← All of Himeka's Erotic Trivia
"Aphrodisiac" comes from Aphrodite, the goddess born from sea foam
A love potion in English is an aphrodisiac. The "Aphro" isn't a hairstyle, it's Aphrodite, goddess of sexual love and beauty. And the foods long hyped as aphrodisiacs? Nobody has found anything in them that acts directly on the body.
MaiHimeka-san! Apparently a love potion in English is an "aphrodisiac"! That's 'cause it was invented by a god with a big Afro, right!? I totally know this!
Himeka...Sigh. Hair has nothing to do with it. Not Afro. Aphrodite. The Greek goddess of sexual love and beauty, whom the Romans matched with Venus. "Aphrodisiac" comes from the Greek aphrodisiakos, "arousing sexual desire," which goes back to a word meaning "of Aphrodite." As an English noun, it's on record from 1719.
MaiOoh! So the name Aphrodite means, um... "Afro? Delighted!" Right!?
HimekaWrong!! What is this, a salon booking!? ...The ancient Greeks thought the name came from aphros, "foam." In Hesiod's Theogony, Cronus cuts off the genitals of his father Uranus and hurls them into the sea, and she's born from the white foam that rises up.
HimekaThat said, some modern scholars think that since the goddess herself came from the East, her name probably did too, maybe from the Phoenician spoken on Cyprus. The foam story is just how the ancients explained it.
MaiBorn from foam!? ...Then beer foam is an aphrodisiac too! I'm getting a whole pitcher!
HimekaIt is NOT!! ...Well, they do say alcohol can put you in the mood by lowering your inhibitions. But that's not the foam's doing.
MaiHmph! Then which aphrodisiacs actually work!? Hearty stamina food, right!?
HimekaThrough history, the foods most often sold as aphrodisiacs have been fish, vegetables and spices. But not one of them has turned up a compound that acts directly on the body. Britannica's verdict: the reputation is folklore, not fact. Even the hype around ginseng root and rhinoceros horn is said to come from an old belief that anything shaped like genitals must have sexual powers.
MaiSo if it's shaped like one, it works!? Then I'm eating a mountain of mushrooms!!
HimekaNothing will happen if you do!! ...And cantharides, long rumored to "really work," is dried, crushed blister beetle. Touch it and your skin blisters, and swallowing it is extremely dangerous. As for yohimbine, anything like an effect only shows up at toxic doses, so most researchers chalk it up to the power of suggestion.
Himeka...Hmph. Britannica also counts things you see, touch, smell and hear as aphrodisiacs. So instead of hunting for shady potions, you could try fixing your hair. That'll work far better, I suppose.
Himeka's summary
- The English word aphrodisiac comes from the Greek aphrodisiakos ("arousing sexual desire"), from Aphrodisios, "of Aphrodite." As an English noun it is recorded from 1719.
- Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of sexual love and beauty (Rome's Venus). In Hesiod's Theogony she is born from white foam off the genitals of Uranus, thrown into the sea by Cronus, and her name was traced to aphros (foam). Others trace it to the East (Cypriot Phoenician).
- No compound acting directly on the body has been found in foods reputed to be aphrodisiacs (mostly fish, vegetables and spices); their reputation rests on folklore. Swallowing cantharides is extremely dangerous, and most researchers attribute yohimbine's effects to suggestion.
Sources
General trivia only. For anything that needs a medical call, talk to a doctor. All characters are adults.
Translated from the Japanese original. Sources are unchanged.