| Aphrodite | Venus |
Venus is the Roman goddess of love, beauty, fertility and prosperity. Venus is the Roman counterpart to the Greek goddess Aphrodite.
Contents
History
Venus, in the ancient Italic religion, was a matronly goddess largely associated with marital love and agricultural fertility, most especially the cultivation of fields and gardens, and while there was no worship of Venus in the early days of Rome, she was especially worshiped by the Latins, having a temple at Lavinium and another one at Ardea.
She came to be equated with the Greek goddess Aphrodite, and although it is unknown why exactly such identification occurred, the historian Livy reputes that it was during the Second Punic War, after Rome's defeat at the Battle of Lake Trasum in 215 BC, when the cult of Aphrodite of Eryx, centered at her temple at Mount Eryx in Sicily, was imported to Rome; there, a temple was erected in honor of Venus Erycina ("Venus of Mount Eryx") atop the Capitoline Hill on 23 April, and a festival, the Vinalia Priora, was later instituted to celebrate the occasion. (A second temple to Venus Erycina was erected in 181 BC, outside the Colline Gate.)
Venus was, like her Greek equivalent, famed for her many affairs with both gods and mortals, and in her characterization as Venus Verticordia ("Venus the Changer of Hearts"), the goddess was thought to protect the chastity of women and girls. She was especially important to the foundational myth of Rome, for she was regarded as the mother of Aeneas, who was thought to be ancestor to Romulus, Rome's mythical founder-king.
As mother to Aeneas, Venus was regarded as a mother to the Roman people. Indeed the famed Gaius Julius Caear was a member of the gens Julii, claiming descent from Venus through Aeneas' son Iulus, and in 46 BC he introduced the cult of Venus Genetrix ("Venus the Mother"), the patroness of motherhood and domesticity, building a temple for her that same year on 26 September. Venus had a number of festivals celebrated in honor of her, chief among them being the Veneralia, which was held every year on April 1 in honor of Venus Verticordia.
The month of April was sacred to Venus (in Latin Mensis Aprilis) as Roman etymologists traditionally understood it to derive from the term aperire, “to open,” in reference to the springtime blossoming of trees and flowers.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
The Lightning Thief
Chiron mentions Venus to Percy Jackson when explaining the path the gods took when following Western Civilization and how they "temporarily" went under different names when patrons of the Roman Empire.
The Heroes of Olympus
The Blood of Olympus
Venus is mentioned to be the divine mother of Michael Kahale.
The Trials of Apollo
The Tyrant's Tomb
Venus is mentioned whenever Apollo thinks of her warning for him to stay away from Reyna Ramírez-Arellano.
Abilities
- Amokinesis: As the Goddess of Love, Venus has control over it.
- Beauty and Omnipotent Allure: Venus can alter her physical appearance to fit the idea of beauty to whoever is around her.
- Charmspeak: Venus is able to persuade others through her voice.
- Identity Stabilization: Venus, as well as Aphrodite, is immune to the split personalities the other Greek and Roman gods go through whenever their Greek and Roman demigod children are in conflict with one another. Venus stated that this was due to her aspect and personality as the goddess of Love not having much personality difference in either one of her forms.
- Clairvoyance: Like many gods and goddesses, Venus can observe and watch any mortal she focuses on anywhere and any time she wants. This is seen where she would observe Reyna Ramírez-Arellano from Olympus.
Children
Immortal Children
|
Partner |
Children |
| Mars | Timor, Metus, Cupid |
Demigod Children
|
Partner |
Children |
| Mr. Kahale | Michael Kahale |
| Anchises | Aeneas |
Legacies
|
Descendant |
Relation |
| Julius Caesar | Descendant |
| Caesarion | Descendant |
| Rhea Silvia | Descendant |
| Remus | Descendant |
| Romulus | Descendant |
Gallery
Trivia
- The planet Venus is the second planet from the sun. The goddess' name has also been given to the Venus flytrap, Carnivorous plant.
- The Mayans referred to the planet Venus as "Chak Ek’" (CHAHK EHKH).[1]
- Her Norse counterpart is Freya.
References
- ↑ The Shadow Crosser, Glossary
