home Citizenship Adonis was our beloved beloved. Adonis

Adonis was our beloved beloved. Adonis

Beautiful traditions and legends about the ancient gods, when people lived in harmony with nature, and saw a divine reason and plan in everything that happened, still excite the imagination of creative people. The goddess Aphrodite, the most beautiful inhabitant of Olympus - this article is dedicated to her.

Who is Aphrodite

The influence of neighboring peoples, as well as trade with other countries, left an imprint on the beliefs and religion of the ancient Greeks; sometimes similar cults merged and existing gods were enriched with new characteristic features. Who is Aphrodite in Greek mythology - historians and archaeologists believe that the cult of the Cypriot goddess was originally of Semitic origin and brought to Ancient Greece from Ascalon, where the goddess Aphrodite was called Astarte. Aphrodite is one of the pantheon of the 12 main gods of Olympus. Spheres of influence and functions of the goddess:

fertility of nature;
at his own discretion bestows beauty on people;
patronizes lovers, marriages and the birth of children;
voluptuousness;
love;
sensuality;
sends erotic fantasies and dreams;
punishes those who reject the feeling of love.

What does Aphrodite look like?

With the advent of the cult of the goddess of love, there was a leap in the development of art: the Greeks began to pay great attention to the reproduction of the naked body in paintings, frescoes and sculpture. The goddess Aphrodite, at the initial stage, differed from the images of other gods of the Greek pantheon in that she was completely naked. The appearance of the goddess spoke for itself:

a beautiful maiden with long hair the color of gold;
delicate and delicate facial features;
forever young;
graceful and graceful as a doe;
eyes the color of emeralds.

Aphrodite's attributes:

Golden cup of wine - a person who drank from the cup became immortal and gained eternal youth.
Aphrodite's Belt - bestowed sexual charms and strengthened the one who wore it. In myths, Aphrodite sometimes gave the belt to other goddesses at their request to seduce husbands or lovers.
Birds - pigeons and sparrows, a symbol of fertility.
Flowers - rose, violet, daffodil, lily - symbols of love.
The apple is the fruit of temptation.

The goddess of beauty Aphrodite is often accompanied by companions:

nymphs - spirits of nature;
choirs - goddesses of time and order in nature;
Eros is an archer deity who strikes with arrows of love;
the Harites, the goddesses of fun and joy, serve the goddess, dress her in beautiful outfits and comb her golden hair.

Aphrodite - mythology

The myths according to which the ancient Greek goddess Aphrodite appeared interpret this event differently. The traditional method of birth described by Homer, where Aphrodite’s mother is the sea nymph Dione, and her father is the supreme thunderer Zeus himself. There is a version in which the parents of the goddess are the goddess Artemis and Zeus - as a union of the masculine and feminine principles.

Another myth, more archetypal. The Earth Goddess Gaia was angry with the husband of the Sky God Uranus, from whom terrible children were born. Gaia asked her son Kronos to castrate his father. Kronos cut off Uranus's genitals with a sickle and threw them into the sea. Snow-white foam formed around the severed organ, from which the already adult goddess of love emerged. This event happened at Fr. Cythera in the Aegean Sea. The wind carried her on a sea shell to Cyprus, and she came ashore. The choirs put a golden necklace and a diadem on her and took her to Olympus, where the gods looked at the goddess in amazement and everyone wanted to take her as his wife.

Aphrodite and Ares

Aphrodite in Greek mythology is known for her love, including gods and mere mortals among her lovers. Historical sources indicate that Aphrodite’s husband, the god of blacksmithing Hephaestus, was lame and did not shine with beauty, so the goddess of love often consoled herself in the arms of a courageous and warlike man. One day, Hephaestus, wanting to catch Aphrodite in connection with the god of war, forged a thin bronze net. In the morning, when the lovers woke up, they found themselves entangled in a net. Hephaestus, in retaliation, invited those who wanted to look at the naked and helpless Aphrodite and Ares.

From love with the god of destruction and war, the children of Aphrodite were born:

Phobos is the god of fear. His father's faithful companion in battle.
Deimos is the personification of the horror of war.
Eros and Anteros are twin brothers, responsible for attraction and mutual love.
Harmony - patronizes a happy marriage, life in unity and harmony.
Himeroth is the god of fiery passion.

Aphrodite and Adonis

Aphrodite - the Greek goddess experienced love and the torment of suffering. The beautiful young man Adonis, who surpassed even the gods of Olympus in beauty, won the heart of Aphrodite at first sight. Adonis's passion was hunting, without which he could not understand his life. Aphrodite accompanied her lover and became interested in hunting wild animals. One stormy day, the goddess could not go hunting with Adonis and asked him to heed her pleas to take care of himself, but it so happened that Adonis’s dogs attacked the trail of a wild boar and the young man hurried in anticipation of prey.

