#Aphrodite Arsinoe II

[theancientwayoflife]

~ Oracle statue of Aphrodite Arsinoe II.

Period: Hadrian; Greco-Roman Period

Place of origin: Egypt

Medium: Dolomite

[fromthedust]

Queen Arsinoe II (278–270 BCE) - granodiolite - 150 cm high - Ptolemaic Period, 305-30 BCE

The eldest daughter of Ptolemy I. She married her brother Ptolemy II (285–246 BC), her junior by eight years. He proclaimed himself Philadelphus, ‘he who loves his sister’, and she became Philadelphia, ‘she who loves her brother’. Both were to become ‘the Philadelphic gods’.

Ptolemy II promoted the worship of his sister-wife after her death in 270 BCE. Worshipped by Egyptians and Greeks alike, she was became part of Egyptian cult and temples, and was often identified by Egyptians as Isis, the mother goddess and a patron of magic. As the mistress of the seas, Arsinoe II also enjoyed a specific type of apotheosis: she was Aphrodite incarnate. This sculpture was located in a temple within the city of Canopus.

[artegreca]

Statue of Queen Arsinoe II Ptolemaic Period, ca. 305-30 BC. Cairo Egypt Museum Bibliotheca Alexandrina Antiquities Museum

Statue of Queen Arsinoe II identified with Isis, mother goddess and patron of magic. It is considered one of the masterpieces of Ptolemaic sculpture, which combines Greek and Egyptian elements.

The statue is in a traditional Egyptian striding pose. She stands facing forward with her arms lowered along the sides of the body and her left foot forward. Greek influence is evident in the contrast between the covered and bare areas of the chest and the shape of the folds of her transparent garment, which shows the beauty of the smooth body.

The body shape is in the Greek style, based on the details in the abdomen, chest, and legs, which are all soft and rounded. The statue is smooth and well polished. This exceptional sculpture stood in a temple at the city of Canopus.

The dress provides more clues about the identity of the subject: the handling of fabric recalls the marble work of Hellenistic artists showing Aphrodite in “wet drapery”. The folds actually undress the figure more than they dress it. According to the legend, Aphrodite was born from the foaming seas on the south coast of Cypress. One is immediately reminded of the queen who was considered as the earthly manifestation of Aphrodite – Arsinoë II, wife of Ptolemy II.

Found in the undersea remains of the ancient Egyptian city of Heracleion is hoisted onto a boat off the coastal town of Abu Qir, 24 kms east of Alexandria, 03 June 2000. A team of divers led by French underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio discovered the treasures that date back to the Pharaohs, Greeks, Romans and early Muslims during two years of exploration and excavation.

Arsinoe seems to have been a genuinely popular goddess throughout the Ptolemaic period, with both Greeks and Egyptians, in Egypt and beyond. ‘Arsinoe’ is one of the few Greek names to be naturalised as an Egyptian personal name in the period. Altars and dedicatory plaques in her honour are found throughout Egypt and the Aegean, while hundreds of her faience oenochoae have been found in the cemeteries of Alexandria.

Dal sito del museo

[wal-haz]

"In sanctuaries dedicated to the dynastic cult, offerings could be made by Ptolemaic officials or by ambitious locals. In this way loyalty to the regime was put on display, and through the dedications the power of the Ptolemies was paraded and reinforced. So, on the island of Thera one Artemidorus, son of Apollonius from Perge, left his mark on the landscape. He may have held some official position within the Ptolemaic army or the administration, but if he did this remains unknown. Sometime in the reign of Ptolemy III, Artemidorus dedicated the small sanctuary to King Ptolemy and his forebears in an important location, on the main route between the agora and the temple of Apollo Karneios. And Artemidorus was not alone. Many similar dedications were made throughout the Ptolemaic empire.

