Andromeda & Aphrodite

There are quite a few stories of Aphrodite causing harm to others-such as Myrrha and Adonis. However, there are conflicting stories that point to others actually causing the deaths or problems. Other ancient stories show that it was Artemis who shot Adonis over jealousy. Ariadne seduced and tricked the Minotaur so he rejected Aphrodite’s love. It would prove his undoing but there is no record of Aphrodite seeking revenge.

However, one story that has been repeated in several forms mirrors that of the mortal human Princess Myrrha in Smyrna. She is said to have been a princess whose mother boasted that she was prettier than Aphrodite herself. As revenge, Aphrodite forced Myrrha to fall in love with her father and they had an incestuous relationship. Ovid recounts that it was the Furies who had cursed Myrrha and not Aphrodite. Myrrha was supposed to marry Prince Pyrrhus but she is said to have left him at the altar. It is said that she was turned into a tree and had Adonis. However, there have been rare Renaissance-era paintings that show baby Adonis being turned over to another woman. Could it be that Myrrha made up a grievance in order to receive the child of another woman?

In the story of mortal human Princess Andromeda, we again see that a mother (Caseopeia) bragged that her daughter, Andromeda, was more beautiful than a goddess. Here is where the story gets more murky. In one version, she offends mermaids. Another has her offending Aphrodite. And a third, as depicted in Clash of the Titans, is against the Nereid Thetis. As a result, Andromeda is sentenced to be sacrificed and she is later saved by Perseus. They married and had six sons and a daughter.

Given the similarity to the stories of Ariadne and Myrrha, along with the physical description of Andromeda, it would appear that we are again looking at an embodiment and tale of Eve. However, if Eve is Andromeda, who is Medusa? And it would be my guess that the mermaids or nereids offended would have also represented Eve or her sisters so was this a set-up to gain her a hero prince?

Mortal human Princess Ariadne married Dionysus. By all accounts they are said to have been very happy together.