Aphrodite felt the death of her beloved and went in search of him, making her way through the thickets, all wounded from thorns and sharp stones digging into her tender legs, the goddess found Adonis lifeless with a terrible lacerated wound left by the fangs of a boar. In memory of her lover, Aphrodite created an anemone flower from drops of his blood, which became her attribute. Zeus, seeing the grief of the goddess, agreed with Hades that Adonis spends six months in the kingdom of the dead - this is the time of winter, the awakening of nature personifies the time when Adonis is reunited with Aphrodite for six months.

Apollo and Aphrodite

The myth about Aphrodite, the most beautiful of the goddesses of Olympus, is contrasted with the myths about Apollo, who personifies the most beautiful of the divine Greek pantheon. Apollo, the sun god, is dazzling in his beauty and loving. Aphrodite's son Eros, fulfilling his mother's will, often struck the brilliant Apollo with his arrows. Apollo and Aphrodite were not lovers, but were a kind of standards of masculinity, reflected in the Hellenic art of sculpture.

Athena and Aphrodite

The Greek goddess Aphrodite decided to try herself in some other craft other than love and chose spinning. Athena, the goddess of war and crafts, found the goddess at the spinning wheel, which made her indignation know no bounds. Athena considered this an encroachment and interference in her spheres and powers. Aphrodite did not want to quarrel with Athena, apologized and promised not to touch the spinning wheel again.

Aphrodite and Venus

The ancient goddess Aphrodite attracted the warlike Romans so much that they adopted the cult of Aphrodite and called her Venus. The Romans considered the goddess their ancestor. Guy Julius Caesar was proud and constantly mentioned that his family descended from the great goddess. Venus Victorious was revered as giving victory to the Roman people in battles. Aphrodite and Venus are identical in function.

Aphrodite and Dionysus

Dionysus, the god of fertility and winemaking, sought in vain the favor of Aphrodite for a long time. The goddess often found comfort in casual relationships, and luck smiled on Dionysus. The son of Dionysus and Aphrodite, Priapus, who appeared as a result of a passing infatuation, was so ugly that Aphrodite abandoned the child. The huge genitals of Priapus, which the vengeful Hera endowed him with, became a symbol of fertility among the Greeks.

Aphrodite and Psyche

The ancient Greek Aphrodite had heard a lot about the beauty of the earthly woman Psyche and decided to destroy her by sending Eros to hit Psyche with an arrow of love for the ugliest of men. But Eros himself fell in love with Psyche and made her his, sharing a bed with her only in complete darkness. Psyche, persuaded by her sisters, decided to look at her husband while he was sleeping. She lit the lamp and saw that Eros himself was in her bed. A drop of wax fell on Eros, he woke up and left Psyche in a rage.

The girl is looking for her lover all over the world and is forced to turn to Eros’s mother Aphrodite. The goddess gives the poor thing impossible tasks: to sort different types of grains dumped into one huge pile, get the golden fleece from maddened sheep, draw water from the Styx and in the underworld get a potion to treat Eros' burn. With the help of the forces of nature, Psyche copes with difficult assignments. The recovered god of love, touched by care, asks the celestials of Olympus to legitimize the marriage with Psyche and grant her immortality.

Aphrodite and Paris

“The Apple of Discord” is the most ancient Greek myth about Aphrodite, Athena and Hera. Paris, the son of the Trojan king Priam, was having fun playing the flute and admiring the beauty of nature, when he suddenly saw that the messenger of the gods Hermes himself was walking towards him, and with him the three great goddesses of Olympus. Paris ran as fast as he could out of fear, but Hermes called out to him, saying that Zeus would order the young man to judge which of the goddesses was the most beautiful. Hermes handed Paris a golden apple with the inscription “To the most beautiful.”

The goddesses decided to bribe Paris with gifts in order to receive the fruit. Hera promised Paris power and rule over Europe and Asia. Athena promised eternal glory among the sages, and victory in all battles. Aphrodite approached and affectionately promised love to the most beautiful of mortals - Helen the Beautiful. Paris, who desired Helen, gave it to Aphrodite. The goddess helped kidnap Helen and patronized their union. For this reason, the Trojan War broke out.

Aphrodite and Poseidon

Aphrodite, the goddess of love, was also not indifferent to the god of the sea elements, Poseidon, who was inflamed with lust for her after seeing her naked in bed with Ares, at the moment when they were caught in Hephaestus’s net. Aphrodite, to shake up Ares' feelings of jealousy, responded to Poseidon with a mutual outburst of short-term passion. The goddess gave birth to a daughter, Rhoda, who became the wife of Helios, the solar deity.

Aphrodite (Anadyomene, Astarte, Venus, Ishtar, Ishtar, Cypris, Cameo, Millita) - the goddess of beauty and love, sky, wind and sea.

