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Both are goddesses of love and beauty with transformative power
Greek Pantheon
tradition
African Traditions
love, beauty, desire, sexuality
domains
love, beauty, rivers, fertility, prosperity
dove, swan, rose, myrtle, sparrow
symbols
mirror, honey, gold, peacock feathers, river water
Venus, Kypris
also called
Oxum, Ochun, Osun
Both are gods of love, beauty.
Aphrodite alone
desire, sexuality
Oshun alone
rivers, fertility, prosperity
Aphrodite
Cult sites: Sanctuaries at Paphos and Amathus on Cyprus, Temple of Aphrodite on Acrocorinth, Aphrodite Pandemos at Athens.
Festivals: Aphrodisia, Adonia.
Cyprus is her oldest ground. Corinth mixed sailors, courtesans, and a high temple. Athens split Ourania from Pandemos: heavenly and of the whole people. Roses, doves, and the sea-foam story sit on top of a civic sex-and-luck cult.
Oshun
Cult sites: Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove.
Festivals: Osun-Osogbo festival.
Honey, brass, and the river. UNESCO listed the grove because the cult is still there. Beauty as power, not as decoration.
Greek Pantheon
Goddess of love, beauty, and desire. Born from the sea foam after Cronus castrated Uranus and threw his genitals into the sea.
Aphrodite is the irresistible goddess of love and beauty. Though married to Hephaestus, she had many lovers, most notably Ares. She has the power to make anyone fall in love, a power that even Zeus cannot resist.
Read the full Aphrodite entryAfrican Traditions
The Orisha of love, beauty, fresh water, and fertility. Oshun embodies feminine grace, sensuality, and the life-giving power of rivers.
Oshun emerged from Olodumare as the embodiment of sweet water, love, and feminine power. She was given dominion over all fresh waters, particularly the river that bears her name in Nigeria.
Oshun is perhaps the most beloved of all Orishas, embodying beauty, love, fertility, and the life-giving power of fresh water. Her river, the Osun, flows through southwestern Nigeria and remains a site of pilgrimage.
Read the full Oshun entry