You are a goddess-- process research- aphrodite
The works of
travelers and archaeologists in Cyprus during the second half of the I9!h
century abound in prurient descriptions of the supposed cult of Aphrodite
or Ashtart in ancient Cyprus. "Abominable lust, bloodshed and
depravity" is by no means the strongest. To these are added the stories of
classical mythology and a series of ill-informed stereotypes about Oriental
sexuality, both ancient and modern. These 19th century interpretations of the
worship of Aphrodite in ancient Cyprus are a consequence of various ideologies
prevalent among Europeans who travelled to the eastern Mediterranean. Prurient
travelers escaping the moralistic attitudes of western Europe looked eagerly
for exotic and Oriental titillation. Imperial officials and ideologues
legitimized their rule by tracing a heritage of amorality from antiquity to the
present. Missionaries of western religion and culture found ancient vice and
modern heresy convenient tools for the justification of their unpopular
proselytising. Two forces, in particular, drove British imperialist attitudes:
colonial desire, the urge to conquer and master a feminized, exotic, oriental
Other: and colonial fear, whether of the unknown, of being vastly outnumbered,
or of the "unnatural practices" that they themselves had projected
onto the Orient.
Aphrodite, according
to these writers, had corrupted the Cypriot people, and her influence was still
to be seen. Because of the imperial relationship, however, it was these
Europeans who had corrupted Aphrodite.
Michael Given
previous blogpost on ishtar transition to aphrodite-
and list of copper mines- copper being cypriot related metal- ceremonies-- ancient ritual belief.
Different related images
From the earliest
periods the worship of a Fertility Goddess remained supreme in Cyprus. The
Goddess and her retinue of deities were worshipped to sustain life dependent on
the soil. Gradually she received the name Aphrodite, who was the goddess of
love and considered to originate from Cyprus. The sacred area at Paphos and
other places was dedicated to the Phoenician Astarte, and later the Greek
Aphrodite. The air was heavy with aroma from sweet-scented sacred gardens with
bushes of myrtle, which was the flower of Aphrodite. Ceremonies were held and
incense was burnt on the altar. Traditional scholarly opinion maintains that
prostitution in the temples occurred in many of the Mediterranean countries.
Women supposedly served voluntarily in the sanctuaries of the Goddess, where
they had intercourse with men who paid in the form of offerings. Many temples
in Phoenician colonies in the western Mediterranean, particularly in the harbor
towns, were believed to have founded their wealth on prostitution. At Kition
below today’s Larnaca excavated the most monumental Phoenician Astarte temple
ever found. The priests wore real sculls from bulls in order to share the
life-giving forces and power of the animal. The priestess probably inhaled
opium for religious ceremonies in order to hallucinate and utter prophesies.
From earliest times, opium appears to have had ritual significance, and perhaps
ancient priests may have used the drug as a proof of their healing power.
The Cypriot Goddess
was venerated in a twin-cult together with a male smithing god and was supposed
to have a relationship with an oriental war god. Perhaps the myth about
Aphrodite, Hephaestus
and Ares is of Cypriot origin. The forbidden love affair between goddess
Aphrodite and Adonis perhaps started in the verdant woods on the eastern hill
of Idalion. The most celebrated shrine at ancient Idalion was located on the
eastern acropolis and was dedicated to the Great Mother, who gradually was
identified with Aphrodite.
One can see the
famous statuette from AyiaIrini. This figure has a female appearance, but she
also has a big black beard. The Bearded Goddess alludes to the ancient
literary texts where the authors describe the cult of a bearded Aphrodite or
Venus. This cult seems to have been widely spread especially in Cyprus. Perhaps
the AyiaIrini hermaphrodite is an image of the bearded Aphrodite. Much later
the Cypriot bisexual goddess was identified with Aphrodite, in whose honour
people engaged in transvestite rituals. In the prehistoric Mediterranean the
many bisexual figurines could perhaps indicate that the perception of
androgynes was much different from today. This shape was perhaps considered to
be more powerful since the figure was complete and self-sufficient.
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