Aphrodite is the goddess of love, desire and beauty. In addition to her natural gifts she has a magical girdle that compels anyone she wishes to desire her. There are two accounts of her birth.

• One says she is the daughter of Zeus and Dione.
• The other goes back to when Cronus castrated Uranus and tossed his severed genitals into the sea. Aphrodite then arose from the sea foam on a giant scallop and walked to shore in Cyprus.

She is the wife of Hephaestus. The myrtle is Aphrodite's tree. She is associated with the dove, swan, and the sparrow.