Aphrodite’s Adulterous Affair with Ares

Valentina awakens early the next morning from a deep sleep. She is surprised by how soundly she slept and begins to see the sun rising in the distance. She jumps out of bed and quickly hikes to her favorite spot in the Temple to watch the beautiful sun rise as she reads Aphrodite’s next diary entry…

                                      
Dear Diary,

Today I feel humiliated and mortified because Hephaestus intentionally embarrassed me in front of all the gods.  You know how I explained that I did not want to marry Hephaestus, but I was obligated to do so? Well, the only reason I ever agreed to Zeus’ arrangement in the first place was because I assumed my beloved Ares would be the one to bring Hephaestus to Mount Olympus. Of course, we all know how that turned out. I felt trapped in a loveless marriage and turned to the man I initially wanted to marry.

I simply can’t resist Ares' charm. He is just so handsome and so unlike Hephaestus. I began bedding him in my husband's home soon after we wed. We were always so careful never to get caught. Ares waited every time until he saw Hephaestus leave the house. Unfortunately, today was different.

I guess Helios, the sun god, witnessed my affair with Ares and took it upon himself to inform Hephaestus. Hephaestus was so outraged that he began to plot revenge upon Ares and me.  As I mentioned before, my husband is extremely skilled at creating all sorts of things and even has the ability to give them magical powers. He skillfully forged unbreakable chains together and created a device that would bind me and my lover together. He cunningly draped the chains around the bed posts and set his plan into action.

Hephaestus claimed he was heading off to one of his favorite places on earth, Lemnos, and of course Ares was waiting outside to see him depart. After Hephaestus was sure to be long gone, Ares came into the house and suggested we go to the bedroom. Once we were on the bed, the chains captured us and we were unable to move the slightest inch. I could hear Hephaestus yelling outside for all of the gods to come and see what had happened.

My head was whirling and I could feel my stomach knotting as I realized I was not able to escape. Oh well, there was nothing I could have done at that point. Ares and I lay captured and helpless as Hephaestus yelled for all the gods to come watch. Once all the gods were engaged in the commotion, Hephaestus announced he would not set us free until all of the gifts he had provided to Zeus were returned.  All of the gods began to snicker at the obvious irony of the situation. Here was Hephaestus, so slow and lame, yet he was able to slyly defeat Ares, the quickest of all the gods.

Poseidon begged Hephaestus to let Ares go, but Hephaestus insisted he pay an adulterer's penalty. Hephaestus eventually released us after what seemed like a lifetime of arguing. Once I was free, I immediately went on my way.

Honestly, although Hephaestus was heart-broken, I felt no shame for my behavior. I am so insulted that Hephaestus would think to try and publicly make me look like a fool.

 
Valentina tries to relate to Aphrodite and how humiliated she must have felt to be publicly trapped in an adulterous act. But she can’t understand how Aphrodite felt no shame for her behavior and seemed amused by her acts of love. She looks down at her watch and noticed how fast the day has gone by. Valentina sets the diary back in her favorite spot in the Temple, and leaves for another night's rest.

Ares & Aphrodite. Web Source: Lindsay McCann Monmouth College Ideas

Author's Note: I changed the original story to be told from Aphrodite's point of view. The story I am retelling is from the website Theoi.com and is originally from Homer's Odyssey. The original story is told in the third person and once again, my version takes place in the form of a diary entry written by Aphrodite. The character, Valentina, reading the diary entry is a young woman meant to show how modern females might interpret Aphrodite's behavior differently then she herself did. In the original story it is clear that Aphrodite has no shame. In fact, this was just one of her many affairs. I liked this story because it showed Aphrodite and Ares being caught in the act by Hephaestus. Also, this story accurately portrays how skilled Hephaestus is at creating unique devices. He outwits Ares by using his talent, even though in Greek mythology one might expect Ares to be superior. There is no mentioning in the original story what Aphrodite felt while being captured in the chains. It does not say she felt humiliated or embarrassed; I just added that part in the beginning. The original story is however extremely up front with the fact that she felt no shame for her adultery.