Adonis

In Greek mythology, Adonis (Ancient Greek: Ἄδωνις; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤃𐤍) was a stunningly handsome mortal who became the beloved of both Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and Persephone, queen of the underworld. Revered as the embodiment of male beauty, Adonis was associated with themes of love, death, and rebirth, and became a powerful symbol of nature's cycle of decay and renewal.

The myth tells that Adonis was fatally gored by a wild boar during a hunt, and he died in the arms of a grieving Aphrodite. As her tears fell and mingled with his blood, they gave rise to the delicate anemone flower, marking the spot where he died. His tragic end became the focus of the Adonia, a midsummer festival held in his honor. During the Adonia, women would plant “gardens of Adonis”—shallow pots with quick-growing plants like lettuce or fennel—which flourished briefly under the sun before withering, symbolizing the fleeting nature of life and beauty. The festival was marked by mourning rituals, where women would publicly express their grief by tearing their garments and beating their breasts.

The cult of Adonis was recognized by the Greeks as having Near Eastern roots. His name derives from the Canaanite word adōn, meaning "lord," and his story shares strong parallels with ancient myths from Mesopotamia. Most notably, his tale is thought to descend from the myth of Inanna (Ishtar) and Dumuzid (Tammuz), in which a goddess mourns the death of a divine youth who represents the vegetation cycle.

In later scholarly interpretations, particularly in the 19th and early 20th centuries, Adonis became a key figure in the study of the dying-and-rising god archetype—deities whose deaths and resurrections symbolize the seasonal rhythms of nature. Even today, the name Adonis remains synonymous with youthful male beauty, and he continues to be referenced as the archetype of the ideal, yet doomed, lover.