| If you know even a little about Cyprus or Greek | | | | irresistible bearing in mind that she was already |
| mythology the chances are you will have heard of | | | | the ultimate embodiment of female beauty |
| the Goddess of love, beauty and sexual rapture | | | | anyway. Amongst her many lovers (she was a |
| Athrodite. Legend tells that she was the result of | | | | bit of a girl) were Gods but she also took mortal |
| the castration of the God Uranus which was | | | | lovers too the most famous being Adonis. Some |
| carried out by his son Cronus (perhaps it was the | | | | of her Sons are Eros, Anteros, Hymenaios and |
| way those Gods raised their kids) with a sickle. | | | | Aeneas through her union with her Trojan lover |
| Owch! Anyway Cronus threw the severed | | | | Anchisess. What can I say? It's a typical story of |
| genitals into the sea where they foamed up which | | | | a beautiful woman wreaking havoc amongst the |
| in turn gave birth to Aphrodite. The word "athros" | | | | male population, causing wars and several spoilt |
| or sea foam giving rise to the translation | | | | dinners to boot. Her festival was Aphrodisiac (now |
| Athrodite or deity of foam. | | | | you know where that comes from) which was |
| Anyways, Cyprus comes into the picture because | | | | celerbrated in several places in Greece including |
| Aphrodite was carried by the sea and came | | | | Athens and Corinth. Her priestesses where not |
| ashore on the Island and some legends claim she | | | | prostitutes but sexual intercourse with them was |
| rode on a giant clam shell. In fact some Greek | | | | considered a form of worship to the Goddess |
| mythology refer to her as Cytherea or Kypros | | | | herself. There you go then, now you can impress |
| for this very reason. Zeus (the top God) was | | | | all your friends or even fellow tourist with your |
| worried that the other Gods would fight over | | | | factual knowledge of Aphrodite. When you visit |
| Aphrodite's hand in marriage so he took the | | | | Cyprus be sure to take a trip out to her alleged |
| liberty of marring her of to Hephaestus the smith | | | | birth place a few kilometers outside of Paphos. |
| God. Boy was he knocked out? Scruffy old black | | | | The view from the cliffs is indeed spectacular and |
| smith weds Goddess of love, beauty and sexual | | | | there is a resturant bar with a great view point |
| rapture! Had his boat come in or what? | | | | where you can relax with a cool drink. You will |
| Hephaestus was over the moon and as a sign of | | | | see the "rock of Aphrodite" itself just off the |
| his love for Aphrodite he used all his skills as a | | | | coast. The local legend states that if you swim |
| smith to fashion her a beautiful bejeweled girdle | | | | around the rock at midnight during the full moon |
| with fine gold filigree. He even wove magic into | | | | Aphrodite will make you ten years younger if the |
| the gold filigree which was a big mistake on his | | | | exercise doesn't kill you off first that is. Enjoy |
| part. The problem was that when ever Aphrodite | | | | Cyprus and don't forget to visit the rock of |
| wore the girdle she would become sexually | | | | Aphrodite. |