LGBT+ Greek Myths

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Greetings and salutations, [|ndc://-me]!

You can call me Care, and

today I will be presenting you

all with our first edition

of the Mythology Weekly!

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This edition’s topic is…

LGBT+ Themes

in Greek Mythology!

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• • •

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Contrary to the name,

the Mythology Weekly is

a bi-weekly series, not

a weekly series, hosted by

the Mythology Club.

If you’re interested in

ing the club, submit

an application!

⠀

Let’s go on ahead and

dive in, shall we?

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°.﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀.°

⁝ ⊹     ⁝

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❛ Sweet mother, I cannot weave –

slender Aphrodite has overcome me

with longing for a girl. ❜

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— Sappho

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⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀   ➤ ʙʏ : ᴄᴀʀᴇ ⟶ 𝘓𝘐𝘕𝘒

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:rotating_light: ➤ Instead of weekly, Trivia

Tuesday and Writing Wednesday

prompts will occur bi-weekly.

This is because we will be

doing THIS series —

the Mythology Weekly —

on the weeks that we aren’t

doing Trivia Tuesday and

Writing Wednesday.

This should be much easier

of a load for our to

handle (if they DECIDE to

participate in all events, since

only some occasional

participation is required.)

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:rotating_light: ➤ We have new !

Please welcome Lais/Ace! :tada:

We are so happy to have you

in the club! Thanks for ing us!

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❛ You may forget but let me

tell you this: someone in some

future time will think of us. ❜

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— The Art of Loving Women

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According to legend, Hyacinthus

was a gorgeous mortal man.

Who his parents were is not

concrete, as they differ in different

telling of the tale. Some cited

King Pierus of Macedon, others

King Oebalus or Amyclas of Sparta.

⠀

But regardless, in every version

of the myth, one factor remains the

same: that Hyacinthus was an

alluring, ethereally beautiful prince.

Sadly, though, it was Hyacinthus’s

beauty that attracted the attention of

not one, but TWO gods — and if

you know anything about greek

mythology, you’ll know that catching

the eye of a god is never a good thing.

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The story is a tragic one.

Hyacinthus had no intention of

garnering the romantic pursuit by

not even one, but two gods.

Yet when Apollo, god of sun and light,

and Zephyrus, god of the west wind,

laid eyes on Hyacinthus they both

immediately fell head over heels.

This mutual interest in the prince

sparked a rivalry between the two

gods, both feigning for the beautiful

mortal man’s affections.

⠀

( NOTE: Hyacinthus is said in some

tales to have also had a mortal suitor —

Thamyris, son of Philammon — who

lost his life after recklessly challenging

the muses and losing. But according

to some versions of the myth,

it was Apollo who forced the contest

against the Muses upon Thamyris

to rid himself of a love rival. )

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Apollo and Hyacinthus were lovers

for quite some time, much to the

jealous Zephyrus’s dismay.

It was said the couple was inseparable,

and that Hyacinthus would even

accompany Apollo around the world

upon a chariot pulled by swans.

Apollo was also said to have taught

Hyacinthus how to play the lyre, how

to use the bow and how to hunt.

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But on one fateful day, while

Apollo was teaching Hyacinthus

how to throw the discus in attempt

to impress the man, the god

of the sun made a fateful mistake.

Apollo accidentally hurled the

discus with all his might in

his lover’s direction. Hyacinthus

attempted to run after the discus,

but was tragically struck by it

instead, the consequences

of which were fatal.

And despite Apollo’s best attempts

to save him, Hyacinthus ed away

from the injury, leaving his holy lover

alone, heartbroken and distraught.

⠀

But in his beloved’s memory,

Apollo took the blood Hyacinthus

shed and created a flower —

each petal of which had the

letters “AI” inscribed — symbolizing

Apollo’s pained, mournful cries.

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( Confusingly, the flower isn’t

actually what we call a hyacinth,

but rather was most likely an iris or

a larkspur, given its description. )

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But according to other versions

of the myth, it was not Apollo’s slip

of the hand that caused the discus to

escape his grip and fatally wound

the beautiful Hyacinthus.

