34 Venus and Adonis

Aphrodite loved Adonis more than she did anybody else，for he was a brisk，lovely young hunter．She gave up herhome at Olympus and took to the woods．In the woods she dressed herself up like a huntress and kept the youth company all day long．With him she wandered through grounds andgroves and over hills and valleys．She cheered hunting dogs andpursued animals of a harmless sort．They had a great time together．However，she warned him many times not to chase wild beasts like lions and wolves，but the young man just laughed at the idea．

One day，after warning him thus，she left for Olympus inher carriage．Quite by chance Adonis' hunting dogs found aboar，which roused Adonis to enthusiasm．He hit the beast with an arrow，but the boar，turning on him，buried its white tusk deep into his tender side and trampled him to death．When Aphrodite came back to find her lover cold in death，she burst into a passion of tears ．Unable to take him back from th...