M3 Love God: Zeus

            Zeus, while not a love god, engages in more love making than any other of the Greek gods. And the main problem with Zeus is that he has no respect for the concept of no. Ever. While there is no direct evidence that all of Zeus’s encounters were non-consensual, there are a disturbing number of them that couldn’t be interpreted in any other way. Zeus is relentless and very creative in his sexual encounters. With the powers of a god able to transform himself—not to mention his raw strength and power—he fully takes advantage of his gifts in securing women.

M3 Love Goddess: Persephone

            Okay, yes, she’s not technically a goddess of love. She, somewhat, inherits fertility from her mother Demeter. I include her in this list because of the desires she exhibits and the feud she had with Aphrodite over Adonis. She is also unique on this list because of her status as queen of the underworld. The marriage to Hades—as a result of her kidnaping and eating of pomegranate seeds—gives her a duality in both the underworld and on earth.

M3 Love God: Eros

            I once did a piece on Cupid (the Roman name) already, which you can still read over at Criminal Element, portraying Eros as Aphrodite’s hit man and enforcer. I stand by this characterization as Eros is an embodiment of lust among the Erotes. The Erotes are a group of Aphrodite’s sons with similar appearances (young, virile men with wings and equipped with bows and a quiver of arrows). Each of the Erotes has a specialization, and Eros is all about lust and desire.

M3 Love Goddess: Aphrodite

            In honor of the month celebrating Valentine’s Day, I thought it would be good to examine the Greek gods and goddesses responsible and with strong connections to love.

            First up, everyone’s most well-known Greek goddess of love: Aphrodite. Aphrodite is a surprisingly complex. Certainly she had numerous affairs, almost as many as her (adopted) father Zeus. Like many of the Greek gods, there are multiple stories regarding her birth (a result of so many different regions having their own worship and stories).