Helios, the sun god<\/a>, saw them at their lovemaking and immediately told Hephaestus.<\/p>\nRather than react rashly, Hephaestus planned a punishment worthy of their hubris<\/strong>. In his forge, he fashioned a net as delicate as a spider\u2019s web but completely unbreakable. Once he set the trap, he announced that he was traveling to Lemnos, his favorite place. The moment Ares saw Hephaestus leave his house, he ran to woo Aphrodite, keen to indulge his carnal lust:<\/p>\n\u201cCome, my love,<\/em><\/p>\nLet’s get into bed\u2014make love together.<\/em><\/p>\nHephaestus is not home. No doubt he’s gone<\/em><\/p>\nTo visit Lemnos and the Sintians,<\/em><\/p>\nThose men who speak like such barbarians.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nHomer, The Odyssey<\/em>, Book 8<\/p>\nThe Sintians were a mercenary tribe that worshipped Hephaestus<\/strong>. Ares insulted Hephaestus indirectly by commenting disdainfully about the Sintians.<\/p>\nThe Humiliation of Aphrodite and Ares: Pretty People Don\u2019t Always Win<\/h2>\n
Homer remarked: \u201cTo Aphrodite, having sex with him seemed quite delightful.\u201d The eager couple lay down and began to indulge themselves. Suddenly, the invisible net fell, trapping the couple in their embrace<\/strong>. Not only couldn\u2019t they escape the net, but they couldn\u2019t even shift their bodies from their embarrassing, intimate position.<\/p>\nHephaestus returned to chastise the couple, and he called the other gods to view the spectacle:<\/p>\n
\u201cFather Zeus, all you other sacred gods<\/em><\/p>\nWho live forever, come here, so you can see<\/em><\/p>\nSomething disgusting and ridiculous\u2014<\/em><\/p>\nAphrodite, Zeus’s daughter, scorns me<\/em><\/p>\nAnd lusts after Ares, the destroyer,<\/em><\/p>\nBecause he’s beautiful, with healthy limbs,<\/em><\/p>\nWhile I was born deformed…\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nHomer, The Odyssey,<\/em> Book Eight<\/p>\nThough the goddesses declined to attend, all the gods gathered around and jeered at the ensnared couple, making ribald comments about which of them would like to replace Ares in Aphrodite\u2019s arms. They commented that even the gods suffer the consequences of their actions<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\u201cBad deeds don’t pay.<\/em><\/p>\nThe slow one overtakes the swift \u2014 just as<\/em><\/p>\nHephaestus, though slow, has now caught Ares,<\/em><\/p>\nAlthough of all the gods who hold Olympus<\/em><\/p>\nHe’s the fastest one there is. Yes, he’s lame,<\/em><\/p>\nBut he’s a crafty one…\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nHomer, The Odyssey,<\/em> Book Eight<\/p>\nHomer\u2019s Reasons for Using Aphrodite\u2019s Story in The Odyssey<\/em><\/h2>\nHomer has two good reasons for using the story of Aphrodite and Ares in The Odyssey, both focusing on Euryalus, the youth that was \u201ca match for Ares.\u201d Demodocus draws a direct parallel from Ares\u2019 behavior in the song to Euryalus\u2019 behavior<\/strong> during the games.<\/p>\nLike Ares, Euryalus shows hubris about his appearance<\/strong>, assuming that he is a better athlete and perhaps a better man than Odysseus. His overweening pride leads him to insult Odysseus aloud. When Odysseus bests him in words and strength, Homer shows both the consequences of hubris and demonstrates that strength of character is more valuable than sheer body strength. Demodocus\u2019 song of Aphrodite and Ares serves to emphasize each point.<\/p>\nAphrodite\u2019s role in this song seems supplemental, considering that Ares gets more derision. However, she too is guilty of assuming a handsome exterior is automatically superior to wit, wisdom, or other unseen talents. Because she herself is beautiful, she considers Hephaestus beneath her notice<\/strong>. This attitude itself is a form of hubris, one often demonstrated in today\u2019s society.<\/p>\nConclusion<\/h2>\n
At first glance, Aphrodite\u2019s appearance in The Odyssey<\/em> seems random, but Homer specifically chose the story to mirror the events in his characters\u2019 lives.<\/p>\nBelow are reminders<\/strong> of what we have learned:<\/p>\n\n- Aphrodite\u2019s story appears in Book Eight of The Odyssey.<\/li>\n
- Odysseus reached the Phaeacians and was received graciously by King Alcinous and Queen Arete.<\/li>\n
- Alcinous arranged a feast and entertainment, which included athletic events and stories by the court bard, Demodocus.<\/li>\n
- Euryalus, one of the athletes, taunts Odysseus and insults his athletic ability.<\/li>\n
- Odysseus chastises his rudeness and proves himself stronger than any young upstarts.<\/li>\n
- Demodocus, who overheard this exchange, chooses the tale of Aphrodite and Ares as his next song.<\/li>\n
- Aphrodite had an affair with Ares, but her husband Hephaestus found out.<\/li>\n
- Hephaestus forged a strong but unnoticeable net and trapped the cheating couple while having sex.<\/li>\n
- He called all the gods to witness the cheating couple and embarrass them.<\/li>\n
- Homer used the story to warn against hubris and emphasize that intelligence often triumphs over appearance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The song of Ares and Aphrodite is used within The Odyssey<\/em> to prove a point. Beauty doesn\u2019t guarantee victory<\/strong>, especially when one\u2019s behavior is not very beautiful.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Why did Homer mention Aphrodite in The Odyssey? She doesn\u2019t even appear in person, but only as a character in a bard\u2019s song. Is it just an entertaining story, or did Homer make a specific point? Keep reading to find out! What Is the Role of Aphrodite in The Odyssey? A Bard\u2019s Snarky Remark Though…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2051],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ancient-literature.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20945"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ancient-literature.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ancient-literature.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ancient-literature.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ancient-literature.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20945"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/ancient-literature.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20945\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21323,"href":"https:\/\/ancient-literature.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20945\/revisions\/21323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ancient-literature.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ancient-literature.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ancient-literature.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}