On the contrary, it was actually

said to have been caused by a gust

of wind sent by the vindictive,

forlorn west wind Zephyrus.

According to this version of the

tale, Hyacinthus rejected Zephyrus

in favor of Apollo, which earned

him the wind’s scorn.

In spiteful retaliation, Zephyrus

fatally wounded mortal Hyacinthus

as revenge for his decision.

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However, on a happier note,

in some versions of the myth Apollo

was eventually able to resurrect

Hyacinth and make him immortal.

After that the goddesses, Aphrodite,

Athena and Artemis took Apollo’s

lover to Mount Olympus.

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The Greeks, at the time Mythology

was their religion, did not use labels

or social identifiers to describe

what we’d consider sexual orientation.

Greek society at that time did

not distinguish sexual desire or

behavior by the gender of the

participants, but rather by the role

that each participant played.

This can be seen reflected in the

myth of Hyacinthus and Apollo,

in which Apollo seems to take

on the more dominant role while

Hyacinthus is the ive one.

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:warning: TW : mention of abuse :warning:

Sadly, much of the homosexual

acceptance by greek society at that

time was not due to them having

a more accepting mindset. Rather,

it was largely due to the normalization

of abuse of children of all genders,

especially young boys by men

in their military and such.

:warning: TW : triggering section ended :warning:

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But despite that atrocity, the

story of Apollo and Hyacinthus

shines through as but the tragic

love story of two men — one man,

one god, and one jealous rivalry

that would tragically seal the

star-crossed lovers’ fate.

It’s refreshing to see a love story

be so casually, proudly gay without

the slightest hint of remorse.

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Hi! Perseus here, in my part,

I will be sharing how Dionysus

is a symbol for polyamorous

and LGBTQ people !

━━━━━━⊱ :grapes: ⊰━━━━━━

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Retelling of the Myth ! ♡

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Dionysus, the god of wine

and fertility, was thought

to have the ability to drive

men to madness.

Ancient sources say Dionysus’

desired to transform his followers

into his own image. With his

worshippers ranging from

Maenads (raving women) to

Satyrs,(a cross between goat

and man), his distinguishing

factor from other deities

is that Dionysus’ ers

challenged conventional

polarized gender ideology.

While these belong to the

realm of myths and are certainly

exaggerated, one should still

acknowledge that ancient

writings on polymorphism are

relevant to contemporary

non-binary recognition.

━━━━━━⊱ :grapes: ⊰━━━━━━

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What Lesson it Teaches Us ! ♡

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Most myths involve the

God of Wine and Ecstasy,

Dionysus, to viciously

drive both men and women

to madness, but he still

kept his wife (Ariadne)

at his side; joying his frenzy

with other creatures

of all sexes and genders.

This teaches us not to mess

with Dionysus, and to stay loyal

to the ones you care about.

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How Significant Dionysus is to Greek Mythology ! ♡

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This god teaches you

to be yourself no matter

who you’re around.

Most gods didn’t have

that. Rather, they wanted

approval from the other gods,

goddesses, etc.

Zeus is a great example

of this. After all, many gods

and goddesses had same-sex

affairs, including Apollo,

Hermes, Artemis, and more.

But Dionysus had many,

and had the love of his life

right beside him.

━━━━━━⊱ :grapes: ⊰━━━━━━

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How does this involve LGBTQ people and relationships ! ♡

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Dionysus is quite literally

a polyamorous icon.

He had many affairs,

as stated before. In this

way he teaches that it

is okay to be polyamorous.

Since Dionysus was

polyamorous he usually

hung around nymphs

and other creatures.

It’s pretty awesome how

such a powerful being can

be just like some of us.

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⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀   ➤ ʙʏ : ʟᴀɪs/ᴀᴄᴇ ⟶ 𝘓𝘐𝘕𝘒

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” According to prophecy,

Troy wouldn’t fall until a number

of conditions had been met.

And one of them was the death

of the Trojan prince Troilus. “

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I. The Myth

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Troilus was still an adolescent

during the time of the Trojan War.

Troy would not fall if Troilus

grew up, prophecy went.

As a result, Athena, who

was on the Greeks' side, told

Achilles of this and ordered

him to track him down

and kill him.

