APHRODITE'S ANKLE BRACELET
This is an original Greek myth that describes a young goddess coming of age. Please comment nicely!
"Get this thing off me!" The goddess of love kicked like a mule, turning every which way and shattering vases and flower pots right and left. But it was no use. No matter how hard Aphrodite twisted or tugged or kicked in all directions, the heavy, jewel-studded bracelet remained clamped to her ankle.
"But why not keep the bracelet?" Stately, raven-haired Hera smiled at the sight of angry Aphrodite hopping about her chamber on one foot. "Your poor crippled husband must love you very much to give you such a gift, forged in the very fires of Olympus."
"It's not a gift, it's a curse!" The angry love goddess flopped down on the bed, her golden hair tumbling over her white neck and shoulders. "Last night while boring Hephaestus was snoring away, I crept out and went for a walk. The moon was shining, and soon I came upon a handsome shepherd, tending his flocks on the lower slopes of Mount Olympus." Aphrodite lowered her husky voice. "You know that no mere mortal can resist my heavenly beauty. But this devastatingly attractive young shepherd wanted nothing to do with me. He took one look and ran for his life!"
"My goodness." Hera sat down heavily beside the slender goddess on the bed. There was a jug on the table full of ambrosia, the heavenly liquor of the gods. The queen of the gods poured a cup for her companion. "What happened next?"
The lovely blonde goddess drank the sweet ambrosia. "Naturally I chased him, but with the bracelet on my ankle I couldn't catch up. He got away, and I fell flat on my face. I went to wash up in a nearby pond, and when I saw my face in the water my heart almost stopped. It wasn't me. It was some sort of monster!"
"Hephaestus might hammer out a heavy ankle bracelet, just to slow you down," Hera said thoughtfully. "But could he really turn you into a monster? Right now you look lovelier than ever!"
"That's because I'm here in my room, not out having fun." Aphrodite set down her golden goblet with a sigh. "My husband doesn't want me roaming the world, gifting mortals with passion and romance. Hephaestus wants me all to himself."
"Well, we can't have that!" Hera chuckled, knowing that the love goddess was the apple of her husband's eye. "Aphrodite, you've had a busy morning. Why not lie down and rest?"
"All of you keep siding with my husband," Aphrodite grumbled, lying down on the bed. "But he can't stop me from doing what I want. Nobody can!"
"Well, we'll see what Zeus has to say about that." Hera rose heavily from the bed and left the slim love goddess to her sleep.
The next day, Aphrodite carefully brushed her long golden hair and took her complaints directly to Hera's husband Zeus. The king of the gods had made love to countless mortal women, so he couldn't actually forbid the love goddess from walking the earth. But he did tell her not to disobey Hephaestus. The crippled god of fire and forging tools was old and ugly, but he was her husband.
"If you break his heart, Aphrodite, then you truly are a monster."
"Hera has been good to me," Aphrodite said softly. "And so have you, mighty Zeus. I promise to be good to my husband!"
That night, Hephaestus came home looking sad and worn, tired from working all day in the fiery furnace beneath Mount Olympus. "So many weapons to forge, swords and shields and helmets for heroes who shine for one brief moment, only to die in endless war. What is the point of giving mortals gifts that destroy them?"
"Mortals make their own choices," Aphrodite muttered to herself. She had even less freedom than a mortal. "Good husband, you look so tired. Is your bad leg giving you trouble? Let me cook you a nice hot dinner, and then rub you down in front of the fire!"
Aphrodite was cunning. She wanted freedom and would do anything to get it. And she knew how to please her husband, how to feed him, bathe him, and rub the soreness from his tired body.
"Little girl, you are all I desire," Hephaestus groaned, relaxing by the fire while Aphrodite rubbed him down after dinner.
"I'll always be your little girl." Aphrodite rubbed a little bit harder. "You can trust me, can't you? I'm not really a monster, am I?"
"You're so good . . . so sweet . . . a true goddess!" Hephaestus was falling asleep as his wife made aches and pains into bliss. "You can . . . go anywhere . . . do anything . . . I do trust you!"
"Now that's what I like to hear." Aphrodite smiled as the heavy gold ankle bracelet fell to the floor. She'd put her man to sleep. She'd fooled him. Now she had the rest of the evening to herself.
Swift as the wind, the goddess of love ran to the woods, looking for the very attractive young shepherd she'd seen the other night. The full moon guided her steps. But when she arrived at the lovely moonlit meadow she got a nasty shock. Her boy was there, sitting at the still pond where she'd bathed her face.
But a pretty young shepherd girl was with him.
"Isn't it a lovely night?" The girl asked, in a friendly voice. She wasn't anything special, Aphrodite decided. She had freckles.
"Yes," the boy choked out. There was a world of secret yearning in his eyes. But he couldn't say what needed to be said. "Lovely."
He's a shy one, Aphrodite thought.
Slowly, the goddess raised her white arms. One shepherd girl wouldn't be missed. Zeus had given all the gods and goddesses the power to end mortal lives. One stroke of lightning and she could have the boy all to herself. He wouldn't be shy for long.
But the boy was still just sitting there. His time was running out.
He wants to tell her, but he can't. He just hasn't got the power.
Slowly, the goddess of love lowered her arms. The girl was looking bored. The boy was on the edge of losing everything. Aphrodite frowned, fully understanding her power for the first time.
"Phoebe, you are as beautiful as the moonlight. You are as beautiful as the stars! I need to tell you . . . tell you . . ."
It was enough. The boy and girl kissed, and the goddess of love slowly walked away.