The golden and eternally young Aphrodite (Venus), who lives on Olympus, is considered the goddess of the sky and sea, sends rain to the earth, as well as the goddess of love, personifying divine beauty and unfading youth.

Aphrodite is considered the most beautiful of all the goddesses of Olympus and remains there forever.

An eternally young girl, tall and slender, with pearlescent white skin and deep dark blue eyes. Aphrodite's face with delicate features is framed by a soft wave of long curly golden hair, adorned with a shining diadem and a wreath of fragrant flowers, like a crown lying on her beautiful head - no one can compare in beauty to the most beautiful of all goddesses and mortals.

The goddess Aphrodite is dressed in flowing thin fragrant gold-woven clothes, spreads fragrance upon her appearance, and where her beautiful legs step, the Goddesses of Beauty (Ora) and the Goddess of Grace (Charita) accompany Aphrodite everywhere, entertain and serve her.

Wild animals and birds are not at all afraid of the radiant goddess, they meekly caress her and sing songs to her. Aphrodite travels on birds: swans, geese, pigeons or sparrows - the light wings of birds quickly carry the goddess from place to place.

The goddess of love and beauty, sea and sky - Aphrodite gives happiness to those who serve her: she gave life to a beautiful statue of a girl with whom Pygmalion fell endlessly in love. But she also punishes those who reject her gifts: this is how she cruelly punished Narcissus, who fell in love with his reflection in a transparent forest stream and died of melancholy.

The golden apple from the distant gardens of the Herespides is a symbol of Aphrodite, which she received as confirmation of her beauty from the mountain shepherd Paris (son of the king of the great Troy), who recognized Aphrodite as the most beautiful, more beautiful than Hera (the wife of her uncle Zeus) and Athena (the sister of Zeus).

As a reward for his choice, Paris received the help of the goddess in conquering the most beautiful of mortals - Helen (daughter of Zeus and his beloved Leda, wife of the king of Sparta Minelaus) and constant support in all his endeavors.

The daughter of her parents - the goddess of the sea and sky - windy Aphrodite with her unearthly beauty awakens love in hearts and love passion, and therefore reigns over the world. Any appearance of Aphrodite in fragrant clothes makes the sun shine brighter and bloom more magnificently.

Aphrodite lives on Olympus, sits on a rich golden throne forged by Hephaestus himself, and loves to comb her lush curls with a golden comb. Golden furniture stands in her divine home. Only love is created by the beautiful goddess, without touching any work with her hands at all.

Birth of Afordita

The story of the birth of the goddess of love and beauty has several true versions, as well as answers to the question about the reasons for the emergence of a feeling of love between people on Earth.

Aphrodite - daughter of Uranus

The beloved and last daughter of the sky god Uranus, Aphrodite, was born near the island of Cythera from the snow-white foam of sea waves. A light, caressing breeze brought her to the island of Cyprus.

Sea foam was formed from the mixing of the blood of Uranus, which fell into the salty waters of the Aegean Sea during the battle between the god of the sky Uranus and the son of the titan, the insidious Cronus (Kronos, Chronos) - the god of agriculture and time.

This story of Aphrodite's birth suggests her virgin conception from a single father.

Aphrodite - daughter of Kron

According to the Orphics, sea foam was formed from the blood of Cronus himself during his bloody battle with his son Zeus - the god of thunder and lightning - for power in the sky.

Therefore, Aphrodite may be the last and beloved daughter of the god of agriculture and time, Kronos (Kronos, Chronos).

According to these two versions, we can conclude that love appears as a result of struggle, it arises just like that...

Aphrodite - daughter of Zeus and Dione

According to Greek mythology, Aphrodite is the daughter of the thunderer Zeus and his beloved Dione (goddess of rain), who was born as a pearl from a mother-of-pearl shell.

Zeus is the son of Cronus (Cronus, Chronos), that is, Aphrodite for him can be a half-sister (if she is the daughter of Cronus) or an aunt (if she is the daughter of Uranus and the half-sister of Cronus).

When did love begin?

Wherever Aphrodite stepped, flowers grew magnificently. The whole air was full of fragrance. Having set foot on the island of Cyprus, young Aphrodite ascended to Olympus and began to help gods and mortals in matters of love and passion.

Love of Aphrodite and Adonis

Adonis (Adon, Dionysus, Tammuz) - the son of the king of the island of Crete named Minir and his daughter Mirra, who secretly sinned with her father without his knowledge and was forced to leave Cyprus.

Adonis is a wonderful man, but not a god, because he was born from mere mortals, although with the help of the gods.

The gods took pity on Myrrh and turned her into a “myrrh” tree with fragrant resin. From the trunk of the myrrh tree, with the help of the goddess Aphrodite, the baby Adonis appeared, who “was reputed to be the most beautiful of babies.”