⠀

Achilles ambushed Troilus

and his sister Polyxena

as they rode their horses

to fetch water, but was

enamored by their beauty.

Both Trojans attempted

to flee, but Achilles caught

Troilus and attempted

to seduce him, but failed.

⠀

Instead, Troilus managed

to flee to a nearby temple of

Apollo, where he was beheaded

on the altar by Achilles.

The god Apollo guided Paris'

arrow to his heel, the single

unprotected area on his body,

and this action was to

be the Greek hero's undoing.

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Today, “Achilles’ heel” is

a phrase often used

in figurative language

to mean a weakness

in spite of overall

strength which can

lead to downfall.

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II. Alternative Version

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Some sources indicate

that the relationship between

Achilles and Troilus was

due to the goddess Aphrodite,

who was fighting against

Achilles and on the side

of the Trojans.

According to these versions

of the myth, Aphrodite tried to

protect her loving son,

Aeneas, but was injured

by Diomedes.

Diomedes was hesitant

to attack a goddess, but

Athena persuaded him

to do so. Aphrodite fled

the battlefield weeping.

⠀

While she was tending

to her wound, she came up

with another strategy

to assist the Trojans that

would get rid of Achilles.

Aphrodite turned to Eros,

God of Love (known in roman

mythology as Cupid), who

was attempting to kiss

her cut at the time.

She told Eros, who had

made Pasiphaë write letters

to a bull and Narcissus fall

in love with his reflection,

to make Achilles fall in love

with Troilus.

⠀

( Keep in mind that in

some versions of Myth, Eros

is the son of Aphrodite. )

⠀

Achilles was hiding where

Troilus used to gather water

from a fountain, just beyond the

city gates. The prince had

already remounted his

magnificent stallion and

filled his jar.

Achilles leapt from his

ambush position. Troilus

dropped the jar and rushed

away from him.

Outside the temple of Apollo,

Achilles finally caught up

with Troilus. He reached up

and pulled the rider's hair

as he ran beside the rushing

horse, causing him to fall

off his mount.

Troilus rushed into the temple

and hid behind the altar.

⠀

Achilles suddenly felt

a different sort of emotion

for the Trojan prince.

His hatred had changed

into unyielding ion in the

blink of an eye.

Achilles asked the Trojan prince

for a kiss, to which Troilus replied,

⠀

”Over my dead body".

⠀

”So be it," Achilles answered,

his anger for this specific

Trojan having faded but not

his killing nature.

⠀

”I'd prefer to have all of you,

but if I only have your lovely head,

I can kiss you whenever I want."

⠀

Achilles did just that, and Hector,

Troilus’s brother, wept bitterly.

⠀

”You are a dead man, Achilles!”

⠀

Achilles yelled, "Catch!"

as he hurled Troilus' head

at his brother, for Achilles'

moment of ion had

ed and Eros' task had

been completed.

⠀

:cloud: :rocket: :dizzy:

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III. Troilus & Greek History

⠀

The first known sources

of Troilus date back to the

fifth century BC, when

practices such as pederasty

were common.

Troilus' depiction could

have served as a jumping

off point for Greeks to

to ire “young beauty.”

⠀

The Etruscans were

particularly drawn to the

Troilus scene because

it displays Achilles carrying

out a heavenly order with

physical power, a common

theme in Etruscan mythology.

( NOTE: The Etruscans were

essentially neighbors with

the Greeks and they most likely

intermingled frequently. )

⠀

In literature, Achilles was

adored and ired, and

readers empathized

with his plight.

He is portrayed as a brave

and attractive Greek who

was wrongfully condemned

to perish in battle.

With others, particularly

friends and family, Achilles

is affectionate.

He was feared but spiteful,

and pulling hatred from others

is frequently mentioned

in his stories.

But he was, nevertheless,

always obedient to the gods.

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IV. Sexuality & LGBT+ Significance

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The sexuality of Achilles

has been the subject of much

speculation throughout

recent decades.

The declaration of affection

between Achilles and his

closest friend, Patroclus, whom

he had known since boyhood,

is one of the key justifications

that he might have been gay —

or at the very least, not

entirely straight.

