Aphrodite in myth & art

　　As the goddess[1] of love and beauty, Aphrodite holds great power over both mortals and immortals. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that she is featured in numerous myths, poems, and plays; likewise[2], there are many representations of Aphrodite in Greek sculpture and vase painting[3]. While several legends of Aphrodite emphasize themes of love and desire, some of most compelling myths deal with the consequences that the goddess herself suffers[4] as a result of being the victim of love. The story of Aphrodite and her interlude with the human Adonis makes for an interesting study of the double edged sword that passion can be. In this myth, the vulnerability of the goddess is poignant. This vulnerability[5] points to the fact that in Greek mythology even the gods could suffer, and were certainly not immune to the pains and passions that we, as humans, experience.

神话和艺术中的阿芙洛狄特

　　作为爱神和美神，阿芙洛狄特对人和神都拥有极大的权利。因此，无数的神话、诗篇及戏剧都是讲述有关她的故事的，这也并没有什么可奇怪的。同样地，阿弗洛狄特也以许多不同的形象出现在希腊的雕塑和瓶画中。尽管有关阿芙洛狄特的一些神话强调了爱情和欲望的主题，但是几个最引人注目的神话却都是关于女神自己作为爱情的牺牲品，而倍受折磨的故事。阿芙洛狄特的故事以及她与属于人类的阿多尼斯之间的插曲，构成了对激情的表里双重意义的有趣的研究。在这个神话故事中，女神的脆弱令人神伤。这种脆弱性指出了在希腊神话中即便是神也会遭受痛苦折磨的事实，并且他们肯定并非对我们人类所经历的种种痛苦和激情是免疫的。

A Legend of Aphrodite:

　　Aphrodite was the goddess of love. The Romans called her Venus (hence the famous armless statue known as the Venus de Milo). Aphrodite lived on Mount Olympus[6] with the other supreme deities and was married to the homely craftsman-god, Hephaestus[7]. She was said to have been born from the foam of the sea .

阿弗洛狄特的传奇

　　阿芙罗狄特是爱神。罗马人也叫她维纳斯（因此，那个断臂的雕塑就以“米洛的维纳斯”而闻名于世。）阿弗洛狄特同其他至高的神祗一起住在奥林帕斯山上，并嫁给了容貌平庸的火神，西费斯德斯（宙斯Zeus和赫拉Hera之子，相当于罗马神话中的伏尔坎Vulcan）。据说，她是从海上的泡沫中出生的。