Adoniss

Adoniss is a figure from Greek mythology, most notably associated with the goddess Aphrodite. He was a strikingly handsome youth, renowned for his beauty, which captivated not only mortals but also the gods. The myth of Adoniss often centers on his tragic death and Aphrodite's profound grief.

According to the most common version of the myth, Adoniss was the son of King Cinyras of Cyprus and his daughter Myrrha. Myrrha, through a deceitful plot or a curse, seduced her father, and in her shame, fled. She was transformed into a myrrh tree, and after ten months, the tree split open, revealing the infant Adoniss.

Aphrodite, upon seeing the baby, was overcome with love for him and entrusted him to the care of Persephone, the queen of the Underworld. However, Persephone was also smitten with Adoniss's beauty and refused to return him. This led to a dispute between the two goddesses, which was ultimately settled by Zeus. Zeus decreed that Adoniss would spend part of the year with Aphrodite and part with Persephone, ensuring he divided his time between the world of the living and the Underworld.

Adoniss met his untimely end while hunting. He was either gored by a wild boar, sent by either Ares (out of jealousy of Aphrodite's love for Adoniss) or Artemis (angered by Adoniss's disregard for her), or by the boar itself. Aphrodite, discovering his dead body, wept inconsolably. Her tears are said to have mingled with his blood, and from this union, the anemone flower sprang. The annual festival of Adonia was celebrated in his memory, marked by mourning and lamentation.