However, Homer's Iliad

describes them as companions

and never explicitly states

that they were lovers.

⠀

The Iliad is retold by Madeline

Miller as a romantic love

story between Achilles and

Patroclus. Miller focuses

on Achilles' anguish

over Patroclus' death, and

how it alludes to the deep

agony and longing of love and

a broken heart, not just that

of friendship.

She also mentions how

he wanted to be alone with

Patroclus' dead body for

a long time, implying they

had a very intimate and

close relationship.

⠀

During the Trojan War,

Aphrodite duped Achilles

into falling in love, and

she chose the young prince

Troilus to be the object

of his ion.

Was this all a ruse, or did

she already know Achilles had

a preference for men?

⠀

Various s of Achilles'

life show that he could

have been attracted

to women, despite the fact

that he never married.

Achilles' mother hides

her young son in a dress

among King Lycomedes'

daughters before he enters

the Trojan War (which could

imply that he later still

preferred wearing women's

clothing).

In some myths, when the

king's daughter Deidamia

discovers he is a boy, they

have an affair, and their child

Neoptolemus is born.

⠀

It is also claimed that during

the Trojan War, Achilles was

given Briseis, the daughter

of the Trojan priest of Apollo,

as a war trophy.

Achilles is enraged when

Agamemnon, the Greek King,

tries to kidnap Briseis for

himself. This shows he may

have had a close, intimate

relationship with her.

( Or though he may also have

seen it as thievery of something

that was his possession. )

⠀

Some believe Achilles was

bisexual because of the

evidence that he had emotional

bonds to both men and

women alike, while others

believe his strong feelings for

Patroclus proves homosexuality.

⠀

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Perseus here, in my part, this is

my part on Hermaphroditus.

━━━━━━⊱🕊⊰━━━━━━

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Retelling of the Myth ! ♡

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Hermaphroditus was a child

of Aphrodite and Hermes.

According to Ovid, Hermaphroditus

was born a remarkably handsome

boy whom the naiad Salamacis

prayed to be united with eternally.

A god, in answer to her prayer,

merged their two forms into one

and transformed the two into

a “Hermaphrodite”, hence

the origin of their name.

Their name is compounded

of the boy’s parents' names,

Hermes and Aphrodite.

Also notably, Hermaphroditus

was one of the Erotes (i.e.,

winged Greek deities that were

associated with sexuality).

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Worship & Symbolism ! ♡

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Hermaphroditus, as the child

of two gods, was also immortal.

They were a minor god that

appeared in both the Greek and

Roman pantheons.

Hermaphroditus was the god

of sacred union & beautiful

associations, and was revered

by both the Greeks and Romans

as the god of androgynous

and intersex people.

⠀

As a two-sexed deity, the

ancient Greeks and Romans

often depicted Hermaphroditus

with a female chest and

a male bottom area.

Owing to this, they were also

seen as a god of marriage —

naturally, as who better

to oversee marriage than

a deity that was both

man and woman?

Hermaphroditus represented

the union of a man and woman.

━━━━━━⊱🕊⊰━━━━━━

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What Lesson it Teaches Us ! ♡

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What this teaches us is that

there is beauty in being intersex.

As stated above, Hermaphroditus

was a child of Aphrodite, and

like her, possessed unearthly beauty.

Not only was Hermaphroditus

accepted by the greeks, but they

were even viewed as a symbol

of beauty and power.

━━━━━━⊱🕊⊰━━━━━━

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How Significant Hermaphroditus is to Greek Mythology ! ♡

⠀

Not too many gods or

goddesses were intersex,

so Hermaphroditus was

really one of a kind.

Some say that Hermaphroditus

is a god and appears at

certain times among men,

and that they were born with

a physical body which is

a combination of that

of a man and that of

a woman, in that they have

a body which is beautiful

and delicate like that

of a woman, but has the

masculine quality and

vigour of a man.

But there are some who

declare that those of two sexes

are monstrosities, and coming

rarely into the world as they

do they have the quality

of presaging the future,

sometimes for evil and

sometimes for good.

