The north frieze of the Altar: Aphrodite and Dione’s opponent

At the Altar’s northeast corner, Aphrodite braces her right foot against the face of a dead Giant in order to free her spear from his corpse […]. The brutality of the scene forms a stark contrast to the goddess of love’s usual pursuits. As the consort of Ares, Aphrodite continues the sequence of Olympian gods from the east frieze around to the north. Her mother Dione fights nearby, attacking a snake-legged Giant from the right while Aphrodite’s son Eros flies in from the left to help.