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Venus and Adonis
Once upon a time, Venus was pierced by her own son’s arrow. When she had embraced the boy, an arrow from his quiver grazed her breast. Ignoring the wound, for she thought it was shallower than it really was, she spied Adonis. She was as surely captured by the youth’s beauty, as she had been by the delicate net of bronze which her husband had trapped her in.
The goddess was so in love with the young man that she abandoned her usual haunts; non iam Cythereia curat/ litora, non alto repetit Paphon aequore cinctam/ piscosamque Gnidon gravidamve Amathunta metallis;/ abstinet et caelo: caelo praefertur Adonis’(Met. X. 529-532) . So enamored was Venus that she began to act as if she were Diana. The goddess of love would race through the mountainous woods, neglecting her beauty regimen and her rest in favor of hunting the beasts of the forest. Venus took to the sport with ease, for what more than love motivates one to give chase and capture? She quickly surpassed Adonis, who was actually quite a timid huntsman. She never hunted foxes, creatures which we know to be intelligent, and insisted that her lover do the same. Content to hunt the more mild animals of the forests, Adonis never questioned Venus’ insistence.
It wasn’t until the pair found themselves at a temple deep within the woods that she shared her reason. The couple entered the temple and marveled at the beautiful wall paintings. Venus especially was entranced, and a great deal saddened if Adonis knew the expression upon her face, by the tale the images on the wall created. The youth asked after his lover, wanting to know what had caused her such distress. When she finally responded she was still looking at one of the paintings, this one an image of a happy ...

... middle of paper ...

... she couldn’t stay with Adonis, she thought there just might be a way for Adonis to stay with her. After his beloved Daphne had been turned into a laurel tree, Phoebus wore her leaves so that he could always have a part of her with him; Venus thought that she could do the same. She turned her chariot around and found the youth easily. Eager to be with his lover, Adonis agreed to the transformation, once Venus had told him her plan.
Somewhat saddened to lose her lover’s human form, Venus began the transformation. Adonis’ feet began to take root in the soft earth; his handsome face became a flower beautiful enough to adorn even the goddess of love and all her symbols. Unfortunately, since the youth had been timid in life, the flower that he became followed suit; even the smallest gustof wind causes the plant to shake with fear until the flower falls from the stem.

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