Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ter, the grotto is a nice spot away from the heat, but it's far from the luxurious setting that
may be associated with a goddess of such amorous prowess. The surrounding botanical
garden is pretty, however, with labelled plants and trees, including carob trees, red gum
and the slightly less exotic dandelion.
The baths are 11km west of Polis, along a sealed road. From the baths' car park with its
adjacent gift shop, follow the well-marked paved trail for 200m. You are not allowed to
swim in the baths.
There are various nature trails you can take from the grotto.
THE CULT OF APHRODITE
Cyprus is indelibly linked to the ancient worship of the goddess Aphrodite (known as Venus in Roman mytho-
logy). She is known primarily as the Greek goddess of sexual love and beauty, although she was also worshipped
as a goddess of war - particularly in Sparta and Thebes. While prostitutes often considered her their patron, her
public cult was usually solemn and even austere.
The name Aphrodite is thought to derive from the Greek word afros, meaning 'foam'. Cypriot legend has it
that Aphrodite rose from the sea off the south coast of Cyprus. She was born out of the white foam produced by
the severed genitals of Ouranos (Heaven), after they were thrown into the sea by his son Chronos (the father of
Zeus, king of the Greek gods). The people of Kythira in Greece hold a similar view to that expressed in the le-
gend; an enormous rock off the south-coast port of Kapsali is believed by Kytherians to be the place where Aph-
rodite really emerged.
Despite being a goddess, Aphrodite has a predilection for mortal lovers. The most famous of them were
Anchises (by whom Aphrodite became mother to Aeneas) and Adonis (who was killed by a boar and whose death
was lamented by women at the festival of Adonia).
The main centres of worship on Cyprus for the cult of Aphrodite were at Pafos and Amathous. Her symbols
included the dove, the swan, pomegranates and myrtle.
Greek art represented her as a nude-goddess type. Ancient Greek sculptor Praxiteles carved a famous statue of
Aphrodite which later became the model for the Hellenistic statue known as Venus de Milo .
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