To: alt.mythology
From: aemmcphe@undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca (Andrea McPhee)
Subject: Re: The Male Venus
Date: 4 Dec 1994 11:02:52 GMT
Quoting: |Chris Camfield <ccamfiel@undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca> 
         |>Jack O'Gorman  <ogormanj@delphi.com> 
         |>|Dermod Moore <100340.2013@CompuServe.COM> 

|>|Anyone have any information on the male Venus in myth or legend?
|> 
|>Dermond, do you mean Adonis? He was Aphrodite's lover, and was killed
|>by a wild boar. The Celts had a male god of love - Angus or maybe Aenghus.
|
|I presumed he was speaking of (well, in Greek terms) Aphroditos, just what
|he said:  the male variant of the usually female classical goddess of
|love.  I don't have much to say on the subject though

Isn't the Greek god of love Eros, Aphrodite's son?  The Roman version is
Cupid, I think, although the myths I know about Eros portray him as a man,
while Cupid is portrayed as a baby (in modern commerce, anyway).

Probably the most famous myth involving Eros is the one of Psyche.  Psyche
is so beautiful that Aphrodite gets jealous and sends Eros to make her fall
in love with a horrible monster.  Eros falls for her himself and marries
her, although Psyche isn't allowed to see him and she thinks he's a
horrible monster.  His gentle ways make her fall in love with him, and
she is happy until her two sisters visit and say stuff like 'Nice palace,
too bad you're living with a dragon'.  That night, Psyche takes a lamp
to examine her husbands face, finds out he is none other than the god of love,
and is so startled that she drips oil on him.  He wakes and leaves, upset
by her betrayal.  To get him back, Psyche appeals to Aphrodite who
makes her go through all sort of tests to prove she is worthy.

Unlike most myths, this one has a happy ending and Psyche and Eros live
happily ever after (as far as I know :)

Andrea
Andrea E.M. McPhee -- aemmcphee@napier.uwaterloo.ca