⠀

It has been noted that much

of the idea and myth

of Hermaphroditus originated

from worship practices

in the East, where inhabitants

of those regions saw nature

as a combination of both sexes.

In teachings of Biology,

the term “hermaphrodite”

refers to an organism that

has female and male genitalia.

But today, using the the word

to refer to a person is generally

considered offensive.

Rather, the proper term

would be “intersex.”

⠀

⠀

How does this involve LGBTQ people and relationships ! ♡

⠀

Since Hermaphroditus was

of both sexes, they symbolize

an intersex person, and

the beauty in being intersex.

This is very important for

the LGBTQ community, giving

others who are alike a chance to

see themselves represented

by the myth.

⠀

source: :copyright: & :copyright:

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” Unable are the loved to die,

for love is immortality. “

⠀

— Emily Dickinson

⠀

🪷🏔🪷

⠀

A short yet heartfelt tale, the

story of Eurybarus and Alcyoneus

starts with Eurybarus, a heroic man

fathered by the river god Axios.

By mere chance, Eurybarus

stumbled upon a frightful scene:

the young and handsome Alcyoneus

on his way to being sacrificed.

⠀

The location was Mount Cirphis,

and it was there that housed

a beast known as Sybaris.

Sybaris, the monster, would

emerge from her cave every day

and wreak havoc, terrorize

the people of the mountain and

devour their livestock.

⠀

Drained and desperate, the

people had gone seeking the

Oracle Delphi for guidance.

But when asked how they

could rid the mountain of the

wretched creature, the answer

the oracle gave was chilling:

⠀

A human sacrifice.

⠀

Despite the insanity of the

demand, desperation won out

over the townspeople and

so the gorgeous and brave

Alcyoneus was chosen.

When Eurybarus first laid eyes

on him, the priests of the town had

placed a garland of flowers on

Alcyoneus’s head. The very same

priests had had the boy in tow

at that very moment, leading him

to the cave where they were

planning to sacrifice him.

⠀

Overcome by Alcyoneus’s beauty,

it was love at first sight for Eurybarus.

He was so overcome by his affections,

in fact, that he refused to allow the

handsome boy to be sacrificed.

Eurybarus grabbed the crown

of flowers, put it on his own head,

and demanded that the priests

sacrifice him instead.

⠀

Yet, by some miracle, when

Eurybarus arrived at the cave,

he was able to defeat the

monster Sybaris and cast her

down the cliff to her death.

What happened after is unsaid,

but it can be safely ashamed that

Eurybarus and Alcyoneus lived

a happy life together for

some time before they most

likely died in a gruesome way —

as Greek myths typically end.

⠀

🪷🏔🪷

⠀

” Where both deliberate,

the love is slight; Who ever loved,

that loved not at first sight? “

⠀

— Christopher Marlowe

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Perseus again, this is a part

about Artemis And Callisto !!

We love our aroace goddess :)

⠀

━━━━━━⊱ :waxing_crescent_moon: ⊰━━━━━━

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According to Ovid, Zeus

took the form of Artemis so

that he could evade his wife

wife Hera’s detection.

Zeus tricked Callisto, who

was fell for Zeus’s disguise

and believed he was the

really Artemis, into being

romantic with him —

something Artemis’s

followers, like Castillo,

were forbidden from doing.

Callisto recognized that

something was wrong the

moment Zeus started kissing

her, but by that point, it was

already too late.

⠀

⠀

The real Artemis arrived

on the scene soon after and

called Callisto to her, only

for the girl to run away in fear

she was Zeus, until she

noticed the other nymphs

accompanying the goddess.

Callisto's subsequent

pregnancy was discovered

several months later while she

was bathing with Artemis

and her fellow nymphs.

Artemis became enraged

when she saw that Callisto

was pregnant and expelled

her from the group.

⠀

⠀

Callisto later gave birth

to a son she named Arcas.

Hera, Zeus’s Wife and Queen

of the Gods, found out and

took the opportunity to avenge

her wounded pride by

transforming the nymph

Castillo into a bear.

⠀

Sixteen years later Callisto,

still a bear, encountered her son

Arcas hunting in the forest.

