He survived the fall, however, and was raised by Thetis and the metalworkers of Lemnos. Hephaestus was thrown from Mount Olympus at birth because he was deformed. Instead, it is reconstructed from a series of fragments and brief mentions from many different writers. The story of Aphrodite and Hephaestus’s unfortunate marriage does not survive in a full account from any single source. The end of Hephaestus and Aphrodite’s terrible marriage is an example of how ancient laws regarding marriage were much different than most modern readers would assume! The Doomed Relationship of Hephaestus and Aphrodite It can also tell us something about how marriage was seen in the ancient world. It is often taken as a warning against marrying for the wrong reasons. The story of Hephaestus and Aphrodite is well-known for its scandals. Even when she was married to Hephaestus, Aphrodite never ended her affair with the god of war.
The lame smith god and the goddess of beauty were the most poorly-matched couple on Mount Olympus.Įven if Hephaestus and Aphrodite had not been so ill-suited for one another, she was famously in love with another god.
In Greek mythology, no marriage was as infamous as that of Aphrodite and Hephaestus.
