Adonis was the son of Phoenix and Aephesiboea in ancient Greece. He was incredibly handsome. So much so, in fact, that the goddess Aphrodite fell in love with him, and abducted him from his parents. In order to keep him safe, she entrusted his care to Persephone. However, Persephone herself fell in love, and refused to give him back. This understandably made Aphrodite quite angry, and the two goddesses began feuding. It got so bad that Zeus, king of gods, had to step in. He said that Adonis would spend a third of the year with each goddess, and the last third with whomever he chose (it was always Aphrodite). This was not a happy ending for Adonis, however. Jealous of Aphrodite's affection for the man, Ares, the god of war, transformed himself into a boar and gored him to death. Wherever his blood fell, myrrh and roses grew.