can imagine. This head is followed by a body of equally divine beauty. This new being rests upon a shell like the most radiant pearl ever created.
Dolphins rise from the deep and gently push the shell towards the nearby island. The shell bumps gently onto the shore, and the figure looks up. The rays of the sun shine down upon her as her eyes shift from lightest blue to darkest black. hitting every shade of iris in between. Her hair, long and shiny, seems at once to be blonde, red, brunette, black and silver. Aphrodite takes in the island and the world for the first time.
She has landed on Cyprus, an island that will be blessed as her birthplace forevermore. She glances around at the sky, the water, and the perfect white sand. This is a time when the Earth is still very young. Aphrodite is one of the oldest creatures to have emerged. She is of the generation of the Titans and older than the beings who will come later to call themselves the gods. Aphrodite stands and flexes her hands. She can feel the depth of her power flowing through her newly formed body.
She is beauty, love, passion, lust, desire, and pleasure personified. And this world will be her plaything. Aphrodite spends many years on Cyprus with the oceanids and nymphs of the area. Whether through her own powers or that of some other divine being, Aphrodite is sheltered and hidden from the war of the Titans. It is not until after the war that Zeus, leader of the gods, comes to the island to ally her with himself and his siblings.
Aphrodite takes her place on Olympus as one of the twelve Olympians. She is a goddess that many beings fear, for she has the unique ability to make even the gods alive. fall in or out of love. Years pass and humankind begins to cover the world. Aphrodite finds herself the focus of their prayers. for many of them desire love or beauty above all else. She amuses herself by making gods and other immortals fall in love with humans.
It's not until she meets the young Adonis, however, that she truly understands the pain of mortal love. Aphrodite and Adonis are the original case of love at first sight. As soon as their eyes meet, it's as if no one else in the world exists. They spend countless hours in each other's company. Aphrodite's happiness is so complete that her power seems to overflow herself and the entire world falls in love.
Adonis is considered by everyone who sees him to be quite a match for Aphrodite's beauty, though he is but a mortal prince. The two of them are the picture of happiness. you Like all things to do with mortals, it cannot last. No one knows whether it is Apollo, Artemis, or Ares who sends Adonis' doom. But Aphrodite has made more than her fair share of enemies over the years. Aphrodite knows that something is coming for Adonis.
So she makes him promise to only hunt for smaller animals, such as rabbits and birds. She tells him that the deer and wolves are to be left alone. He promises. But when he finds the trail of a large boar one day, The young man cannot resist the temptation to flex his skills as a hunter. The boar, sent by one of the gods to punish Aphrodite, defeats her love, Adonis. Aphrodite now knows heartbreak for the first time. and vows to never love another mortal.
But love is fickle, and who of us can ever persuade the head to overrule the heart? Years later, a young man called Anchises unwittingly catches the eye of the goddess. He is a Trojan prince by birth, but has decided to reject the responsibilities and pressures of royalty to live as a simple shepherd. The tall, strong young man is tending his flock on the slopes of Mount Ida. See how his hair flutters in the wind and he turns his watchful eyes to his charges.
He has the bearing of a prince, though he does his best to hide it. It is no wonder that he attracts the goddess of love. Something about the young man, a look deep in his emerald eyes, calls out to be loved. Over the rise of the next foothill, Anchises sees a figure approaching. Long hair and flowing skirts dance in the wind. Anchises is hesitant. He has chosen the life of a shepherd to abstain from the complications of living amongst others.
Yet, something deep inside him roots him to the spot. It's as if destiny has a hold on him. and will not let him go. He watches the figure draw closer and holds his breath. She is the most beautiful person he has ever seen. Her beauty nearly overwhelms him. and he feels certain that she must be a goddess. Or at least a nymph. Before he knows it, the beautiful woman stands before him.
as if in a dream he hears her say that she is a princess from the neighbouring kingdom of Phrygia who has been separated from her travelling party. Anchises is lost in her eyes and hears himself offer shelter for the night in his humble shepherd's hut. For the rest of his life, Anchises will never forget this evening. The image of this woman will be burned into his memory until his last breath. They spend a night of bliss together. And Anchises thinks he will never be happier than this.
In the morning he decides to tell the truth about his identity. He reveals that he is a Trojan prince, and thinking she is a princess, he is of her standing, which means that they come wed. Realising that he has been very forward, Anchises blushes and mumbles. adding that it all depends on if she wants to marry him. The princess smiles, though it is not an entirely happy one. She holds his gaze as she tells him that she too has kept her identity a secret.
Aphrodite reveals herself to him and waits patiently for the young man to get over his shock. She tells him that while she loves him truly, she cannot stay with him. She has already known the sting of loss when it comes to mortals and cannot withstand it again. With tears in her eyes, Aphrodite tells him that last night was a mistake she should not have made. but one that she will never regret.
