Greek Mythology Coloring Pages
Adonis Coloring Pages
Adonis was a young man so handsome that the goddess Aphrodite fell in love with him. His story has a little of everything: two goddesses who both wanted him, a wild boar, red flowers, and (in some versions of the story) a ruling from Zeus that settles the argument. Below you'll find Adonis coloring pages, plus pictures from the other parts of his story.
Adonis
Adonis was born in an unusual way. His mother was turned into a myrrh tree, and Adonis came out of the trunk as a baby. He grew into a young hunter who loved to be outdoors with his dogs, and everyone who saw him noticed how good-looking he was.
Aphrodite
Aphrodite, the goddess of love, adored Adonis. She followed him on his hunting trips and warned him to stay away from dangerous animals. Adonis didn't always listen, which is a big part of why the story ends the way it does.
The Boar
One day while hunting, Adonis was attacked by a wild boar and badly hurt. Aphrodite hurried to him, but she was too late. Different versions of the myth blame different gods for sending the boar, so you may hear more than one name, but the most popular version says it's Ares, god of war, to blame... he was quite smitten by Aphrodite and was jealous of the attention she was paying to Adonis.
boar coloring pages Ares coloring pages
Flowers
The Greeks said red anemone flowers grew from the drops of Adonis's blood where he fell. Anemones are also called windflowers, and they bloom in spring. It's a good excuse to reach for your reds and pinks!
Persephone
After Adonis died, his spirit went to the underworld, where Persephone was queen. She didn't want to give him back, and Aphrodite wanted him too, so the two goddesses argued about it.
Zeus
Zeus settled things with a deal in some versions of the story... in others it's the muse Calliope that settles things between Persephone and Aphrodite. The goddesses agreed that Adonis would spend part of the year with Persephone and part with Aphrodite.
The Story of the Greek Adonis
Once upon a time, a baby boy named Adonis had no mother to take care of him. He was so beautiful that everyone who saw him said so.
Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, found him and felt sorry for him.
"Poor little one," she said. "Somebody must look after you."
She tucked him safely into a beautifully carved chest and carried him to Persephone, the queen of the underworld.
"Please keep him safe for me," said Aphrodite.
"Of course I will," said Persephone.
She lifted the flower-covered lid and peeked inside. Adonis looked up at her and smiled, and Persephone smiled right back.
Adonis grew and grew, and Persephone grew fonder of him every day. At last Aphrodite came to take him home.
"Thank you for looking after him," said Aphrodite. "I will take him now."
"Oh, no," said Persephone. "I am keeping him."
"But I brought him to you!" said Aphrodite.
"And I have loved him ever since!" said Persephone.
They argued and argued, and neither would give in. So they went to Zeus, the king of the gods, and asked him to decide.
Zeus listened to both of them. Then he said, "Adonis will spend four months of every year with Persephone. He will spend four months with Aphrodite. And he will spend the last four months any way he likes."
Persephone nodded, and so did Aphrodite.
Adonis thought it over. He liked Aphrodite best of all.
"I will spend my four months with Aphrodite, too," he said.
So Adonis spent eight months of every year with Aphrodite, and she was very happy.
Adonis loved to hunt. Every morning he whistled for his hunting dogs, and they raced ahead of him into the forest.
"Be careful," Aphrodite would say. "The forest can be dangerous."
Now Ares, the god of war, was jealous of Adonis. He did not like how much Aphrodite cared for him.
One fine morning, Ares was waiting. He sent a wild boar crashing out of the trees. The dogs barked, and Adonis turned to face it, but the boar was too strong. Adonis was killed by the boar and few drops of his blood sprinkled onto the white pure anemone flowers in the forest staining them forever red.
Aphrodite cried and cried. She cried for so long that Hades, the ruler of the underworld, began to feel sorry for her.
"That is enough tears," said Hades gently. "Adonis may spend six months of every year with you."
And so it was. Half of every year, Adonis stayed on earth with Aphrodite. The other half, he stayed in the underworld with Persephone.
Print the story of the Greek Adonis with coloring pages (PDF)