Aphrodite Statue, 13.25 Inches

The Greek goddess of love and beauty. Aphrodite in a classic, graceful pose, arm arched overhead and hand through her hair.

Cold-cast resin, 13 1/4 inches. A substantial, elegant altar figure.

A devotional focal point. A modern devotional sculpture for love and beauty work, not an archaeological reproduction.

• Height: about 13 1/4 inches
• Material: cold-cast resin
• Finish: detailed sculptural finish
• Form: standing Aphrodite, one arm overhead, the other in her hair
• Use: deity statue, altar focal point, love and self-love work
• SKU: SA844
• Sold by Plentiful Earth

Aphrodite governs far more than romance. She is the goddess of love in every register, desire and pleasure, beauty and adornment, the spark of attraction and the deep bonds it can become. The Greeks knew her as both the tender Aphrodite Ourania, heavenly love, and Aphrodite Pandemos, earthly and common love, and her domain stretches from the heights of devotion to the simple delight of feeling beautiful. Doves, roses, myrtle, and the scallop shell are all sacred to her.

On a modern altar, Aphrodite is honored for love and romance, for self-love and confidence, for beauty and pleasure, and for creative and sensual vitality. Practitioners call on her to open the heart, to draw willing love, to heal a wounded sense of worth, and to celebrate the body and its joys. As with all love work, let her draw what is freely given rather than try to bend another's will; her gift is magnetism, not compulsion.

1. Place her on an altar, a vanity, or a beauty space where her presence can preside over love and self-care.
2. Welcome her by cleaning the statue, holding it, and speaking her name and your hopes; a first offering of roses, honey, or sweet wine is traditional.
3. For love or self-love work, light a candle before her and ask for her blessing on a relationship, your own worth, or a season that needs more beauty and pleasure.
4. Honor her with beautiful things: flowers, perfume, a mirror, sweets, and attention to your own adornment as a devotion.
5. Keep offerings fresh, refresh flowers rather than letting them wilt, and dust the statue gently with a soft cloth.

• Hathor Egyptian Goddess Statue, 11 Inches a fellow goddess of love, beauty, and joy.
• Bastet Feminine Divine Statue: the Egyptian cat goddess of protection and joy.
• Rose Oil to anoint a candle for love and beauty work.
• Come To Me Oil to dress a petition for willing love and attraction.
• Egyptian Goddess Isis Statue, 13 Inch another great goddess for a cross-cultural altar.

Aphrodite is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the Greeks told two stories of her birth: that she rose from the sea foam where the severed parts of the primordial sky god Uranus fell, and that she was the daughter of Zeus and the goddess Dione. Her great cult centers were on Cyprus, especially Paphos, and the island of Cythera. The Romans honored her as Venus, ancestor of the Roman people through her son Aeneas. Her image has shaped Western art for millennia, from ancient sculptures like the Venus de Milo to Botticelli's Birth of Venus. Modern devotion comes through Hellenic reconstruction and eclectic Paganism, where she remains the great goddess of love and beauty.

Who is Aphrodite?

She is the Greek goddess of love, beauty, desire, and pleasure, one of the Twelve Olympians, born from the sea foam in the most famous version of her myth. The Romans knew her as Venus.

Can she make someone love me?

Ethical love work is an invitation, not a command. Aphrodite's gift is magnetism and the opening of hearts, not control over another's will. Pair her with an honest, open heart and let love come freely.

Is Aphrodite the same as Venus?

Essentially yes. Venus is the Roman name and counterpart of the Greek Aphrodite, and the two were thoroughly identified in the ancient world, sharing myths and attributes.

What offerings does she like?

Roses and other flowers, honey, sweet wine, perfume, mirrors, and beautiful things. Attention to your own beauty and pleasure can itself be an offering to her.

How do I care for the statue?

Dust it with a soft dry cloth and keep it out of prolonged direct sunlight to protect the finish. Avoid soaking the resin; a barely damp cloth is enough for occasional cleaning.