Okay, yes,
she’s not technically a goddess of love. She, somewhat, inherits fertility from
her mother Demeter. I include her in this list because of the desires she
exhibits and the feud she had with Aphrodite over Adonis. She is also unique on
this list because of her status as queen of the underworld. The marriage to
Hades—as a result of her kidnaping and eating of pomegranate seeds—gives her a
duality in both the underworld and on earth.
Even before
her marriage she exhibits strong desires since she couldn’t resist eating the
pomegranate seeds which ultimately cause her marriage to Hades. Afterwards, she
isn’t capable of maintaining fidelity to her husband (fidelity among the Greek
gods is a rarity, though) and pursues Adonis.
Aphrodite
initially tried to sequester Adonis, most likely for herself, but Aphrodite
opened the chest to find him within, and attempted to steal him away purely for
her pleasure. The conflict escalated to the point that Zeus had to become
involved, who decreed that Aphrodite, Persephone, and Adonis had to divide the
time evenly between them. Adonis would have to spend four months with each
goddess, and then have four months to live on his own.
Of course,
Aphrodite cheated and convinced Adonis to spend his own time with her. Sore
over losing, Persephone ratted out Aphrodite to her former lover Ares, who
killed Adonis. Persephone makes this
list because she tries to be a goddess of love, even going up against Aphrodite
in the process, and for her status as a fertility and death goddess. The
combinations alone make her someone to be respected and feared when it comes to
matters of desire.
Next up:
the main man Zeus.