| “ | Kratos, it's been far too long. Even though you are no longer the God of War, you can still share my bed. | ” |
–Aphrodite inviting Kratos to her bed | ||
Aphrodite is the Olympian Goddess of Love and Beauty, and one of the many supporting characters in the God of War series.
Greek Mythology
In Greek mythology, Aphrodite is the goddess of Love, Beauty, Seduction, Pleasure, and Happiness. There is more than one story about her origins. According to Hesiod's Theogony, she was born when Cronus cut off Uranus's genitals and threw them into the sea, and she arose from the sea foam (aphros). According to Homer's Iliad, she is the daughter of Zeus and Dione. Because of her beauty, other gods feared that their rivalry over her would interrupt the peace among them and lead to war, so Zeus married her to Hephaestus, who, because of his ugliness and deformity, was not seen as a threat. Aphrodite had many lovers - both gods, such as Ares, and men, such as Anchises. One day, the sun god Helios caught Ares and Aphrodite in their affair. When he told Hephaestus, the smith god decided to plan his revenge. He created an invisible net, which he set over the marriage bed. No sooner had Hephaestus left their home, that Aphrodite called her lover and Ares snuck into the house and in bed with the naked goddess; but, just in the midst of their lovemaking, the net fell upon the two lovers, trapping and immobilizing them, locked in a very private embrace. Hephaestus immediately walked back to his bedchamber with a host of other gods and exhibited them as they were naked and wrapped in each other's arms.
Her Roman equivalent is Venus.
In the God of War Series
God of War
Aphrodite appeared in the first game in the city of Athens, presenting one of the tasks Kratos must pass: killing Medusa by decapitating her, and using her gaze as a weapon. Once the task is complete Kratos must then use the gaze to turn a few minotaurs into stone. She then allows Kratos to pass and continue his quest.
God of War III
Aphrodite was seen in bed making love with her handmaidens, but when she sees Kratos, she tells them to leave. She attempts to seduce Kratos, telling him, "Even though you are no longer the God of War, you can still share my bed." But Kratos was not amused. Annoyed, she reveals how she yearns for a "real man" to meet her, but since Zeus refused to let the imprisoned Daedalus finish the bridge, she has not had her wish granted and she expressed how much she dislikes Hephaestus. That's when she realizes that Kratos needs those bridges fixed and tells him that she might give him information only if Kratos pleases her (You can still deny her and she will still give you the information you seek). If he does, Kratos would be given a high amount of Red Orbs. The love scene is not shown and can therefore only be guessed: first Aphrodite lies on her back to invite the Spartan, moaning "Ohh, Kratos"; while, at the sight of Kratos' manhood, the concubines, who are watching the couple, comment: "Such power!!". When the player has to wriggle the analog stick, the two are probably making out, rolling on the bed; and when the handmaid gasps: "Is he going to...?" Kratos is obviously about to take the Goddess who, in fact, begins to moan louder and louder until she climaxes. If Kratos manages to satisfy the Goddess of Love, the concubines become so excited that they begin to make love as well; while, if he fails, they show their disapproval. Regardless of how many times Kratos pleasures her, Aphrodite ever wants Kratos to make love to her again and, when he finally leaves, she angrily complains about the men's "need for war and vengeance" and tells him to go to Hephaestus for help instead.
After killing Hephaestus, Kratos returns to the chambers of the, now widowed, Aphrodite and can lay with her again.
Powers and Abilities
As the Goddess of Love, Aphrodite possessed many powers.
- Astral Projection: She was able to communicate with Kratos in God of War through a magical image of her face in a doorway.
- Beauty Embodiement: Aphrodite's beauty was spellbinding, such that even Kratos could not bring himself to attack her.
- Beauty Inducement: She could also cause others to become beautiful.
- Immortality: Aphrodite is an immortal, as she cannot die through natural causes or weapons that can easily kill a mortal. Only other gods, divine weapons or other immortals, can probably harm her.
- Amokinesis: Aphrodite attracts both men and women naturally through her presence and/or by her will.
