Aphrodite's Rock
On the coast of Cyprus is the rock where the goddess Aphrodite is said to have risen from the sea. Swim around it, people say, and you'll stay young.
What was reported
Petra tou Romiou is a sea stack on the south-west coast of Cyprus, where waves break into foam against the rocks. In Greek myth, the goddess of love, Aphrodite, was born from the foam of the sea and came ashore on Cyprus, and tradition places her birth here.
A modern belief says that anyone who swims around the rock three times, some say at night under a full moon, will be granted eternal youth, or find true love. The rock's name comes from another legend, of a Byzantine hero who threw boulders at pirates.
Explanations offered
The myths are ancient; the swimming custom is more recent and popular with visitors. Aphrodite's main sanctuary in ancient times stood at Palaipaphos, a few kilometres away, which is why the coast was linked with her.
- When
- Told since ancient times
- Where
- Petra tou Romiou, Paphos, Cyprus
- Witnesses
- Greek myth, and swimmers every summer
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.