The word has deep roots in ancient Greek mythology because Adonis is the god of beauty and attraction – a male counterpart for Aphrodite. The story of Adonis and Aphrodite are intertwined, and their story is a classic account of jealousy and desire, rejection, and love
He was loved by both Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, and Persephone, goddess of the underworld. One day while hunting, he was killed by a wild boar. In answer to Aphrodite's pleas, Zeus allowed him to spend half the year with her and half in the underworld. Today a man called an Adonis probably has strikingly fine features, low body fat, rippling muscles—and a certain vain attitude of overconfidence. Adonises should beware; the boar that killed Adonis was sent by either the jealous Artemis (goddess of hunting) or the envious Ares (god of war).
