Divine Loves
Nerites: Nerites was a young sea-god and her very first love. When Aphrodite was ascending to join the other gods at the Olympos, she asked him to go with her as her companion. But Nerites refused, as he didn’t want to leave his family and the sea. Feeling betrayed, Aphrodite transformed him into a shellfish.
Hermes: Hermes, stirred by Aphrodite's beauty, fell in love with her. When she rejected him, he fell into depression, as if in disgrace. Zeus pitied him, and when Aphrodite was bathing in the river Achelous, he sent and eagle to take her sandal and give it to Hermes. Aphrodite went searching for the sandal, found it with Hermes and layed with him. She bore him a son, Hermaphroditos.
Ares: one day, Ares came in from the battlefield brandishing a strong spear and began to make fun of Eros' lance. Eros told him that his lance was very heavy, and when Ares tried to hold it, Aphrodite smiled gently at him. Watching attentively the whole scene, Eros then offered his lance for Ares to keep, bounding Ares and Aphrodite in love. Ares and Aphrodite had two sons, Deimos and Phobos, and a daughter, Harmonia.
Hephaistos: Hephaistos was thrown out of Olympos by his own mother Hera at birth, as she was ashamed to have a crippled son. Angry at his mother's treatment, Hephaistos sent her a cursed Golden Throne. When the goddess sat on it, she was bound fast. Zeus, wanting to free his wife, offered Aphrodite in marriage to the god who could bring Hephaistos to Olympos. Aphrodite agreed to the arrangement, in the belief that her beloved Ares would be able to do it. Ares stormed the forge of Hephaistos, bearing arms, but was driven back by the Divine Smith with showers of flaming metal. Dionysos next approached the forge, and suggested that Hephaistos could claim Aphrodite for himself if he were to release his mother willingly. Hephaistos was pleased with the plan and ascended to Heaven with Dionysos, released his mother and married a very reluctant Aphrodite.
Dionysos: he apparently had a short and mysterious affair with Aphrodite after that. Some say Iakkhos was their child.
Poseidon: Apollo saw Aphrodite's adultery with Ares. Shocked at the sight, he went and told Hephaistos. Heartbroken and infuriated, Hephaistos forged a net made of tiny links of bronze, too small for even the eye to see. He then thrown the net over Aphrodite and Ares, securing their naked bodies tightly in his trap. Hephaistos called the whole Olympos to watch the two gods in that shameful situation. Everybody laughed at them, except for Poseidon. He convinced Hephaistos of setting off the trap. Grateful for his support, Aphrodite later had an affair with Poseidon. She bore him two daughters, Rhodos and Herophilos.
Zeus: he once chased Aphrodite on the island of Kypros, but the goddess managed to escape his pursuit. On a later ocasion, she consentfully had an affair with him, but Zeus’ wife Hera, full of jealous, laid her hands upon the belly of Aphrodite and cursed their offspring with malformity. Their child was the ugly Priapos.
Mortal Loves
Ankhises: Aphrodite once was mocking all the gods, saying that she had joined them in love with mortal women and men while she herself never experienced such thing. As a punishment for her arrogance, Zeus cast upon her the desire to join a mortal man as well. The chosen man was Ankhises, and when Aphrodite saw him, she instantly fell in love. She bore him two sons, Aeneas and Lyros.
Adonis: because of his beauty, Aphrodite secreted him away in a chest, keeping it from the gods, and left him with Persephone. But when Persephone got a glimpse of Adonis, she refused to return him to Aphrodite. When the matter was brought to Zeus for arbitration, he divided the year into three parts and decreed that Adonis would spent one third of the year by himself, one third with Persephone and one third with Aphrodite. Adonis always chose to spend two thirds of his year with Aphrodite anyways. One day, while hunting, he was attacked by a boar (some say it was a jealous Ares in disguise) and died. Aphrodite bore him a daughter, Beroe.
Boutes: Boutes was one of the Argonauts. As the Argonautoi sailed past the Seirenes, Orpheus started to sing a song to offset the effect of their singing. The only one to swim off to them was Boutes. He was rescued by Aphrodite when he leapt into to the sea. She carried him off to Lilybaion as her lover and bore him a son, Eryx.
Phaethon: Eos gave birth to a glorious son, Phaethon, a man considered of the likeness of the immortals. While he was still a child, Aphrodite swooped down and caught him away and set him in her holy temple to be her temple-keeper. She later bore him a son, Astynoos.
Source: The Theoi Project ♡
