I Need Some Help! :]

I need some help! :]

I love my deities (greek gods/goddesses) but there's an issue. I hate the idea of asking them for things. I feel like im: -asking for too much -wasting their godly/important time -being disrespectful by asking. So when I want to do prayers that ask for something (even as slight as a good night's sleep) I can't. Am I like right in my position fo not asking the gods for things or am I wrong?? helpppp

hi I love your tags so so much! they were so sweet and so interesting and creative and the whole Aphrodite type of beauty thing sounds really interesting do you have any articles and recommendations to read further into it??

-hogoflight

Hello my fine feathered (I am assuming possession of feathers if you are, indeed, capable of flight) @hogoflight! I'm always always happy to hear that people appreciate my frenzied rambling in the tags :D! I have a lot of articles and recommendations :D!! Ancient Greek notions of beauty and representations of it in their art and sculptures is a pretty well studied topic! There isn't any way for us now to know definitively what the beauty standard was (it varied widely from region to region and culture to culture after all) but here are a couple of my favourite reads about Aphrodite and what her representations tell us about idealised beauty!

Probably the most empirically extensive one I can list is Krönström's thesis which compares statues of Aphrodite and literary text referring to both the goddess and mortal women to determine physical ideals for women in five specific eras of Grecian antiquity. Including measurements of the statues there are many descriptions of Aphrodite as 'curvy' with a 'voluptuous figure' and with 'ample buttocks and bosom'.

"When the beauty traits are described in the texts, they are never extreme or anything that could not be found in normal people just that they are more beautiful in every aspect. Furthermore, the sculptures’ physical forms look healthy, they are tall and have distinct curves. Great examples of this are the Knida sculpture and de Milo (the Melian) sculpture."

Of course, these images are still idealised, and there was still a concept such as 'too fat' or 'too skinny' found in written records (and this thesis even includes analysis of pornographic writings and descriptions of the fashion and stylings of pubic hair of women from different regions!!) but from an interpretational standpoint? There is absolutely no reason why these can't refer to a fuller figure. Height was also a very important factor after all and over the course of many eras, it seems like being well proportioned in addition to the length and appearance of one's hair were the most important factors (and, like Apollo, greater beauty was given to those with curlier hair)

Mireille M. Lee's 'Other Ways of Seeing' essay which talks about the forgotten female viewers of Knidian Aphrodite which is also extremely illuminating on how Aphroditic sexuality and sensuality was perceived totally differently from the well documented male voyeuristic gaze (which was overly preoccupied with the statue's nakedness and therefore over-sensationalised the statue's physical appearance) vs women's perspective on the statue which is more centered on the beauty of simplicity in Aphrodite's garment and decoration and in her power and ability to captivate both in her finery and without it. I think it's especially useful in exploring the importance of finery, jewellry and adornment in representations of Aphroditic beauty.

"Some of the small-scale copies are heavily jeweled, especially those from the eastern Mediterranean, for example the Hellenistic gilded terracotta statuette in the Çanakkale Museum (Fig. 5) in which the goddess wears, in addition to the armband on her (right) arm, the following: a necklace with multiple pendants; cross-bands extending over both shoulders and hips, with a cascading pendant in the center; a coiled snake armband on the left arm and another snake on her left thigh, and a twisted anklet on her right leg. (The left leg has been restored, and might also have featured an anklet.)"

"Jewelry is especially associated with Aphrodite in Greek literature. As seen above, in the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, the goddess adorns herself with gold jewelry, dress-pins, and earrings in the shape of flowers (162–3)..."

Finally, and to me, the most important one in the argument for an interpretation of Hyacinthus as fat, beautiful and fundamentally Aphroditic comes from Brilmayer's brilliant brilliant thesis done on Aphrodite's work and influence in Archaic Greek Poetry which does away with all of that masculine preoccupation with physical proportion, measurement and bodily ideals for a focus on a Sapphic Aphroditic ideal centered in clothing, ornamentation and, most importantly cunning as symbols of Aphrodite and ultimately a feminine idealised form of beauty. This paper also discusses Pandora and Helen in these terms and it is just kind of a wonderful read tbh.

"Combining Homeric and Hesiodic elements with her own ideas, she [Sappho] alters the way female beauty is viewed. For example, the Homeric war chariot – a symbol of male, military prowess - comes to symbolise the totality of Aphrodite’s power uniting in itself male and female qualities. Having addressed the concept of beauty directly, Sappho then concludes that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. With the help of Helen of Troy and her beloved Anaktoria, Sappho sets out to reinvent the concept of female beauty as a godlike, subjective quality that may be expressed in many ways, yet remains inspired by Aphrodite."