One particular royal cult was transposed overseas with notable success. This was the cult of Queen Arsinoe II, the sister-wife of Ptolemy II. The initiative may have come from Alexandria, where already during her lifetime the cult of Ptolemy II and his queen as the Theoi Adelphoi was added to that of Alexander in 272/271. Arsinoe herself became the brother-loving goddess, as found for instance in the name of the new settlement of Philadelphia in the Arsinoite nome in Egypt, known also as ‘the village of (the goddess) Philadelphos’. On the coast close to Alexandria, Arsinoe's cult as the goddess Aphrodite Zephyritis or Euploia was established by the admiral Callicrates. Celebrated in the poetry of Posidippus, Arsinoe was a goddess well suited to maritime export. She was worshipped widely in the overseas empire of the Ptolemies and, on one remarkable occasion, her influence was recorded in a matter of policy. The large number of new foundations or refoundations named Arsinoe, both at home and overseas, is a testimony to the popularity of this particular Ptolemaic goddess. In its many forms and different ways, cult of members of the Ptolemaic dynasty joined the garrisons and royal officials in serving to support their empire overseas." (from The Ptolemies, the Sea and the Nile by Kostas Buraselis, Mary Stefanou, Dorothy J. Thompson)

[oldwitchyblog]

Aphrodite [Olympian, Greek]

A page from my grimoire.

Goddess of: love, beauty, pleasure, passion, procreation

Zodiac sign: Taurus [ruled by Venus]

Planet: Venus

Primary Cult Centres: Cyprus, Kythera, Corinth, Cnidus, Eryx [likely more]

Lineage: Born from the sea-foam, she was birthed when Ouranus' penis was thrown into the sea by his son Cronus. In fact, aphros means "foam."

She was the patron goddess of all sex workers in ancient Greece. She was also the patron deity of the Lagid Queens & Queen Arsinoe II of Ptolemy Egypt (and many other prominent women).

She rewards those who honour her but her punishments can be swift and brutal.

She was by the accompanied winged godling Eros, the God of lust and sexual desire. Her main attendants are Charites, Zeus' daughters, and goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity, goodwill, and fertility. Agae, Euphroyne, and Thalia; meaning, Shining, Joy, and Blooming. Her other attendants were the Themis, daughters of Zeus. The Themis are named Eunomia, Dike, Eriene; Good Order, Justice, and Peace. She is sometimes accompanied by Harmonia, her daughter, and Hebe, the daughter of Zeus and Hera.

Aphrodite makes Pandora the first woman. She pours grace over her head and equips her with painful desire and weakening anguish. They adored her with gold jewelry and made her very beautiful & sexually attractive.

The God of fertility, Priapus, is said to be her son by Dionysus; Hera was jealous and poisoned her, so he was born hideous, and she left the infant in the wilderness.

She is married to Hephaestus but had an affair with Ares.

She plays a prominent role in the Iliad. She granted Paris the most beautiful woman for declaring her the most beautiful goddess (out of Hera and Athena). This woman was Helen of Sparta and thus the Trojan war began. She inspired Helen to sleep with Paris & saved Paris from the battlefield when fighting Helen’s husband, Menelaus.

Aphrodite can help you accept and love all aspects as yourself. She can help you love the skin your in and learn to see yourself as beautiful and desirable. She can help you treat yourself with love, tenderness, and compassion. If you have difficulties with self love, passion, and intimacy, Aphrodite would be a good goddess to work with to overcome these. Aphrodite can also teach you to honour and respect yourself. Also, to love yourself enough to create boundaries, advocate for yourself, and not let others get away with treating you poorly.

Festivals & Worship

Aphrodisia - was celebrated on the fourth day of the month of Hekatombaion [July/August] in honor of Aphrodite's role in the unification of Attica, also important in Cyrus but celebrated in many places

Kinyrades - Held in Hekatombaiōn [July/August] and was an initiation like festivals for those becoming priests of Aphrodite. Divided into three celebrations. First four days there was an exchange of coins for salt by priest and worshipper. This practice is said to celebrate the birth of the goddess from the sea. The celebration also included athletic competitions, sea-bathing, and bloodless sacrifices. These activities followed an all-nighter in her temple, followed by lamenting Adonis & celebrating his resurrection. 

