Aphrodite’s Pearls

Pearl

A pearl is a hard, shiny object produced within the soft tissue of a living shelled mollusk. Like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium carbonate in a crystalline form, which is deposited in concentric layers. More commercially valuable pearls are perfectly round and smooth, but many other shapes, known as baroque pearls, can occur. The highest quality of natural pearls have been highly valued as gemstones and objects of beauty for many centuries. In literature, pearls have become a metaphor for something rare, fine, admirable, and valuable.

Aphrodite

Aphrodite is an ancient Greek goddess associated with love and beauty. Aphrodite's main cult centers were Cythera, Cyprus, Corinth, and Athens. In Athens, she was celebrated annually during the Aphrodisia festival. In Laconia, Aphrodite was worshipped as a warrior goddess. She was the patron goddess of prostitutes, an association which led early scholars to propose the concept of sacred prostitution in Greco-Roman culture, an idea now generally seen as erroneous. Aphrodite had many epithets, many of which emphasized an aspect of her character or were used by local cults. Thus she was known as Cytherea and Cypris, because both places claimed to be the site of her birth. The origins of Aphrodite have been the subject of scholarly debate. Proposed influences on her origins have included Near Eastern love goddesses, an indigenous Cypriot goddess, and a Proto-Indo-European dawn goddess.

aphrodite

Noun

1. A soft and earthy mineral of a white or yellowish color, and with a waxy lustre, found at Langbanshytta in Sweden. It is a hydrated silicate of magnesia, and resembles meerschaum.

pearls

Noun

1. plural of pearl.

Verb

1. third-person singular simple present indicative of pearl.