Ancient Greek Goddesses Aphrodite And Artemis – Rivalry And Conflict Over Prestige Illustrated In Hippolytus By Euripides

Thalia Lightbringer - AncientPages.com - The ancient Greeks were often in conflict with each other, and so were their gods and goddesses. However, they would pull together when outside forces threatened, such as when the Persians tried to invade Greece (Note the battles at Thermopylae and Salamis).

Similarly, though the Greek gods and goddesses had some internal rivalry, they were not allowed to take action directly against each other. Therefore, they often competed by influencing or testing mortal men and women. It was dangerous to ignore or to get too close to any of them. One illustration of this is the story of Hippolytus, a follower of Artemis.

Artemis and Aphrodite, Graphic art by Thalia Lightbringer

Aphrodite (Roman Venus) Versus Artemis (Roman Diana)

Aphrodite and Artemis were natural rivals, being that Aphrodite was the goddess whose domain was beauty, the pleasures of the flesh, fertility and procreation. Artemis had sworn she would always remain celibate, choosing denial of the flesh, so was in direct opposition to the lusty side of life that Aphrodite represented.

Aphrodite was the goddess of love, but not necessarily enduring love, which was the domain of her son Eros (transformed by the Romans into the cherubic Cupid), whose arrows could be a curse, sometimes employed at Aphrodite's request. In Greek stories, love was not necessarily a blessing as it often ended quite badly for those struck by the arrows of Eros.

Artemis wished to always be a maiden, avoiding love's curse. Therefore, she was the patron goddess of girls before they reached womanhood. Aphrodite was said to watch over females after becoming women, so in a sense, she always stole followers from Artemis, except those who vowed to remain pure and chaste.

Artemis was also a moon goddess, a healer who assisted women with childbirth, and the ruler of wild things and the hunt. See more about Artemis in this article: Goddess Artemis – One Of The Most Respected Olympians

Hippolytus Of Athens

Hippolytus, Phaedra and Theseus. German School, 18th Century, by Unknown. Source -  Public Domain

The story of Hippolytus is best known from a play by Euripides, who wrote many tragedies performed in classical Athens. Hippolytus was the son of Theseus, King of Athens, who is famous for slaying the minotaur of Crete. His mother was reported to be either the Amazon Hippolyta or her sister Antiope.

Hippolytus had a great love of hunting, and Artemis was the goddess who ruled the hunt. Ancient Greeks were expected to honor all the gods and goddesses, but Hippolytus became a priest of Artemis and worshipped her only. He also vowed to remain chaste like the goddess he revered. This came to the attention of the goddess Aphrodite, ruler of desire and sexual love. She was angry at being snubbed by Hippolytus, and jealous that Artemis had such a loyal follower.

The Wrath Of Aphrodite

Phaedra (1880) by Alexandre Cabanel, Musée Fabre, Public Domain

King Theseus had taken Phaedra, sister to the ill-fated Ariadne of Crete, as his second wife. Aphrodite decided to punish Hippolytus for not honoring her by causing his stepmother to desire him. Even though Phaedra was a loyal worshipper of Aphrodite, she was not safe from the whims of this goddess.

Phaedra was overcome with an obsession for Hippolytus and even began following the cult of Artemis to be near him. She was ashamed of her illicit longings for her stepson and told only her nurse of her desire, swearing her to secrecy.

Phaedra's nurse broke her promise to keep silent and told Hippolytus, hoping to ease her queen's torment. Phaedra's nurse asked Hippolytus not to reveal that she had told him, and he did not, but he confronted Phaedra. He was disgusted by his stepmother's desire and rejected her advances, shaming her to the extent that she decided to take her own life.

Phaedra's Betrayal

Phaedra took revenge against Hippolytus by writing a suicide note accusing him of raping her. King Theseus found this note and angrily confronted his son, calling him a hypocrite for professing chastity. Though Hippolytus denied that he had betrayed his father or his vows, Theseus refused to believe or forgive him and banished Hippolytus from Athens.

Theseus was so angry with his son that he called in a promise of three wishes given to him by Poseidon, god of the sea, who according to legend, had a part in conceiving Theseus. Theseus wanted to kill his son for his betrayal but dared not soil his hands with such bloodguilt, so he used one of these wishes to curse Hippolytus.

Hippolytus was driving his chariot by the sea when Poseidon took revenge for Theseus by appearing as a bull, spooking the horses. Other accounts say Poseidon sent a sea monster to terrorize Hippolytus. In either case, his horses bolted wildly and the chariot overturned. That was the sad end of Hippolytus, despite his honor and loyalty.

The Response Of Artemis

Hippolytus by Lawrence Alma-Tadema - Unknown, Public Domain

Some accounts say that Artemis appeared to Hippolytus as he lay dying and told him the truth of what Aphrodite had done. Hippolytus then forgave his father for the curse and died with a clear conscience. It is said that Artemis had Asclepius, god of medicine, resurrect Hippolytus to be her priest once more. Artemis also vowed revenge on Aphrodite, and this vow was fulfilled by the death of Aphrodite's beloved Adonis, gored by a wild boar.

This is just one story among many told by the ancient Greeks which shows that they felt the gods and goddesses were beings who played with mortals as if they were pieces on a chessboard. They were like natural forces to be feared and propitiated with sacrifices and worship. It was best not to attract their attention, just to honor and worship them all equally. It was risky for a mortal to be either loved or hated by a Greek god or goddess. Often, as the stories of both Hippolytus and Adonis relate, it ended in tragedy for the mortal.

Updated on November 21, 2023

Written by – Thalia Lightbringer – AncientPages.com Staff Writer

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