Who is the GODDESS OF LOVE: in Europe, Egypt and other cultures

All human beings throughout history have had similar concerns, one of which is related to what we call love. For this reason there are many mythologies who have had deities related to love, whether romantic or sexual, being generally goddesses. To meet these deities in this lesson from a TEACHER we are going to talk about who is the goddess of love in the different cultures and beliefs of the world.

When talking about mythologies we usually focus on the western ones, the most common cases being those of the Greek and Roman pantheons, both of which have numerous goddesses of love. In this lesson we are going to talk about the main goddesses of love in each of the mythologies, ignoring the minor deities that have some kind of relationship with this feeling.

Aphrodite

The goddess that we all associate with love, she is also the greek deity which is related to beauty and sex, the latter being closely related to love in the vast majority of Greek deities. The love that Aphrodite represents is not the one we are currently talking about, being

a love more related to eroticism than with romantic love. The importance of Aphrodite in Greece was such that she is considered one of the 12 Olympian gods that inhabit Olympus.

Venus

Aphrodite's counterpart is the Roman mythology, being the goddess of love, beauty and fertility. The great importance of her lies in the enormous amount of artistic works that have represented her throughout history, and in her role as protector of some of the most important men in Roman history, her protection being especially known to the great Julius Caesar.

Áine

One of the main goddesses of the celtic mythologyshe, being she the goddess of heaven, love, summer and fertility. Besides being the main deity of love in Celtic mythology she is also the irish fairy queen, these being important creatures of this culture.

Turan

The Etruscan goddess of love, vitality and fertility, she being for many a deity halfway between Aphrodite and Venus, and for many others a deity originating from the Etruscan culture itself. The great importance of her is demonstrated by her being the patron of the city of Vulci, one of the main cities of Etruria.

Freya

In the norse mythology Freya is one of the most important goddesses, she being one of the two gods who received the dead in combat in the afterlife. She is considered the goddess of love, beauty and fertility, this being the reason why the Vikings paid tribute to her when they married or had children. Other attributes related to Freya are war, death, magic, and wealth, all of which are vital to the Viking people.

To continue with this lesson on who is the goddess of love, we must talk about the deities that possess this attribute in Egyptian mythology. There are many egyptian goddessesDue to the large number of gods created over the years in this culture, this causes some deities to share attributes with each other.

Bastet

Also called Bast she was a deity from the Second Egyptian Dynasty, being she the goddess of love, harmony and protection. Years later, her role as her protector led her to be represented as a goddess of war and at the same time as that deity who was in charge of taking care of the homes of the Egyptians.

Hathor

Possibly the female deity with the greater number of attributes, since she, in addition to the goddess of love, she was the goddess of the sky, the Sun, music, dance, beauty, sexuality, motherhood and commerce. Along with all her attributes, the great importance of her also lies in being the mother or consort of gods related to royalty, so she was also the symbolic mother of the pharaohs who ruled Egypt.

Qetesh

Goddess of love and sexuality, she was brought by the Egyptians from Syrian culture and it is thought that many of her attributes were passed on to the goddess Hathor.

Love is a recurring theme in mythologies, so to finish this lesson we must talk about female deities related to love in cultures other than those before mentioned.

Innana

In the Sumerian mythology she was the goddess of love and at the same time of war, being she the protector of the city of Uruk. She is thought to have been the ancestor of Aphrodite and Venus, possessing some similar elements.

Anahita

Syrian goddess that she was thought to be the representation of the planet Venus, being at the same time the goddess of love, water and fertility. It is thought that the Greek influence caused the cult of her to pass to Aphrodite and Artemis.

Rati

In the Hinduismshe is the deity related to love and sex, being she the representative of everything related to these two elements, such as lust or sexual pleasure. Yet the main deity of love is Rati's husband, named Kama.

Xochiquetzal

In the aztec mythologyshe was the goddess of love, beauty, and the arts of all kinds. She was worshiped in many ways, but the best known was the large number of flower offerings she received to increase fertility.