Adonis – Mythopedia Adonis was also connected to fertility and vegetation, and despite his mortal origins, he was widely worshipped as a god by the ancient Greeks Because his mother Myrrha was the original myrrh tree, Adonis was strongly associated with myrrh, as well as anemone, myrtle, and the rose Adonis by Bertel Thorvaldsen (19th century) Thorvaldsen
Daphnis – Mythopedia Daphnis’ story probably originated in Sicily as a variant to the Near Eastern myth of Tammuz or Adonis He was a favorite among ancient writers of bucolic and pastoral poetry He was a favorite among ancient writers of bucolic and pastoral poetry
Aphrodite - Mythopedia Eventually, Adonis was murdered by a boar Different sources assign the responsibility for Adonis’ death to the jealous Ares, the vengeful Artemis, or even Apollo’s son Erymanthus Fragment of a plaster relief with Aphrodite (left) and the young, handsome Adonis (3rd 2nd century BCE) Museum of Fine Arts Public Domain
Venus – Mythopedia Scooping up Adonis’ blood and mixing it with nectar, Venus crafted a red flower in her lover’s memory Like Adonis, the flower was beautiful but short lived, as it lost its lovely petals within days of budding The flower was known as the windflower, or anemone Venus, Aeneas, and the Aeneid
Hyacinthus – Mythopedia Hyacinthus was a beautiful Spartan prince who was loved by the god Apollo When Apollo accidentally killed his young lover with an errant discus throw, he turned his blood into the hyacinth flower
Persephone – Mythopedia Eventually, Zeus determined that Adonis would spend part of the year with Aphrodite and part of the year with Persephone Terracotta loutrophoros (ceremonial water jug) attributed to the Darius Painter (ca 340–330 BCE) The upper register of the body shows Zeus between Persephone and Aphrodite regarding Adonis
Apollo (Roman) - Mythopedia His male lovers, meanwhile, included Adonis (the most beautiful man alive), Hyacinth (a Spartan prince), and King Admetus of Pherae While Apollo had many children, the best known were Asclepius, a famous physician whom Apollo delivered with a caesarean procedure, and Orpheus, a legendary musician and prophet Apollo’s other children included
Orpheus – Mythopedia When Aphrodite and Persephone both competed for the affections of the handsome Adonis, Zeus ordered Orpheus’ mother Calliope to resolve their dispute When Calliope ruled that each should possess Adonis for half of the year, Aphrodite was dissatisfied and punished Calliope by devising a creative way to get her son Orpheus killed: she caused
Artemis – Mythopedia Artemis was also involved in the death of Adonis, a mortal lover of Aphrodite Aphrodite had been responsible for the death of Hippolytus, a virginal young man whom Artemis loved dearly In revenge, Artemis plotted the death of Aphrodite’s darling Adonis (in most versions, by sending a wild boar to gore him)
Aengus - Mythopedia Aengus was a Celtic god who ruled over love, poetry, and youth A member of the Tuatha dé Danann, his cunning wordplay and disarming good looks helped win many battles of wit against his elders