Aphrodite in the Titanomachy
December 21, 2022 11:12 PM Subscribe
While reading Stephen Fry's Mythos, I found an odd claim about the Titan War. Looking for confirmation. More details inside.
Some versions of Aphrodite's legend have her being born before the other Olympians (i.e. the Ouranos story, rather than the Dione story). Despite this, no rendition of the Titanomachy (that I know of) has mentioned what Aphrodite was doing during that time, even though she was ostensibly there to see it--they all focus solely on the six children of Cronus and Rhea.
The Stephen Fry book that I read was, um, known for taking creative liberties, to say the least. But it seemed to imply that Aphrodite had been taken prisoner by the six "primary" Olympians during the war years, and then somehow... ingratiated herself into being a full-fledged member? Plausible, I guess, but not a claim I've ever seen anywhere else. Do you know of any primary sources that talk about what she was doing during that era, and/or how she came to join the pantheon? Have you ever encountered this version before?
Some versions of Aphrodite's legend have her being born before the other Olympians (i.e. the Ouranos story, rather than the Dione story). Despite this, no rendition of the Titanomachy (that I know of) has mentioned what Aphrodite was doing during that time, even though she was ostensibly there to see it--they all focus solely on the six children of Cronus and Rhea.
The Stephen Fry book that I read was, um, known for taking creative liberties, to say the least. But it seemed to imply that Aphrodite had been taken prisoner by the six "primary" Olympians during the war years, and then somehow... ingratiated herself into being a full-fledged member? Plausible, I guess, but not a claim I've ever seen anywhere else. Do you know of any primary sources that talk about what she was doing during that era, and/or how she came to join the pantheon? Have you ever encountered this version before?
Best answer: it seemed to imply that Aphrodite had been taken prisoner by the six "primary" Olympians during the war years, and then somehow... ingratiated herself into being a full-fledged member? ... Do you know of any primary sources that talk about ... how she came to join the pantheon?
Oh, I guess there's at least one direct answer to your final question: Homeric Hymn 6: To Aphrodite, in which the Horai welcome Aphrodite in Cyprus and take her to the other gods, who also welcome her. Gantz does mention this in the chapter on the Titanomachy in a paragraph really about the Horai, not Aphrodite, and without drawing any connection between Aphrodite and the Titanomachy. The relevant parts of Mythos that I found searching the Amazon preview don't seem warranted by either source, but it seems likely that's more what Fry had in mind than Strabo.
posted by Wobbuffet at 10:03 PM on December 22, 2022
Oh, I guess there's at least one direct answer to your final question: Homeric Hymn 6: To Aphrodite, in which the Horai welcome Aphrodite in Cyprus and take her to the other gods, who also welcome her. Gantz does mention this in the chapter on the Titanomachy in a paragraph really about the Horai, not Aphrodite, and without drawing any connection between Aphrodite and the Titanomachy. The relevant parts of Mythos that I found searching the Amazon preview don't seem warranted by either source, but it seems likely that's more what Fry had in mind than Strabo.
posted by Wobbuffet at 10:03 PM on December 22, 2022
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posted by Wobbuffet at 2:38 PM on December 22, 2022 [1 favorite]