Births in Classical Mythology

Anybody who hasn't heard all about my new "Encyclopedia of Mythology" obviously hasn't been spending enough time with me lately. I bought this beautiful (and very big) book from THE WORKS, and it was on the 'end of the line - last chance' shelf too. The sticker said £5.99 (what a bargain!), but I was charged only £2.99!!! Wooooooooooooooooo - as Ric Flair would say!

Today, I list my five favourite births from Classical mythology - their are many to choose from, all described in gory detail in my encyclopedia. Here they are, in starting-at-five-and-going-towards-one order;

5. The Birth of Asclepius
Asclepius was the Greek god of healing. He was conceived in the usual way by the lake nymph Coronis, lover of the god Apollo, and her mortal lover. Upon discovering her affair, Apollo sent his sister to kill the lake nymph with a disease.
As her body burnt in the funeral Pyre, Apollo took pity on the unborn son and removed him from the corpse, and thus was Asclepius born.

4. The Birth of Athena
Athena was the Greek goddess of War and Crafts. She was conceived by a mortal woman named Metis, who Zeus swallowed upon discovering that she was pregnant with a powerful deity. Hephaistos, the Smith god, assisted the birth of Athena by splitting open Zeus' head with an axe, and then out she popped, fully grown, clothed, and armed for battle. Which is one way to save money on child-rearing.

3. The Birth of Erichthonius
Athena hadn't seen the last of Hephaistos. He tried to rape her after falling in love with her. However, Athena was anxious to keep hold of her virginity, and so she miraculously disappeared during the encounter. In the nick of time, it seems, for Hephaistos' semen then fell to the ground, where it grew into the serpent Erichthonius.
The poor serpent suffered for his distressing heritage, and was kept in a box by Athena. Ultimately she gave it to the three daughters of the semi-serpent Cecrops, and told them not to look inside the box. Two of them looked inside, saw the snake, and went insane.

2. The Birth of The Furies
These were the unattractive avenging goddesses of Greek mythology. They were born to the the great Earth mother Gaia.
Gaia first gave birth to Ouranos the sky god, who became her husband. They were extremely passionate, and so their offspring could not emerge from Gaia's womb for their father's penis was blocking the exit. Luckily for them, Gaia conceived not only children but a great sickle (now THAT is gonna be painful on the way out!), which the youngest son, Cronos, used to cut off Ouranos' penis. The blood which came from the penis entered Gaia's womb, and from it The Furies were conceived.

1. The Birth of Aphrodite
Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of Love, so it's only fitting that her conception was a result of one of the most loving acts ever committed. It occurred when the Titan Cronos cut of his father's penis with a sharp sickle (Do you remember that? It's not easily forgotten...)
The 'immortal member' (as my book puts it) was cast into the sea, where it floated amid 'white foam' :/, and inside which Aphrodite grew, until she was washed up at Paphos on Cyprus. She had clearly spent enough time inside a penis by then, and was ready for some role-reversal...