The conclusion to all of this of course is that Aphroditic ideal beauty is much more fluid compared to its stricter Apolline masculine standard. The nuances and understandings of both are of course, constantly being studied, analysed and scrutinised but really, if Dionysus who was both bearded and clean shorn, effeminate, birthed and rebirthed (and twice gestated!) and strongly associated with vegetation can be popularly portrayed as fat and handsome, why can't Hyacinthus?!

i work with aphrodite, of course i try not to insult peoples looks i work with aphrodite, of course i wished that i was a typical sorta pretty but then she helped me realize beauty comes in all forms i work with aphrodite, when she says something. i do it. her war epithets will always be there. i work with aphrodite, of course when i laugh i do it in her honor i work with aphrodite, of course i look through her epithets in awe i work with aphrodite, of course shes linked with the ocean but im no where near flowing water

doing my art history midterm on early art of Aphrodite. ive found one statuette called "Heyl Aphrodite" that is part of a german collection in a german museum. i can find NO sources that are credible talking about her. one guy is a neuroscientist and has no art or history credentials and made 2 typos in his article. the wikipedia entry has NO other sources. the google arts and cukture page i found her on was written by a 3rd party and again, has no sources cited. if ANYONE and i mean ANYONE knows ANYTHING about her, PLEASE let me know. i NEED to know now. is she even Aphrodite? who is she? who made her?

Aphrodite: Goddess of Passion, Love, Sex, Beauty, Pleasure and Procreation.

Offerings include:

rose water,

rose/ocean scented candles or incense,

rose petals,

seashells,

perfumes,

jewelry you consider beautiful, honey, rose tea, fruits like apples ( golden colored apples ) figs, and pomegranates,

crystals/gemstones such as quartz, rose quartz ( specifically ) and emeralds,

chocolates,

naturally shed dove/swan/geese feathers,

herbs like basil and majoram,

sand,

poems about her, love, or any other poem you have written.

Prayers to Aphrodite

1. I come to you by candlelight, I bring a humble gift this night,

View my soul and weigh my truth, I love, respect, and honor you.

May this gift be well recieved,

By Love's goddess,

Lady of the seas.

2. Lady Aphrodite,

Beloved Goddess of all the world's beauty, of love in all forms,

and of purest desire,

may you continue to guide me

towards acceptance and love,

for myself and for others,

for now and for good.

May we flourish forever

with beauty and grace.

my Beloved Aphrodite

with love in your heart,

may you continue to guide me,

til death do us part.

3. Prayer to Aphrodite to Bring Love into One's Life

Tender-hearted Aphrodite, friend of the lonely, friend of those who seek a lover, a companion for life, a mate to share their sorrows and delights;

Aphrodite, you touch the center of the soul, you light the flame of passion in men and women, you hold our hearts in your gentle hands. Goddess, fair one, kind one, giver of the most precious gifts, open my spirit to joy and gladness, open my mind to possibility, open my heart to love. Heal me of hurt, release me from fear; grant me the innocence of first love that I may see the world in all its promise and beauty; grant me the wisdom of experience that I may choose with sense and judgment. May my eyes be keen, may my vision be true, may I see what is more clearly than what may be. Aphrodite, I pray to you, goddess, grant me your gift of love.

4. May Aphrodite bring love to you, and may you feel that love.

The intimacy of worship.

There’s something about walking through isles of a store and finding something that reminds you of your god. Or sitting down to write pages full of words detailing your love for them, giving them praises, talking about how they’ve helped you or how they’ve impacted your life. As a god, a friend, lover, sibling, or parental figure. Creating things in honor of them, dedicating pieces of art, finding silly things you just *know* they’d find hilarious, or helping others find their way to them just like you did.

Or finding them in everything you do.

I think about Hermes every time I’m writing, I think about Aphrodite every time I look in the mirror and bring myself to admire what I see, or how I think deeply about the type of love and devotion I’d want, my mind strays to Eros and Psyche. When I see and feel how much I hate certain emotions of mine, I think about how they can be expressed in healthy ways, and how I can lean on Dionysus and Ares without fear or judgement. When I feel the warmth of the sun on my skin, I think about our sun gods, and when the moon takes her rightful place in the sky, I think about our lovely moon goddesses. When a thunderstorm happens, I know I can say a bright hello to Zeus. When I’m doing house work with a frown, I know I can think of Hestia to make it a little less tiresome. When I’m clawing my eyes out because I can’t sleep, I know Hypnos will be by my side to make sure I can get a few restful hours.

They’re in everything. Every part of life that you wish to see them in, and I think that’s beautiful.