5.Adonis & Aphrodite
Adonis is a breathtakingly handsome spirit, whose very name epitomizes male good looks, is the son of a myrrh tree. How does a tree give birth to a baby? The most evocative explanation, given Adonis’ eventual fate, is that a wild boar slashed the tree open, performing a Caesarian section with its tusks. Aphrodite rescued the baby, who was already so radiantly beautiful that she placed him in a closed jeweled casket and gave him to Persephone for safekeeping in Hades. Persephone couldn’t resist peeking into the box and was instantly smitten.
Persephone, the queen of the Underworld, in charge of raising him. The plan backfired, however, because as Adonis grew older he became so attractive that Persephone could not help but to fall madly in love with him. When the day came for her to return Adonis to Aphrodite, she refused. This conflict between the goddess of love and the goddess of the underworld eventually led Zeus, the king of all gods, to step in and settle it. He ruled that Adonis would spend four months of the year with Persephone in Hades (the name given the Underworld) and four months with Aphrodite. As for the remaining four months, Adonis could stay with whomever he wished. His heart's true desire was revealed when he chose to stay with Aphrodite.