Leander, a young fellow from Abydos, a village by the Hellespont, and Hero, a priestess of Aphrodite who lived in a tower on the opposite side of the strait, fell madly in love. At first, the virgin Hero was reluctant to engage in carnal exchanges with the randy Leander. However, the latter, smoother than a shot of Ouzo, persuaded the priestess with the tricky argument that her boss, Aphrodite—the goddess of love, for Venus’ sake!—was probably frowning upon her virginity all the way from Mount Olympus. So here’s what the clandestine lovers ended up concocting to get it on under the unsuspecting noses of the other priestesses: Leander would swim across the strait every night, while Hero would flag a lit lamp on top of the tower to show him the way. The tryst thrived and flourished throughout the warm summer months, without a single glitch, until one night when the first winter storm extinguished Hero’s lamp, and Leander, suddenly lost, drowned in a sea of cold, raging waves. In perfect Greek tragedy fashion, a grieving Hero jumped off the tower to her death.
Is that how mighty Aphrodite repays her most devoted worshippers? We sure as Hades hope not!