The two lovers part forever, and as Anchises watches her melt away into a shower of pure sunlight, He decides that he must return to Troy. He knows that this life as a shepherd offers too much time for reflection. and therefore too much time to think about the love that has just slipped through his fingers. As soon as Aphrodite arrives back on Mount Olympus, She is struck by the divine knowledge that she is pregnant. Her joy and sorrow blend together in that moment.
She is overjoyed at her knowledge. Yet she knows the child will be mortal like his father. putting the latter thought from her mind. she begins to plan for the future of her child. She cannot raise her babe on Mount Olympus. for no mortals are permitted to reside there. As she grows heavy with child, she decides to return to Mount Ida. Aphrodite arrives on the mountain and makes her way to the home of the Aureats, the mountain nymphs.
Aphrodite finds these gentle-natured spirits lounging on a rocky outcrop halfway up the mountain. Upon seeing Aphrodite, they flock to her in excitement, crooning over her pregnant belly. The Oreads lead Aphrodite into the large cavern in the mountain that they call home. The cave is carpeted with soft moss, and vines of shade-loving plants climb up the walls. Here and there, veins of silver ore glitter across the ceiling. At the back of the cavern is a freshwater spring.
It is the perfect place for Aphrodite to give birth. Under the care of the Oriats, Aphrodite brings into the world a beautiful, healthy baby boy. Though she is not usually a goddess of prophecy, Aphrodite foresees a long and important future for her son. as she presses her lips to his forehead. She names him Aeneas. A deep well of love opens inside her. She has other children, all of them divine beings that will live forever like her.
But this child is different, and Aphrodite finds that she loves him all the more for his mortality. For five years, Aphrodite splits her time between her godly duties on Olympus and raising Aeneas on Mount Ida. When she is away, the Oriats care for the boy. He grows quick, strong and smart in those few short years. With each passing day, Aphrodite knows that the time draws nearer for her to part ways with her son for good. She cherishes every moment with the boy.
witnessing with a mother's pride the way he learns quickly, developing speech and figuring out how to run in the blink of an eye. One spring morning, the dawn arrives. And Aphrodite knows that it is time. As the golden light filters through the world. She takes a few moments to watch her son sleep. While awake, he seems to be full of energy and movement. But while he sleeps, she has the privilege of being able to observe him in stillness.
His little mouth is slightly open, and he snuggles in close to her. She brushes his curls away from his face and summons the courage to start the day. Aphrodite picks up the boy who remains asleep in her arms and tiptoes through the piles of sleeping aureats to the mouth of the cave. The dew is still clinging to the grass in the early morning. It wets Aphrodite's feet as she walks down the mountain. The fresh smell of a spring morning envelops her.
and seems to chase the last vestiges of sleep from her mind. Aeneas sleeps on in her arm. She has the strength of a god, and her child feels light as a feather, though she knows it is not much longer that he will suffer to be held. She smiles to herself and presses a kiss to the top of his head. Down the mountain, mother and son journey until the high walls of the city of Troy are just visible in the distance. The city is awe-inspiring to behold, even from a distance.
The river Scamander weaves Ay-Zay through the country. broad and deep. The sun glitters off its surface as it seems to underline the city behind it. The plain of Ilium stretches between the river and the city. Aphrodite represses the images of the future that flood her mind and the great battle that will be fought on this plane. She instead turns her mind to the future of her son. She muses on how strange it is that within one human lifetime, so much can change.
when she has already lived through so many millennia of the world. Aphrodite walks with purpose. Helios's sun chariot has not yet reached midday by the time she arrives before the walls of Troy. They are larger than any other in the known world. They were built by Apollo and Poseidon many years prior, and bear the unmistakable sign of divinity about them. Aphrodite makes herself invisible as she passes through the Scehan Gate. and turns towards the palace. She knows that Anchises lives here.
serving as a counselor in his cousin Priam's court. Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty and love. She feels her heart flutter at the thought of seeing her lover once again after nearly six years apart. She has watched over him from afar. but wonders if she is strong enough to see him face to face. Will she be able to resist the urge to whisk him and her son away to Mount Olympus? ignoring their fates and changing the future of the entire world.
She knows what she would like to do, but accepts that she mustn't alter the path of destiny. She arrives in Ankise's room. He is preparing for the day with a distracted look in his eye. Aphrodite makes the decision to remain invisible and casts down her eyes to the child in her arms. Aeneas sleeps peacefully. She places her last kiss on his hat. lies him on his father's bed and steps back. with a snap of her fingers. the child becomes visible to Anchises.
