 The earliest known Greek reference to Adonis comes from a fragment of a poem by the Lesbian poet Sappho (c. 630 – c. 570 BC), in which a chorus of young girls asks Aphrodite what they can do to mourn Adonis' death.Aphrodite replies that they must beat their breasts and tear their tunics.The cult of Adonis has also been described as corresponding to the cult of the Phoenician god Baal.