Aphrodite instantly fell in love with him at first sight and hid the baby with a golden casket, and then handed it over to Persephone (the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, and the goddess of the underworld) to the kingdom of the invisible god Hades (Pluto), who also immediately fell in love with the beautiful boy and did not want to let go him back to earth.

Having matured, Adonis turned into a beautiful young man and none of the mortals was equal to him in beauty, he was even more beautiful than the Olympian gods. Two beautiful goddesses began to argue for the right to spend their time with Adonis and came to Zeus, and Zeus sent them to his daughter, the muse of science and poetry, Euterpe, who was more knowledgeable in matters of love.

The muse of science and poetry, Euterpe, on behalf of her father Zeus, decided that the young man would spend a third of the year with Aphrodite, the second third with Persephone, and the third at his own request.

Aphrodite abandoned her husband, the god of war Ares, for the sake of her beloved Adonis (the son of Zeus and her half-brother, according to the Greek version), the goddess forgot the shining Olympus, and the flowering islands of Patmos, Cythera, Paphos, Cnidus, Amafunts - she spent all her time with young Adonis , and only he began to matter to her.

Many gods sought her love: Hermes - the god of trade, Poseidon - the god of the ocean, and the formidable Ares tried to return his wife, but she loved only Adonis and lived only in thoughts of him.

Athena's first husband, the blacksmith Hephaestus (the son of Gaia and Zeus), with a wide torso and strong arms, forged a divine belt for his beautiful wife, thanks to which any man, both god and mortal, went crazy with passion and love. After parting with Hephaestus, the magic belt remained with Aphrodite. The beautiful Aphrodite constantly wore her belt to meetings with her beloved Adonis, so that he forgot the goddess Persephone and completely stopped going to the underworld of her husband Hades.

Every morning Aphrodite opened her beautiful blue eyes with the thought of her lover and every evening, falling asleep, she thought about him. Aphrodite always strived to be close to her lover, so she shared many of her dear friend’s hobbies.

Hunt of Adonis

Adonis and Aphrodite hunted in the Lebanese mountains and in the forests of Cyprus, Aphrodite forgot about her gold jewelry, about her beauty, but she remained no less beautiful even in a man’s suit, shooting from a bow, like the slender goddess of the hunt, the moon and a happy marriage, Artemis (Diana ), and setting their dogs on flattering animals and animals.

Under the scorching rays of the hot sun and in bad weather, she hunted hares, shy deer and chamois, avoiding hunting formidable lions and wild boars. And she asked Adonis to avoid the dangers of hunting lions, bears and boars, so that no misfortune would happen to him. The goddess rarely left the king's son, and every time she left him, she begged him to remember her requests.

One day, in the absence of Aphrodite, Adonis got bored and decided to go hunting to have fun. Adonis's dogs attacked the trail of a huge old and fearless boar (boar or wild pig) weighing under 200 kilograms and almost two (!) meters long. The dogs, barking furiously, raised the animal from the hole where he was sleeping sweetly, quietly grunting after a glorious breakfast, and drove him through the dense forest among bushes and trees.

The young handsome man died for a reason; there are several versions about those responsible for his death. The god of war and discord, Ares, abandoned by Aphrodite, or Persephone (wife of Hades and goddess of the kingdom of the dead), rejected by Adonis, or angered by the murder of her beloved doe Artemis (Diana), the mistress of all animals on the island of Crete, could turn into a boar.

Hearing the animated barking, Adonis rejoiced at the long-awaited entertainment and rich booty. He forgot all the pleas and requests of his beautiful friend and did not have a presentiment that this was his last hunt.

In excitement, Adonis began to urge his horse on and quickly galloped through the sunny forest to where loud barking could be heard. The barking of dogs was getting closer, and now a huge boar flashed among the bushes. The dogs of Adonis surrounded the huge beast and, growling, grabbed its thick, tarred skin with their teeth.

Adonis is already preparing to pierce the enraged boar with his heavy spear, raising it above the beast and choosing the best place to strike among the armor (“kalkan”) made of resin and wool of an adult beast. The young hunter hesitated with his blow, the dogs could not restrain the strong, fearless beast, and a huge boar rushed at Adonis, very angry and irritated by the sudden awakening and rapid run through the forest.

Before young Adonis had time to jump away from the fast, evil beast, the “lone boar” mortally wounded Aphrodite’s favorite with its huge tusks, tearing the arteries on his beautiful thigh.

A young handsome man fell from his horse among tall trees and his blood irrigated the wet ground from a terrible lacerated wound. A few minutes later, the fearless and courageous Adonis died from loss of blood, and the trees rustled their leaves over his bright head.