He doesn't notice the boy for a few moments until Aeneas rolls over and the movement catches his father's attention in the polished brass mirror. Anchises quickly turns around. His face bright in surprise and joy. He knows that this boy is his and looks around briefly, hoping to see Aphrodite. She steps further into the shadows and watches on. Anchises gently wakes Aeneas. The boy smiles up at his father, and they embrace for the first time. Aphrodite watches on with happiness.
before returning to Olympus. A moment that she thought would be difficult or even break her heart has turned into one of the most joyous of her long life. She watches with delight and utmost pleasure as Anchises raises their son. Aeneas grows from a curious child to a determined youth in just a few years. Anchises too changes under Aphrodite's watchful eye. He becomes stronger, bolder and wiser in the service of the King.
Aphrodite even secretly attends Aeneas' wedding to the beautiful Cruza and witnesses the birth of her grandson, Ascanius. Years pass, and the legendary Trojan War descends on the city. Throughout the ten years of war, Aphrodite watches over her family and favours the Trojans. Though not a god of war She shields her son in battle, twice sending a divine mist to whisk him away from harm. However, when Troia seems to be on the verge of falling, she comes to Aeneas.
A mist filters into Aeneas' room in the Trojan Palace. He is preparing for battle when the mist enters. At once, he knows who is about to visit him. Aphrodite materializes and gazes at her son in the flesh for the first time in over twenty years. They embrace, stealing these few moments to reconnect as mother and son. Aphrodite pulls away and tells Aeneas that he must take his family and leave the city. He has a future and a fate that lies far beyond the walls of Troy or even the Greek world.
He does not argue. knowing that his mother speaks for all the gods. The preparations take but a few minutes. as Aeneas gathers his family and supplies. They leave the city and make their way northwest. Once they are far enough away, Aeneas calls for his father, wife and son to pause. They all turn back to the city of Troy. They can see a huge figure outside the gates of the city. Even from this distance, they can tell that it's a huge, wooden horse. Aeneas doesn't know it now.
but he is beginning a journey that will have huge ramifications for the rest of the world around the Mediterranean and beyond. He and his family leave Greece behind. They travel for many years. Always under the protection of the gods. particularly Aphrodite. She has told him of a prophecy concerning him and his descendants. He will be the beginning of a millennium-long dynasty in a land to the west. After seven long years, Aeneas and his family come to the kingdom of Latinus.
and his people, the Latins. This land is full of rolling green hills. Tall cypress trees stand sentinel across the land. They are joined by olive and fig trees that the locals grow in great orchards. Sunflowers bloom in the warm summer air. As Aeneas surveys this new land from the balcony of Latinus' palace, he feels a settling in his heart. This is the place his mother told him about. Latinus leaves his lands to Aeneas. And in the ensuing years, Aphrodite visits her son many times.
She instructs him on where to build and expand, making new cities. He founds Lavinium, while his son Ascanius founds the city of Alba Longa. Aeneas lives a long, happy life in the land that will one day be called Italy, though not for many centuries to come. When Aeneas is an old man, Aphrodite comes to him once more. She, still young and beautiful, takes his soft, wrinkled hand. He smiles at her, and she can see the little boy that once laid in her arms.
Aphrodite whispers that she has one last gift for her son. She gently carries him as she did on the slopes of Mount Ida. and takes him to Olympus. Aphrodite anoints his head with nectar. the holy drink of the gods, making him immortal. Aeneas's aged body smooths, the years falling away. He stands before his mother and the gods, tall and proud once more. Zeus has granted him this gift and smiles down at the newcomer.
Aeneas, at a loss for words, looks at his mother She simply smiles back and gestures over the precipices of Olympus. The white fluffy clouds part to allow Aeneas a clear view of the world. Aphrodite's long slender finger points down and Aeneas sees the lives of his descendants roll out before him. Though time doesn't speed up, he has been gifted with second sight and gazes into the future. Like rainbow phantoms across the land, he watches the son of Ascanius, his own grandson, Brutus.
Travel across the world. He ventures even further west to an island called Albion. Brutus defeats the giants of that island and establishes a settlement of humans there. naming the island after himself. Britain. Another of Ascanius' sons, Silvius, stays near Alba Longa. In a flash, Silvius' line extends for generations. eventually producing twins called Romulus and Remus. Aeneas and Aphrodite watch on as the twins are raised by a she-wolf. And they go on to start the great city of Rome.
A few more sentries flash by and they witness a tall man standing in the city addressing the inhabitants. He has a laurel wreath on his head. and looks down on the city with love. Julius Caesar, the descendant of Romulus, is the first emperor of Rome. Aeneas and Aphrodite pull back from their vision. or struck by the path that will unfold. Apollo claps Aeneas on the back, congratulating him on his fruitful and successful line. But Aeneas Humble as he is, shakes his head.
He tells the gods that these many successful, strong and influential children are not his achievements. He turns his eyes to his mother, Aphrodite. and tells the residents of Olympus that only the children and grandchildren of love could have achieved such things. Aphrodite beams at her son. She glances towards the earth. A heart full of a love that resonates through the centuries. Aphrodite may not be a god of war, wisdom, heaven or earth. But she is the god that loves humanity best.
and is more powerful than any other.