The goddess of love & beauty is Aphrodite. In the Sailor V Manga Artemis reveals to Minako that she is an incarnation of the goddess Aphrodite herself. To link with fertility, in classical art she is usually pictured with flowers and vegetation. She's also associated with the dove, and the goose. In the Illiad by Homer, the prince Paris is told to pick which goddess is the most beautiful, out of Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. Hera and Athena promised him victory in a battle, but Paris picked Aphrodite, because she promised him the most beautiful woman in the world if he picked her. That most beautiful woman was Helen of Troy, he went and found her and took her away. This was the spark of the Trojan War.
Roman Mythology: Venus
Sailor Venus represents Venus, the goddess of love & beauty. She was born in the sea and came to shore at Cyprus. She had one mortal child, Aeneas, who was the founder of Rome. She was honored as the Mother of the Roman People.
