Book Review: Venus and Aphrodite

Hello, pornies. ^^ How is it going over there? I recently told you about this book I was reading and how it explained that Venus and Aphrodite could also be Goddesses of War. Now that I finished it, I can tell you that you need to read it as well. It's Venus and Aphrodite: A Biography of Desire, by Bettany Hughes. Thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy!

• Print Length: 304 pages.
• Publisher: Basic Books (September 22, 2020).
• Publication Date: September 22, 2020.
• Genres: History, Folklore, Mythology.
• Rating: 4 / 5 stars.

A cultural history of the goddess of love, from a New York Times bestselling and award-winning historian.

Aphrodite was said to have been born from the sea, rising out of a froth of white foam. But long before the Ancient Greeks conceived of this voluptuous blonde, she existed as an early spirit of fertility on the shores of Cyprus -- and thousands of years before that, as a ferocious warrior-goddess in the Middle East. Proving that this fabled figure is so much more than an avatar of commercialized romance, historian Bettany Hughes reveals the remarkable lifestory of one of antiquity's most potent myths.

Venus and Aphrodite brings together ancient art, mythology, and archaeological revelations to tell the story of human desire. From Mesopotamia to modern-day London, from Botticelli to Beyoncé, Hughes explains why this immortal goddess continues to entrance us today -- and how we trivialize her power at our peril.

Let's start with the simple: the style. So clear, so detailed yet not overwhelming, so complete but not heavy. This is the kind of history books I'd love to read more often. Not to mention, it's pretty short. I'd rather it was a bit longer, but part of the charm is in its brevity. If there's something I don't like about academic books is that 90% of the time they use a complex language, just because, but this book was the exception.

Bettany Hughes takes a chronological structure to explore how Venus and Aphrodite, along with a few more beauty-sex-love-related deities, have evolved since the earliest recordings, leaving to stone unturned and no question with no answer (or at least a big part of them). I'd say my favorite aspect of the reading was how easy it turned out to be, how simple it is to follow.

I do think it could have been longer, however, since some chapters were too short compared to what I expected. The one explaining her warrior side, for example, could have dug some more to give more examples, or go into more details. I found this chapter so interesting I didn't want it to end, to be honest.

In general, I loved Venus and Aphrodite: A Biography of Desire and would recommend it to basically every single witch interested in beauty, love, sex, appeal, and the like. You won't get rituals, spells, or anything, but will help you get in touch with that part of you, not to mention you'll discover many faces of an often-overlooked Goddess.

About Bettany Hughes:

Bettany Hughes is an award-winning historian, author, and broadcaster. She is currently professor of history at the New College of the Humanities and a research fellow of King's College, London. She is the author of three popular books, Helen of Troy: The Story Behind the Most Beautiful Woman in the World, Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities, and the New York Times-bestselling The Hemlock Cup. She lives in London. Website.

Kinky regards, K!

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Midnight Thoughts: Freezing Spells

Good morning, pornies. How's your week going? As I promised yesterday, I want to be more active here, and there's a topic I read about a long time ago that a friend mentioned recently: freezing spells. I admit I did one of those long, long ago, when I was getting started as a witch and didn't give much thought about doing different things. Today, however, it's a different story and I'm totally against them.

Source.

A little background on the topic. For those unfamiliar with them, freezing spells are supposed to actually freeze someone in order to stop them from doing whatever it is they're doing, usually gossiping about you, harming you in a way, and I guess there could be one to prevent them from hurting themselves, or someone can modify a basic structure to do it.

In my case, I did one during my high school years to stop one of my bullies. He was a selfish, pedant, irritating guy who as always looking for a new way to make fun of me. I just wanted him to stop once and for all, and casted a freezing spell I found on a magazine. I can't recall if it made any difference, but he sure got worse after a while.

My reasoning for this, and for me being against them, is that you actually freeze them and stop them for a while, but you're not fixing anything or helping anyone, not even yourself. What happens once the ice melts? Or maybe the fridge has a problem? That person will be just the way they were, you go back to the starting point, maybe after a good rest, but you didn't solve anything.

Maybe I'm biased because my witchcraft is based on healing and divination, maybe because I don't like the idea of harming someone, but I don't see a point in this type of spells. Maybe I'll change in the future, or maybe someone will make me change, but so far I'd rather either heal and strengthen myself, or simply push that person away. I've done both already, and I know they work, so I know they'll keep working.

Also, and this can be part of my early years as a well, when I was Wiccan, but I don't like to go against someone else's freewill, not even when I'm healing. I always ask for that person's permission, except when time is short and they need it as soon as possible. The same logic applies for my craft.

I'm okay helping someone, I want to, I love it, it's one of the reasons I became a witch in the first place, but I want that someone to want to be helped and to mean  it, to make a compromise with themselves to actually change. Otherwise I'll either do nothing or simply pray for them. If someone's messing with me or my people, I'll return the harm right away and heal those they hurt, not freeze them indefinitely in time and potentially prevent them from becoming better human beings.

Kinky regards, K!

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