Aphrodite's sadness and the appearance of the rose

Sharp stones and thorns wounded the tender feet of the goddess. Drops of her blood fell to the ground, leaving a trail wherever the goddess passed. And where drops of blood fell from the wounded feet of the goddess, Aphrodite was everywhere. Therefore, the red scarlet rose is considered a symbol of eternal love at all times.

Finally, Aphrodite found the body of Adonis. She wept bitterly over the beautiful young man who died early, hiding his body for a long time in the thickets of lettuce, which to this day brings tears to everyone who touches him.

In order to preserve the memory of him forever, with the help of nectar, the goddess grew from the blood of Adonis a delicate blood-colored anemone - a flower of the wind, similar to red

Eugene-Emmanuel Amaury-Duval (1808-1885)

A light, caressing breeze brought her to the island of Cyprus. There the young Oras surrounded the goddess of love who emerged from the sea waves. They dressed her in gold-woven clothing and crowned her with a wreath of fragrant flowers.

Picoux, Henri Pierre - The Birth of Venus - 1874.

Wherever Aphrodite stepped, flowers grew magnificently. The whole air was full of fragrance. Eros and Himerot led the wondrous goddess to Olympus. The gods greeted her loudly. Since then, golden Aphrodite, forever young, the most beautiful of goddesses, has always lived among the gods of Olympus.

Battista Dossi (1490-1548)

Tall, slender, with delicate features, with a soft wave of golden hair lying like a crown on her beautiful head, Aphrodite is the personification of divine beauty and unfading youth. When she walks, in the radiance of her beauty, in fragrant clothes, then the sun shines brighter, the flowers bloom more luxuriantly. Wild forest animals run towards her from the thicket of the forest; Birds flock to her as she walks through the forest. Lions, panthers, leopards and bears meekly caress her. Aphrodite walks calmly among the wild animals, proud of her radiant beauty.

Adolphe William Bouguereau

Her companions Ora and Harita, goddesses of beauty and grace, serve her. They dress the goddess in luxurious clothes, comb her golden hair, and crown her head with a sparkling diadem.
Aphrodite awakens love in the hearts of gods and mortals. Thanks to this power, she reigns over the whole world. No one can escape her power, not even the gods.
But the goddess of love herself knew the torments of love, and she had to mourn her beloved Adonis. She loved the son of the king of Cyprus, Adonis.

West (1738-1820)

Adonis (“lord”) is the son of the king of Cyprus Kinir and Mirra, a young beautiful god who rules the order of things on earth.

There lived a just and wise king Kinir in Cyprus. He was born in Byblos and brought the achievements of Phoenician culture to Cyprus. Kinir taught the inhabitants of the island of Cyprus their native music, dancing and many useful crafts.
Kinir (Kiniras) - king of Cyprus, son of Apollo, father of Myrrha (Smyrna), father and grandfather of Adonis.
One day, Kinyra’s wife boasted that her daughter Mirra was more beautiful than Aphrodite herself. The goddess could not tolerate such an insult and instilled in Mirra a passion for her own father. One night, when her nurse got Kinir so drunk that he could no longer understand anything, Mirra climbed into his bed.

Mirra and Kinir. Engraving by Virgil Solis for Ovid's Metamorphoses

Kinir, having learned that his daughter had tricked her into conceiving a child, whom she was soon to give birth to, from himself, was so furious that he drew his sword, and the frightened Mirra rushed away from the palace.

("Birth of Adonis", oil on copper painting by Marcantonio Franceschini, c. 1685-90, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, Dresden)

Picart - Birth Adonis.

When her father overtook her at the cliff, Aphrodite hastily turned her into a myrrh tree, and her parent's sword split its trunk in half. A tiny Adonis fell out of the crack.
Aphrodite, already lamenting what she had done, imprisoned Adonis in a casket and handed it over to Persephone, the queen of the dead, asking her to hide it in a secluded place.
Persephone, burning with curiosity, opened the casket and found Adonis in it. He was so sweet that she took him in her arms and carried him to her palace, where she raised him.

Persephone Boris Vallejo

One day Aphrodite went down to Hades and asked Persephone what happened to the casket that was once given to her for safekeeping. Persephone called a young man of unearthly beauty to her. Young Adonis was so beautiful that Aphrodite immediately burned with passion and demanded his return. But Adonis was already Persephone’s secret lover, and she flatly refused.
Then Aphrodite had to turn to Zeus. But he did not want to resolve the disputes between the goddesses who did not share the handsome man and referred him to the court presided over by the muse Calliope.

Hendrik de Klerk, Flemish, 1570-1629. Venus and Adonis.

Bartholomaus Spranger

She recognized Aphrodite and Persephone as having equal rights and decided that he would spend time with each in turn. But in order for Adonis to have rest from the encroachments of loving goddesses, Calliope divided the year into three equal parts, one of which Adonis had to spend with Persephone, the second with Aphrodite, and the third at his own discretion.

