Aphrodite

OverviewBoonsQuotesRelationships

Aphrodite

Hades
Hades II

General Information

Title

Goddess of Love

Relationships

Family

Hephaestus (Husband)
Zeus (Father-in-Law)
Hera (Mother-in-Law)
Ares (Brother-in-Law)
Hades (Uncle-in-Law)
Poseidon (Uncle-in-Law)
Hestia (Aunt-in-Law)
Demeter (Aunt-in-Law)
Helios (Uncle-in-Law)
Selene (Aunt-in-Law)
Eos (Aunt-in-Law)

Relations

Ares (Lover)
Charon (Crush)

Behind the Scenes

Voice

Courtney Vineys

“	Why hello, hello, there, little godling. I have to say you're quite the specimen, and so, I've decided I shall aid you for the moment. You interested?	„
	~ Aphrodite

Aphrodite is the Olympian Goddess of Love and Beauty. She offers boons to Zagreus that inflict her Weak, or make enemies more susceptible to damage.

Her signature Status Curse is Weak, which reduces the afflicted enemies' damage by 30%. Aphrodite also offers boons which increase the effectiveness of her Status Curse itself, such as Empty Inside (which increases the effect's duration).

Aphrodite is one of five Olympian gods (the other four being Demeter, Poseidon, Hermes and Zeus) who will not appear in the very first run of a save.

Aphrodite returns in Hades II and offers her boons to Melinoë in her fight against Chronos. Her signature Status Curse is still Weak. Her boons have shifted to a much more close-range style.

Characteristics and Personality[]

Aphrodite is playful, seductive, and optimistic. As the Goddess of Love, she can be very sweet and accessible with Zagreus, Melinoë in Hades II and her admirers, and openly flirts with them. However, it's not a good idea to irritate her by insinuating second intentions. She will express her anger against anyone who threatens those she considers important or "her little god."

Despite being the goddess of love, she can be quite venomous, mischievous, and prone to making lethal comments. Comments from other Olympian gods indicate that Aphrodite has shallow interests. She can be quite hypocritical, and frequently conflicts with other Olympians, especially Athena, who are like water and wine. However, she firmly believes in the power of love and will do everything to ensure that it is given and received in its purest form.

Even the love expert can make mistakes, and her quickness to perceive passions is not always accurate. For example, she wrongly deduces that the shy Artemis was interested in Zagreus, causing a misunderstanding. Aphrodite is a confidant of love and can be well-intentioned at times, acting as a counselor for broken hearts and assisting pending passions.

Aphrodite uses her status as the goddess of love to her advantage, with her charm and charisma, taking advantage of the benefits this provides, using people's passions and desires at your pleasure, making her a skilled strategist in both love and battle. Achilles remarks that, among the Olympians, Aphrodite terrifies him the most. Her domain can cause great turbulence with more devastating consequences than a lightning bolt, literally destroying the hearts of her adversaries.

She views the eternal feud between the Olympians and the Titans as being pathetic lamenting that even after centuries of progress they still refuse to put aside their differences and instead choose to continue fighting among themselves like children.

As the goddess of love, Aphrodite still finds herself in conflict primarily with other gods because she dislikes dull and monotonous environments, preferring to shake things up. However, she also possesses a loving and protective nature, which becomes evident in her interactions with Zagreus and later with Melinoë in the second game. In these moments, she comforts Melinoë about her kidnapped family, showing empathy and compassion. Additionally, she feels sorry for Dionysus due to the situation he finds himself in because of the war.

Her treacherous nature, coupled with her many loves, including her openly flirtatious interactions with everyone from Hephaestus to Ares and even Zagreus, is well-known. However, she later develops a crush on Charon, demonstrating that she lacks taming over her own domain.

Physical description[]

The most feminine goddess of Olympus, Aphrodite exudes a confident and seductive aura and is depicted with small vegetables adorning her head. She is depicted unabashedly, as a voluptuous nude goddess with peach-colored eyes and a defined jawline. She is adorned on the sides of her head with decorative vegetation brooches, with jewelry intertwined on her wrists and forearms. Her incredible long silky peach-colored hair covers her breasts and pubic area, with its ends entwining in a heart shape.