- Love inducement: Aphrodite could cause other beings to fall in love with one another.
- Power Bestowel: Aphrodite granted Kratos the ability to wield Medusa's gaze.
- Shapeshifting: A small alteration to her appearance in God of War III is that Aphrodite has auburn hair, rather than the blond hair in God of War, implying that she too can alter her appearance.
- Telepathy: Aphrodite was able to perceive Kratos' mind when he encountered her. None of the other Olympians displayed this ability like she did. This implies that, as she is the Goddess who oversees strong emotions such as love, this allows her to see into people's minds.
Personality
She seems to have a very carefree, yet promiscuous outlook on life. In fact, the only thing she cares about is making love, and is actively neutral in the war Kratos is waging against the gods. This promiscuous nature only intensified after the opening of Pandora's Box. After it was opened, the evils Lust/Vanity completely took possession of her which made Aphrodite even more promiscuous than she initially was. This is evident by how she was once more noble and helped Kratos along with the other gods destroy Ares, but became only concerned with sexual intercourse after the evils seemingly took hold of her.
She seems to prefer making love rather than doing anything else. This is a trait largely influenced by the evils of Pandora's box being released. Her only benchmark, it seems, for having intercourse with someone is whether or not she finds the individual attractive enough to sleep with her.
It is implied by her handmaidens that she is difficult to fully please sexually, due to her having so much experience in the matter. She was surprised when Kratos is able to nearly make her lose her composure with his own experience.
Appearance
Aphrodite is considered to be flawlessly beautiful. She has long, auburn hair kept in a braid and blue eyes. Her body can be considered "perfect" since she is the Goddess of Love, Beauty and Sexuality. She is tall and fit, while her breasts are large and perfectly shaped. The goddess of Love proudly exhibits her beauty by wearing a revealing purple dress that leaves most of her body naked, exposing entirely her breasts, stomach, legs and back. Some bracelets adorn her arms.
Trivia
- Aphrodite had a strong romantic relationship with Ares in Greek mythology, mainly because she found his violent nature appealing. Since Kratos was more savage than Ares ever was, this might be what attracted Aphrodite to Kratos in the first place.
- Aphrodite is one of the few gods not killed by Kratos, and one of very few to admire him.
- Director Stig Asmussen revealed in an interview that originally, before being scrapped, the idea would be when trying to do the sex mini-game a second time, the camera would pan out. A record-scratching sound would then occur, and the camera would pan back to the bed. Aphrodite would then try to kill Kratos with the daggers hanging over the bed, initiating a quicktime-event to boot her down into Hades. It was however re-enforced that she would not be murdered.
- While Aphrodite is the goddess of love, desire, and sex, her over-the-top promiscuity is likely caused by the evil Lust being unleashed from Pandora's Box which made her even more thirsty for sex.
- Aphrodite appeared in the God of War II game booklet as one the gods who appear in the game, though she actually doesn't.
- In the God of War novel, Aphrodite is revealed to be the mother of twins, named Zora and Lora, whom Kratos encounters on the ship to Athens.
- In the Japanese version, Aphrodite and her Handmaidens aren't topless.
- It is unknown why Aphrodite helped Kratos by bestowing the power of Medusa's Gaze upon him, as she had a relationship with Ares, the being Kratos wished to slay.
- It is likely that Aphrodite helped Kratos because Ares was a threat to Olympus. This indicates that the Goddess had a more noble side, at least before Pandora's Box was opened.
- In the greek mythology, she was emerged as an adult from the sea foam that formed after when the mutilated genitals of Ouranos was thrown at the sea, making her, in fact, the half-sister of the Titans and aunt of the six olympians originals. In an alternate version, she is the daughter of Zeus with one of his lovers, Dione. The God of War series follows the version of Aphrodite as daughter of Zeus and Dione. [1]
- Aphrodite is the only one whose sexual minigame is introduced directly in the campaign instead of being in a side path.
- She is also the only woman in the minigames to have sex with Kratos alone (optional).
Gallery
Concept Art
.webp "Aphrodite (1).webp (66 KB)")
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