Aphrodite is an ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, and procreation. She was syncretized with the Roman goddess Venus. The cult of Aphrodite was largely derived from that of the Phoenician goddess Astarte, a cognate of the East Semitic goddess Ishtar, whose cult was based on the Sumerian cult of Inanna. Her main cult centers were Cythera, Cyprus, Corinth, and Athens. Aphrodite's main festival was the Aphrodisia, which was celebrated annually in midsummer. In Greek mythology, Aphrodite was married to Hephaestus, the god of fire, blacksmiths, and metalworking. She was frequently unfaithful to him and had many lovers; in the Odyssey, she is caught in the act of adultery with Ares, the god of war. Aphrodite was also the surrogate mother and lover of the mortal shepherd Adonis, who was killed by a wild boar. Along with Athena and Hera, Aphrodite was one of the three goddesses whose feud resulted in the beginning of the Trojan War and she plays a major role throughout the Iliad. She is A Libra ♎️ Her Birthday is October 1.