Cornelis Cornelissen (1562-1638)

But Aphrodite, taking advantage of her power over love and the belt woven from lust, also took advantage of the free time of the young god, who of his own free will remained with Aphrodite.

Annibale Carracci - Venus, Adonis and Cupid

Hendrick Goltzius

Abraham Bloemaert (1564-1651)

Christiaen van Couwenbergh (1604-1667)

Ferdinand Bol (1616-1680)

Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665)

Abraham Janssens (1567-1632)

Aphrodite gave birth to a son from Adonis, Golga, the founder of the Golgi in Cyprus, and a daughter, Beroi, the founder of the Thracian Beroi.
Aphrodite spent all her time with her lover. Aphrodite hunted with him in the mountains and forests of Cyprus, like the maiden Artemis.

Bartholomeus Spranger (1546-1611)

Simon Vouet (French, 1590 - 1649)

But sometimes she had to leave her lover in order to visit Olympus. And Adonis hunted alone.

Venus attempts to save Adonis from the hunt.After Peter Paul Rubens

Augustin Van den Berghe (Belgium 1756-1836)

Charles-Joseph Natoire - Venus et Adonis

Titian (1490-1576)

Persephone, having learned that Aphrodite was dishonestly spending twice as much time with Adonis, decided to take revenge. She went to Aphrodite's lover Ares and told him that the Foam-Born preferred to him, the great Ares-Enial, some mortal, effeminate, pretty Adonis. Inflamed with jealousy, but not wanting a quarrel with Aphrodite, Ares turned into a wild boar and headed towards his rival’s hunting grounds. When Adonis's dogs picked up the trail of a huge boar, the young man rejoiced at such rich booty. He had no presentiment that this was his last hunt. The boar pounced on him and mortally wounded him.

"The Death of Adonis" - Antonio Tempesta, c. 1593

"The Death of Adonis" - Giuseppe Mazzuoli, 1709

Was rushing past
The shaggy beast and how he stumbled,
Feeling the winds of love
And ambrosial female flesh,
And the blood of kissing caresses,
Which for him is like a sign of ferocity.
Piercing Adonis with fangs
And spinning over your head,
The boar threw the body to the ground
And, as if in fright, he ran away.

Cambiaso Luca.

A. P. Losenko. "The Death of Adonis" 1764

Cornelis Holsteyn, 1647

Francisco Goya (1746-1828)

When Aphrodite learned about the death of Adonis, then, full of inexpressible grief, she herself went to the mountains of Cyprus to look for the body of her beloved young man. Aphrodite walked along steep mountain rapids, among dark gorges, along the edges of deep abysses.
Sharp stones and thorns wounded the tender feet of the goddess. Drops of her blood fell to the ground, leaving a trail wherever the goddess passed.

Jacopo Zanguidi Bertoia - Venus Led by Cupid to the Dead Adonis

Ribera, José de (1591-1652)

Giovanni Battista Gaulli (1639-1709) The Death of Adonis

Rubens, Peter Paul (1577-1640)

Giulio Carpioni (1613-1678)

Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665) Venus pleurant Adonis

Laurent de La Hyre (1606-1656)

Finally, Aphrodite found the body of Adonis. She wept bitterly over the beautiful young man who died early. In order to preserve the memory of him forever, the goddess ordered a gentle anemone to grow from the blood of Adonis.

CLAUDE MONET Anemones

ADONIS
But the goddess of love, who punished Narcissus in this way, knew the torment of love herself, and she had to mourn her beloved Adonis. She loved the son of the king of Cyprus, Adonis. None of the mortals was equal to him in beauty; he was even more beautiful than the Olympian gods. Aphrodite and Patmos, and the blooming Cythera, forgot for him. Adonis was dearer to her than even the bright Olympus. She spent all her time with young Adonis. She hunted with him in the mountains and forests of Cyprus, like the virgin Artemis. Aphrodite forgot about her gold jewelry, about her beauty. Under the scorching rays of the sun and in bad weather, she hunted hares, shy deer and sickles, avoiding hunting formidable lions and wild boars. And she asked Adonis to avoid the dangers of hunting lions, bears and boars, so that no misfortune would happen to him. After the hunt, Aphrodite rested on the lush grass of the green valleys with Adonis, bending her divinely beautiful head to his knees. The goddess rarely left the king's son, and every time she left him, she begged him to remember her requests.

One day, in the absence of Aphrodite, Adonis's dogs, while hunting, attacked the trail of a huge boar. They picked up the beast and, barking furiously, drove it away. Adonis rejoiced at such rich booty; he had no presentiment that this was his last hunt. The barking of dogs was getting closer, and now a huge boar flashed among the bushes. Adonis was already preparing to pierce the enraged boar with his spear, when suddenly the boar rushed at him and mortally wounded Aphrodite’s favorite with its huge tusks. Adonis died from a terrible wound.