In Hades II, she now wears a more elegant head jewelry and protective golden arm & leg guards but nonetheless still remains naked. In addition, she wields a spear and shield adorned with hearts and roses, a symbolic flower of hers; however, her most distinct feature is her white warpaint over her eyes which is similar to that of her lover Ares.

History[]

Past[]

Aphrodite lived during the Golden Age of Chronos but she found it to be the "dullest time" ever. After the Titans were overthrown by the young Olympians, she ended up being part of the new world order of divine beings.

As a result of her divine beauty she had many suitor vying for her favor. In an attempt to keep her settled down, Zeus had her married his son Hephaestus. However, this was not a happy marriage since she was forced to marry, and it was to the one considered the ugliest god of Olympus. She thus began having affairs in secret with other gods behind her husband's back, especially with Hephaestus's older brother, Ares.

She's one of the three goddesses responsible for starting the famous Trojan War, alongside Hera and Athena.

Hades[]

Aphrodite won't appear right away to Zagreus, but eventually reaches out. She decides he is worthy of receiving her boons and thus lends him her powers. Her topics of conversations focus mostly on her and how adored she is by others or on the concepts of love. She can come to comment on her husband, and freely speaks her opinion about the others, with no regrets or fears. She'll also be aware of Zagreus's romancing paths and encourages him to pursue them.

Epilogue[]

She attends the feast like the rest. Afterwards, she keeps on lending Zagreus her boons.

Hades II[]

Aphrodite lends Melinoë her boons once she becomes aware of her existence like the rest of the Olympians.

Affinity[]

If given Nectar, Aphrodite will give you the Eternal Rose.

Aphrodite's affinity gauge is maxed out at 7 hearts, requiring the gifting of 6 Nectar and 1 Ambrosia.

If affinity is maxed out with Aphrodite, there will be unique text above her keepsake. this text states: "From Aphrodite; you share a beautiful bond" as well as "Her true affection is reserved for those who find love and beauty on their own."

Favor[]

Aphrodite's favor requires Zagreus to illustrate his capacity for love, both platonically and passionately, by forging bonds with Dusa, Thanatos and Megaera (you will trigger 1 dialogue with the goddess for each bond you forge with them and a 4th one to actually get the favor).

Codex entry[]

'...Aphrodite wields her beauty and her charm with much the same lethality as I could wield the spear. I have seen her handiwork first-hand, and it is often not as pretty as she is. Indeed, I often think that she, among all the Olympians, must be the deadliest of all. A crashing wave or thundering tempest are nothing to a broken heart. Yet, while love's the force that brought me and countless others low in life, it also brought me and countless others strength, beyond the bounds of normal men. Still I fear that Aphrodite's power is the most terrible in all the world.'

Book of Shadows Entry (Hades II)[]

' You have much to learn from her, at some point. She is more than she appears. For instance, she is much older than most of the others on her mountain, yet holds fast to her carefree look and spirit.'

Trivia[]

In Hades II, Aphrodite appears with the same style of warpaint as Ares in Hades, referring to her epithet Aphrodite Areia. Unlike all ancient Greek statues that feature Aphrodite Areia dressed in armor, the game features her naked and only has armor on her the arms and the legs.
- However, there was one location in ancient Greece that featured Aphrodite Areia naked and holding a spear and shield, just like in the game.
Her Book of Shadows entry imply her true age to be as old or older than that of the Olympian goddesses, such as Hestia and Demeter.
Aphrodite's elemental boon affinities are air and water; water due to her birth in the sea, and air might be tied to the expression "love is in the air". It may also reference her mythological parents, Ouranos (the Sky) and Thalassa (the Sea).

Myth Facts[]

Aphrodite's parentage differs depending on the source:
- That she was the daughter of Zeus and Dione. (Homer's Iliad)
  - Dione appears to be a feminine version of Dios or Dion, names used to refer to Zeus, leaving some people to speculate Aphrodite's birth might've been by Zeus alone.
- That she was born from the foam formed by Ouranos's severed genitals upon making contact with the sea. (Hesiod's Theogony)
- That Thalassa, primordial of the sea, gave birth to her after the severed genitals of Ouranos fell into the sea and fertilized her until she became pregnant. (Nonnus' Dionysiaca)
- That she was the daughter of Ouranos and Hemera. (Cicero's De Natura Deorum)
- That she was the daughter of Chronos and Ananke. (Epimenides' Paradox)