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Venus and Mars



Sandro Botticelli: "Venus and Mars." The painting shows Venus resting contentedly. Little satyrs honk horns and play about Mars, as he sleeps, unaware.
Click image for larger gif (53.4K GIF)
Image courtesy of the Trustees, The National Gallery, London

Venus was the goddess of love and beauty. With her exquisite features and pleasant smile she attracted many suitors, gods and mortals alike. However, she was married to the graceless and lame Vulcan, the god of fire. Her true love was Mars, the god of war. Their child was the beautiful goddess Harmonia. One day while Venus and Mars were together they were caught in an invisible but strong net forged by Vulcan, and exposed to the ridicule and laughter of the other gods at Mt. Olympus.



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Last modified February 25, 1996 by the Windows Team

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