Aphrodite is the son of Poseidon and Hera in Homer's Iliad.
Aphrodite -LRB- -LSB- æfrəˈdaɪti -RSB- ; Greek  : Αφροδιτη -LRB- Afroditi -RRB- -RRB- is the Greek goddess of love , beauty , pleasure , and procreation .. Greek. Greek mythology. goddess. goddess. love. love. beauty. beauty. pleasure. pleasure. procreation. procreation. She is identified with the planet Venus ; her Roman equivalent is the goddess -LSB- Venus -LRB- mythology -RRB- , Venus -RSB- .. Venus. Venus. goddess. goddess. Roman equivalent. interpretatio romana. Myrtle , roses , doves , sparrows and swans were sacred to her .. Myrtle. Myrtle ( plant ). In Hesiod 's Theogony , Aphrodite was created from the sea foam -LRB- aphros -RRB- produced by Uranus 's genitals , which had been severed by Cronus .. Uranus. Uranus ( mythology ). Hesiod. Hesiod. Theogony. Theogony. Cronus. Cronus. In Homer 's Iliad , however , she is the daughter of Zeus and Dione .. Zeus. Zeus. Dione. Dione ( Titaness / Oceanid ). Homer. Homer. Iliad. Iliad. In Plato -LRB- Symposium , 180e -RRB- , these two origins are said to be of hitherto separate entities  : Aphrodite Ourania -LRB- a transcendent , `` Heavenly '' Aphrodite -RRB- and Aphrodite Pandemos -LRB- Aphrodite common to `` all the people '' -RRB- .. Plato. Plato. Aphrodite Ourania. Aphrodite Urania. Aphrodite Pandemos. Aphrodite Pandemos. She had many other names , each emphasising a different aspect of the same goddess , or used by a different local cult .. goddess. goddess. Thus she was also known as Cytherea -LRB- Lady of Cythera -RRB- and Cypris -LRB- Lady of Cyprus -RRB- , both of which claimed to be her place of birth .. Cythera. Kythira. Cyprus. Cyprus. In Greek myth , the other gods feared that Aphrodite 's beauty might lead to conflict and war , through rivalry for her favours ; so Zeus married her off to Hephaestus .. Hephaestus. Hephaestus. Zeus. Zeus. Greek. Greek mythology. beauty. beauty. Despite this , Aphrodite followed her own inclinations , and had many lovers -- both gods , such as Ares , and men , such as Anchises .. Ares. Ares. Anchises. Anchises. She played a role in the Eros and Psyche legend , and was both lover and surrogate mother of Adonis .. Adonis. Adonis. Eros. Eros. Eros and Psyche. Eros and Psyche. Many lesser beings were said to be children of Aphrodite .