\paperw5295 \margr0\margl0 \plain \pard\tx8790\ATXts240\ATXbrdr0 \f1 The gods have always been attributed human appearance and sentiments. In their love affairs the gods often f
ound themselves in extreme and paradoxical situations, which resulted in extraordinary consequences that were quite extraneous to human nature.\par
One particularly moving myth is that of Adonis, the beautiful youth courted by both Venus û or Aphrodite
û and Persephone. The myth tells how Adonis was killed by a wild boar, but brought back to life by the gods and allowed to spend six months with Aphrodite and the rest of the year in the underworld with Persephone, in correspondence with the seasons.
\par
In the \i Golden Ass\i0 Apuleius tells the story of the passionate affair between Cupid, the god of love, and the young nymph Psyche, who adored him without ever having seen his face. The theme, with all its delight and yearning, was often chosen by
artists to illustrate the tender love of two adolescents.\par
Other famous loves are those of Zeus, or Jupiter, celebrated by Ovid in the \i Metamorphoses\i0 . According to legend, Danaδ was locked up by her father in a tower but the god Jupiter was a
ble to enter her room and unite with her in the form of a golden shower.\par
Infatuated with Io, a priestess of Juno, Jupiter avoided the jealousy of his wife by taking on the appearance of a cloud.\par
\pard\ATXts240\ATXbrdr0 In the \i Ars Amatoria
\i0 Ovid recounts the story of Ariadne, daughter of King Minos of Crete, whose love for Theseus led her to help him rid the city of the Minotaur, the terrible monster with the head of a bull and the body of a man. Fleeing with the hero, Ariadne was abando
ned on the island of Naxos, where she met Dionysus, the god of wine, and married him.
