Venus meant "charm" and this Roman goddess certainly knew how to do that! Although she was a latecomer to Roman mythology, she rose quickly among the ranks.
Like the Greek goddess Aphrodite whose mythology she inherited, the Roman goddess Venus assumed the divine responsibility for love, beauty, and sexuality, not to mention marriage, procreation, and domestic bliss.
Venus was the ultimate multi-tasker! She was also known as the Venus Verticordia, goddess of chastity in women, (despite her numerous randy affairs with gods and mortals), as Venus Victrix, the goddess of victory in war, and also a nature goddess, associated with gardens and the arrival of spring.
When her son Aeneas fled Troy and founded the Roman race, Venus became known as the divine ancestor of the Roman people (the Venus Genetrix) and was treated with special honor.
Venus had many identities before she came to Rome –- Inanna, Ishtar/Astarte, and the Greek goddess Aphrodite. She had been recognized since the beginning of time as the brightest “star” in the heavens, except, of course, for the Sun.
The primordial Venus (Inanna, Ishtar, and Astarte) was a triple goddess – the morning (and evening) star represented her as the maiden who rose every morning, renewed in her youthful beauty, then waxing into her fullness of motherhood, and next becoming the crone, gradually waning in her power and strength but planting the seed of wisdom for the next cycle as she faded into the darkness of eternal night.
Because of her association with love and with feminine beauty, the Roman goddess Venus has been a favorite subject in art and poetry. To this day she is a cultural icon of love and beauty, a reminder of the awesome power of female radiance and beauty.
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Goddess Myths
Spiritual~~~ Goddesses Stories. Some ask why Long and Short Versions answer is: Because it gives you the option to choose which you want to read. For quick info, read the Short. for the Full info, read the Long version. .*.Disclamer: I don't own anything...
