Source edition
Anonymous. Hesiod, The Homeric Hymns and Homerica. Evelyn-White, Hugh G., editor. London: William Heinmann; New York: The Macmillan Co., 1914.
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA (per Perseus's terms)
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This epic hymn tells the story of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, who conceives the hero Aeneas through her union with the mortal Anchises. Although Aphrodite possesses immense power to sway all hearts, Zeus ordains that she herself fall in love with a mortal man. Disguising herself as a mortal maiden, she appears before Anchises on Mount Ida and deceives him with a false identity to lie with him. When she reveals her divine form the next morning, Anchises is struck with fear, but she comforts him and prophesies the glorious destiny of their future son. Finally, the goddess reflects on the inescapable nature of mortal aging through the myth of Tithonus and, after warning him to keep their union secret, ascends back to heaven.