 Symbols

the sea, mirrors, mountains, conch shells

Animals: doves, sea birds, sparrows, swans, bees, goats

Plants/Herbs/Food: roses, myrtles, apples, pomegranate, artichokes, laurel, ash and poplar trees

Scent: stephanotis, musk, verbena, vanilla, incense, vervain, roses, sandalwood

Colors: pink, silver, violet, aqua, seafoam, light blue

  Offerings

Apples, pomegranates, lettuce, myrtle, myrrh, anemone, roses, poppies, pearls, shellfish, honey, incense, garlands of flowers, intimate acts, poetry, art, wine, honey cakes, fire, salt, jewelry, bread, olive oil

  Crystals 

pearls, gold, purple amethyst, aquamarine, rose quartz, rubellite, jade, sapphire, silver, copper, moonstone

 How to Worship

 Self love: self care, bath rituals, reading romantic literature, creating romantic art, poetry carrying or wearing rose quartz, make up, music, tea, sweets & candy, wearing silver jewelry

Loving others: random acts of kindness, supporting all love, telling someone you love them, planning something romantic, intimacy, giving silvery jewelry, giving flowers

Loving the world: feeding fish & birds, bee & butterfly feeder, planting any plants and flowers associated with her 

Magic: love spells & sigils, self love spells, sigils, rituals etc, fertility magic, beauty spells, glamouring and/or blessing your make up, shoes, clothing

Epithets

 Ourania - Heavenly

Aphrodite Areia -  In Sparta, the Warlike

Anadyo’Mene - Goddess rising out of the sea

Antheia - the blooming, or friend of flowers

Despoena - ruling mistress [title shared w/ other goddesses]

Game’lii - presiding over marriage [shared w/ other goddesses]

Genetyllis - protectress of births

Morpho - fairly shaped

*There are many more epithets for Aphrodite, especially surnames given by her cult centres

Sources

“The Myth of the Goddess An Evolution of an Image” Anne Baring & Jules Cashford

“Iliad” Homer

“Encyclopedia of Greek and Roman Mythology”  Luke Roman

“Aphrodite” Briticanna

“Aphrodite” theoi

“Aphrodite” wikipedia

“Aphrodite” gods-and-goddesses

[hellenic-reconstructionism]

Historically Accurate Offerings for Aphrodite
Libations: wine, water, oil, honey, milk 
Incense: myrrh
Plants: rose, myrtle, anemone flower (poppy)
Animals (figurines etc.): dove, goose
Holy days: 4th of each lunar(?) month
Other: conch-shell, weapons (for Aphrodite Pandemos) Sources:
Theoi.com
Festivals of Attica: An Archaeological Commentary by Erika Simon p. 49, 51

[tiny-librarian]

Earlier in the dynasty, Arsinoe II was deified after her death in a way entirely congruent with ancient Egyptian tradition. Reportedly, the Egyptian priests found the installation of statues of her in temples “to be quite acceptable,” and Ptolemy II even went so far as to construct temples for her as an independent Egyptian goddess. Even more importantly, Arsinoe became a Greek goddess as well, identified with Hera, Demeter, and especially Aphrodite, and it was in this last guise that many sanctuaries were built for her. Additionally, festivals in her honor were conducted in both the rural area of Egypt and in Alexandria itself, and outside of Egypt she was worshipped alongside Isis and Serapis. This deification created:

“a goddess who had emerged from the ruling family and who would be recognized in all of the eastern Mediterranean basin. At the same time, the dynasty began its first and most successful attempt at introducing a deceased member of the family into the Egyptian pantheon.”

Appropriation and Approximation: Tensions Between “Greekness” and “Otherness” in the Ptolemaic Dynasty