I'm hoping to print and bind my thesis two weeks today, so my blog posts may be a bit shorter and less frequent than usual for the next couple of weeks!The film version of Mamma Mia!, the musical built around ABBA songs, includes a minor detail not in the stage musical. Meryl Streep's character Donna's hotel is supposedly built over the 'fountain of Aphrodite', and anyone who drinks the water will find their true love. At the end of the film, there's a termor in the earth, the mosaic (of dolphins I believe) cracks and water shoots out of the ground, as Donna cries joyfully 'It's Aphrodite!'
You'll probably be unsurprised to hear that, as far as I know, this has no basis in ancient stories about Aphrodite. The island on which Mamma Mia! is set is fictitious, as is the hotel, and there are no stories that I know of concerning a fountain of Aphrodite (if anyone else has heard any, let me know!) (Edited to add: see the comments section below for some interesting examples I hadn't heard of before). The mythical 'birthplace of Aphrodite' is usually placed at Paphos in Cyprus, and the story is that she was born fully grown from the sea from some castrated genitals, so there is some connection with water in her myth, but as far as I know that's it.
Aphrodite is used in the film, of course, because she's the goddess of love and sex, which is pretty much the sole subject of the film (that and gorgeous Greek scenery). It's quite sweet in its own way, and it gives the film a stronger tie to its location (which otherwise really is just scenery porn, Donna's hotel could be anywhere) but I really think everyone should be more worried by the minor earthquake and possible instability of the building...
(Edited to add: I actually like this film, I think I forgot to mention that! Although now I have ABBA songs stuck in my head...)
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