The Necklaces of Aphrodite

Iron Mooring Posts, Corfu New Harbour - the Necklaces of Aphrodite - ὅρμους χρυσείους - no mortal or god could keep her tied down. Was it a golden necklace (περιδέραιο, κολιέ, ὅρμος) -

  or an iron chain?

"And the goddess brighteyed Athena girded and clothed her, and the divine Graces and queenly Persuasion put necklaces of gold upon her" (Hesiod, Work and Days)

ζῶσε δὲ καὶ κόσμησε θεὰ γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη:
ἀμφὶ δέ οἱ Χάριτές τε θεαὶ καὶ πότνια Πειθὼ
ὅρμους χρυσείους ἔθεσαν χροΐ

αὐτὰρ ἐπειδὴ πάντα περὶ χροῒ κόσμον ἔθηκαν, 

ἦγον ἐς ἀθανάτους: οἳ δ᾽ ἠσπάζοντο ἰδόντες

χερσί τ᾽ ἐδεξιόωντο καὶ ἠρήσαντο ἕκαστος

εἶναι κουριδίην ἄλοχον καὶ οἴκαδ᾽ ἄγεσθαι, 

εἶδος θαυμάζοντες ἰοστεφάνου Κυθερείης.

"And when they had fully decked her, they brought her to the gods, who welcomed her when they saw her, giving her their hands. Each one of them prayed that he might lead her home to be his wedded wife, so greatly were they amazed at the beauty of violet-crowned Cytherea".

Ἥφαιστον δ᾽ ἐκέλευσε περικλυτὸν ὅττι τάχιστα

γαῖαν ὕδει φύρειν, ἐν δ᾽ ἀνθρώπου θέμεν αὐδὴν

καὶ σθένος, ἀθανάτῃς δὲ θεῇς εἰς ὦπα ἐίσκειν

παρθενικῆς καλὸν εἶδος ἐπήρατον: αὐτὰρ Ἀθήνην

ἔργα διδασκῆσαι, πολυδαίδαλον ἱστὸν ὑφαίνειν: 

καὶ χάριν ἀμφιχέαι κεφαλῇ χρυσέην Ἀφροδίτην

καὶ πόθον ἀργαλέον καὶ γυιοβόρους μελεδώνας: 

ἐν δὲ θέμεν κύνεόν τε νόον καὶ ἐπίκλοπον ἦθος

Ἑρμείην ἤνωγε, διάκτορον Ἀργεϊφόντην. 

ὣς ἔφαθ᾽: οἳ δ᾽ ἐπίθοντο Διὶ Κρονίωνι ἄνακτι. 

αὐτίκα δ᾽ ἐκ γαίης πλάσσεν κλυτὸς Ἀμφιγυήεις

παρθένῳ αἰδοίῃ ἴκελον Κρονίδεω διὰ βουλάς: 

ζῶσε δὲ καὶ κόσμησε θεὰ γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη: 

ἀμφὶ δέ οἱ Χάριτές τε θεαὶ καὶ πότνια Πειθὼ

ὅρμους χρυσείους ἔθεσαν χροΐ: ἀμφὶ δὲ τήν γε

Ὧραι καλλίκομοι στέφον ἄνθεσιν εἰαρινοῖσιν: 

πάντα δέ οἱ χροῒ κόσμον ἐφήρμοσε Παλλὰς Ἀθήνη. 

ἐν δ᾽ ἄρα οἱ στήθεσσι διάκτορος Ἀργεϊφόντης

ψεύδεά θ᾽ αἱμυλίους τε λόγους καὶ ἐπίκλοπον ἦθος

τεῦξε Διὸς βουλῇσι βαρυκτύπου: ἐν δ᾽ ἄρα φωνὴν

θῆκε θεῶν κῆρυξ, ὀνόμηνε δὲ τήνδε γυναῖκα

Πανδώρην, ὅτι πάντες Ὀλύμπια δώματ᾽ ἔχοντες

δῶρον ἐδώρησαν, πῆμ᾽ ἀνδράσιν ἀλφηστῇσιν.

So said the father of men and gods, and laughed aloud. And he bade famous Hephaestus make haste and mix earth with water and to put in it the voice and strength of human kind, and fashion a sweet, lovely maiden-shape, like to the immortal goddesses in face; and Athena to teach her needlework and the weaving of the varied web; and golden Aphrodite to shed grace upon her head and cruel longing and cares that weary the limbs. And he charged Hermes the guide, the Slayer of Argus, to put in her a shameless mind and a deceitful nature. So he ordered. And they obeyed the lord Zeus the son of Cronos. Forthwith the famous Lame God moulded clay in the likeness of a modest maid, as the son of Cronos purposed. And the goddess brighteyed Athena girded and clothed her, and the divine Graces and queenly Persuasion put necklaces of gold upon her, and the rich-haired Hours crowned her head with spring flowers. And Pallas Athena bedecked her form with all manner of finery. Also the Guide, the Slayer of Argus, contrived within her lies and crafty words and a deceitful nature at the will of loud thundering Zeus, and the Herald of the gods put speech in her. And he called this woman Pandora, because all they who dwelt on Olympus gave each a gift, a plague to men who eat bread.

Hugh G. Evelyn-White


A ROMAN MARBLE TORSO OF VENUS, Christie's