When Aphrodite learned about the death of Adonis, full of unspeakable grief, she herself went to the mountains of Cyprus to look for the body of her beloved young man. Aphrodite walked along steep mountain rapids, among dark gorges, along the edges of deep abysses. Sharp stones and thorns wounded the tender yogis of the goddess. Drops of her divine blood fell to the ground, leaving a trail wherever the goddess passed. Aphrodite finally found the body of Adonis. She wept bitterly over the beautiful young man who died so early. In order to always preserve the memory of him, the goddess ordered a gentle anemone to grow from the blood of Adonis. And where drops of blood fell from the wounded feet of the goddess, lush roses grew everywhere, scarlet like the blood of Aphrodite.

Zeus the Thunderer took pity on the grief of the goddess of love. He ordered his brother Hades and his wife Persephone to release Adonis to earth every year from the sad kingdom of the shadows of the dead. Since then, Adonis remains in the kingdom of Hades for six months, and lives on earth for six months with the goddess Aphrodite. All nature rejoices when the young, beautiful favorite of golden Aphrodite, Adonis, returns to earth to the bright rays of the sun.

Adonis - the beloved of Venus A beautiful legend about the adonis plant, whose Latin name is Adonis, is repeatedly mentioned in literature. This legend was very popular in Ancient Greece, but reached its greatest popularity during the Renaissance, when numerous paintings and sculptures were created based on the plot of the legend of Venus and Adonis. According to one version of the legend, Venus became angry with the wife of the Cypriot king Kimir for disrespect and instilled in his daughter a passion for her own father. The king, unaware of the truth and succumbing to temptation, entered into a relationship with Mirra, but, having discovered the truth, cursed her. The gods turned the unfortunate woman into a myrrh tree, with precious aromatic juice eternally oozing from the wounds. From the cracked trunk a child was born, who was named Adonis. The boy was unusually handsome. Venus gave him to be raised by Persephone, the wife of the god of the underworld Hades, with the condition that when the child grows up, he will return to her. But when the appointed time came, Persephone did not want to part with him. The judge in this dispute had to be Zeus himself, who decided that in the summer Adonis would live on earth with Venus, and in the winter he would return underground with Persephone. Happy Venus wandered through the forests with Adonis, begging him not to take risks and not to hunt fierce animals - bears and boars. But one day Adonis went hunting alone and died from the tusks of a wild boar. Venus bitterly mourned her lover, and then turned him into a flower, sprinkling the young man’s blood with nectar. The genus Adonis, or adonis, has about 45 perennial and annual species. And even though the color of the corolla in most species is not blood-red, all of them, in the understanding of botanists, are relatives of the “flower of Adonis”. Representatives of the genus live both on plains and in mountains, rising up to 4500 m above sea level. Due to their habitat in remote areas, many species remain poorly studied to this day. First of all, this is spring Adonis (Adonis vernalis), adonis. This is a plant of the steppes of the European part of Russia, Crimea, Ciscaucasia, Siberia, as well as Central and Southern Europe. Spring Adonis is a component of the herbs of meadow steppes and steppe meadows. This is one of the very beautiful plants, with golden-flaming flowers, blooming at the end of April and ending flowering at the end of May - beginning of June. The lower leaves are scale-like, stem-embracing, the stem leaves are sessile, repeatedly dissected. The flower is large, up to 6 cm in diameter, consisting of 15-20 free yellow, shiny petals supported by five pubescent sepals, located at the top of the stem. There are many stamens and pistils. The height of flowering plants is 10-15 cm, fruiting plants are 40-60 cm. The fruits are wrinkled with a hooked nose and ripen in July. The fruit is a composite of dry numerous nuts - multi-nut. Adonis vernatum has been introduced into culture in Europe. Garden forms are available. Care and reproduction All Adonis grow slowly and are very sensitive to transplants. The soil must be kept loose and moist. Renewal buds are laid 2-4 years in advance, so you need to cut the plant carefully, trying not to damage the buds. Propagated by seeds and division of the bush. Planting is done in August - early September so that the plants can take root well before the onset of frost. Dividing and replanting Adonis should be carried out no earlier than 4-5 years of cultivation; in one place without replanting, Adonis develop well for up to 10 years. The best option is to replant plants with a clod of earth without disturbing the roots; they grow slowly; dividing them into small parts is not recommended. In the first year after planting, the plants bloom and develop poorly; normal flowering occurs only from the second year. Propagation of perennial Adonis by seeds is difficult, since they have low germination rate; in addition, some seeds germinate only in the second year. Sowing seeds, preferably cleaned, should be done immediately after collection. Until winter, boxes with crops must be stored in a cold basement and then dug under the snow. It is possible to store seeds in a slightly moist substrate in the refrigerator until the beginning of spring, followed by germination in a greenhouse at 18-22 degrees. Young plants grow slowly, reaching full development only at 4-5 years. Use Perennial adonis are not suitable for cutting, but they are very effective in group plantings or among sparsely planted shrubs. When planting, they should be placed closer to the paths; they are also good on rocky hills on the eastern and western sides. Valuable medicinal raw materials - already in the 14th century it was widely used in folk medicine for seizures, various heart and kidney diseases. Species Golden Adonis (Adonis chrysocyathus) is one of the rare plants of Central Asia. This herbaceous perennial is an extremely valuable medicinal and ornamental plant that is found in the Tien Shan, Kashmir, Western Tibet, where clumps of Adonis create colorful bright yellow spots on rocky mountain slopes. The radiance of yellow is especially expressive against the background of not yet melted snow and the blue of the high mountain sky. There are only a limited number of known localities for this species, with populations in constant and significant decline due to human disturbance. The above-ground part is represented by one or a group of semi-rosette shoots, the number and size of which depend on age. Thus, a middle-aged individual has up to 30 rosettes 45-50 cm high. The generative shoot, as a rule, has a single large bright yellow flower. The shoot is equal to or slightly higher than the height of the rosette leaves. Turkestan Adonis (Adonis turkestanicus) is one of the valuable medicinal plants of Central Asia - endemic to the Pamir-Alai. The main part of its range is associated with the mountain systems of Gissaro-Darvaza, where it can form continuous thickets in juniper forests and tragacanths at an altitude of 2000-3500 m above sea level. The cleanest thickets are found in areas of former long-term livestock camps. This indicates a positive attitude of plants towards organically rich soil. Adonis Turkestan at the beginning of flowering has a height of 10-20 cm, and during the period of fruit ripening up to 70 cm. The entire plant is covered with curly hairs. The flowers at the ends of the shoots are single, 4-6 cm in diameter, the perianth is double, regular, consisting of a corolla and a calyx. The petals are yellow-orange, bluish on the underside. A characteristic feature of this species is that at the same time the plant has newly formed buds, opened flowers and set seeds. Since each shoot has lateral shoots of the first, second, third, and sometimes fourth orders, there can be up to 250 flowers on one average-aged individual. Flowers appear first on the first-order axis. As the plant grows, the flowers bloom on the axes of the second and third orders, which causes an extended period of flowering and fruit formation. This long flowering is an important adaptation to the harsh conditions of the highlands. Adonis mongolica is an endemic plant of Mongolia. It is found within Khangai, in mountain and meadow steppes, along the edges of larch forests. It is most abundant in areas of old livestock camps. Grows on loose, humus-rich soils. The shoots of a middle-aged plant are numerous (up to 20-30 or more), and have side shoots of the second and third orders. The basal leaves are reduced. The middle leaves, in the axils of which shoots of the following orders are formed, are sessile. The flowers are large, 2.5-5 cm in diameter. The sepals are light green, sometimes with a purple tint, covered with small hairs. The petals are white. Adonis mongolian is one of the early spring plants of Mongolia. It is difficult to imagine a brighter and more beautiful picture - caps of snow-white flowers on the steppe slopes with last year's brown foliage against the backdrop of a bright blue sky. Flowering begins in April-May, and mass flowering begins at the end of May and June. The first wave of flowering is formed by the apical flowers of the main shoots. They are replaced by apical flowers of the second, third, and so on orders. Attention should be paid to the fact that all side shoots, regardless of their location on the main one, end at the same level. This explains the abundant flowering, in which the flowers form a kind of dome in the form of a snow-white “cap”. The next wave of flowering is formed from flowers located on branches of the following orders. This flowering rhythm contributes to the constant decorative appearance of the plant and increases the possibility of seed ripening at the most favorable weather time. Here it is appropriate to recall the sharp continental climate of Mongolia, especially its mountainous regions, when sharp temperature fluctuations up to frost, snow and hail are possible during the growing season. The leaves unfold as the flowers bloom. Shoot growth continues until the seeds ripen. Adonis Mongolian herb serves as a raw material for the production of valuable cardiac glycosides. Amur Adonis (Adonis amurensis) is a perennial herbaceous plant from the Far East, where it grows in cedar-deciduous forests. The leaves are pinnately dissected on long petioles, develop after flowering and remain until July and August. Blooms from April for 2-3 weeks. The flowers are golden yellow, wide open up to 5 cm in diameter. Blooms before leaves appear. The height of plants during the flowering period is no more than 10-15 cm. Fruits in late May, June. Propagated by seeds. Shoots appear after a year. The plant was brought into cultivation. In Japan, numerous decorative varieties with double flowers of white, pink, and red colors have been bred.