Just as Arcas was about

to kill his own mother with his

javelin, Zeus averted the

tragedy by placing mother

and son amongst the stars as

Ursa Major and Minor,

respectively.

And Hera, angered that her

attempt at revenge had been

ruined by her husband,

begrudgingly gave up.

However, despite the tale’s

tragic ending, reference

to lesbian attraction, such

as that Castillo had for

the goddess Artemis,

existing in such a famous

and ancient culture is

interesting.

It also represents how

far back the history

of same-sex attraction

goes, and how it was

not something fabricated

in recent years, as many

homophobic protestors

seek to push.

⠀

source: :copyright:

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⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀   ➤ ʙʏ : ᴄᴀʀᴇ ⟶ 𝘓𝘐𝘕𝘒

⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ╰──────────── : :love_letter:

⠀

” He had a cruel heart and hated all of them

Till he conceived a love for his own form:

He wailed, seeing his face,

Delightful as a dream,

Within a spring; he wept for his beauty.

Then the boy shed his blood

And give it to the earth … to bear. ”

⠀

— Parthenius (d. 14 CE), “Narcissus”

⠀

:zap: 🪞 :zap:

⠀

The story of Narcissus and Ameinias

is not a happy one, but it is still a story

of homosexual love and heartbreak.

According to legend, Narcissus

was not only attractive, but one of the

most beautiful men who’d ever lived.

He grew up in Thespeia, Boiotia,

overwhelmed by and disdainful of the

affections of the many suitors that

swarmed and suffocated him

throughout the course of his life.

⠀

Narcissus had rejected everyone:

be they man, woman or another — as

he had no interest in romance.

But despite this, one suitor, a man

named Ameinias, was determined to

win the beauty’s favor.

He continued to pursue Narcissus

despite the man’s rejection of

his advances time and time again.

Ameinias kept attempting over

and over win Narcissus’s favor, but

nothing he did would work.

⠀

Eventually, Narcissus, annoyed by

the constant Ameinias’s harassment,

sent him a sword in the mail as

a threat to stop his pursuits.

Sword in hand, Ameinias

stormed up to Narcissus’s door

and pleaded with the gods for

his devotion to be returned

or that they might avenge him.

⠀

Narcissus would eventually

become entranced by his own

reflection fall prey to death.

Ameinias was shortly thereafter

slain by the very sword that he had

received from Narcissus.

⠀

:zap: 🪞 :zap:

⠀

” I weep for Narcissus, but I never

noticed that Narcissus was beautiful.

I weep because, each time he knelt

beside my banks, I could see,

in the depths of his eyes, my own

beauty reflected. “

⠀

— [Lake]; Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

⠀

:copyright: :copyright: :copyright:

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⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀   ➤ ʙʏ : ʟᴀɪs/ᴀᴄᴇ ⟶ 𝘓𝘐𝘕𝘒

⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ╰──────────── : :love_letter:

⠀

"godlike Ganymedes; he that was

born the fairest of mortal men"

⠀

I.⠀The Story of Ganymede

⠀

Ganymede was an oxherd

from the city of Troy. His beauty

was so great and "godlike"

that even the gods themselves

could not resist him.

Zeus, in particular,

decided that he was too

perfect to be on Earth.

⠀

As a result, Zeus took the

form of a massive Eagle

and abducted the unsuspecting

Ganymede, taking him

to Olympus, where he was

then welcomed by Zeus

himself to be his cupbearer

and pour the divine nectar

for him and all the gods.

Zeus also made Ganymede

immortal, blessing him with

the gift of eternal youth

and serving banquets to the

gods for eternity.

⠀

In addition,Zeus ensured

that Ganymede's father

knew that his son was now

walking among the gods

and that he, himself,

had been blessed with

the gift of immortality.

Still, he knew that he had

to offer something else

for taking the son away from

his family. Consequently,

Zeus gave the boy's father

two horses said to be

of incomparable beauty.

⠀

But Zeus abducted Ganymede

to not only serve as a cupbearer,

but as a lover, as well.

There were not many

of Zeus' lovers who were

chosen to reside with

him in Olympus,

with Ganymede being

the only one to have

been given immortality.

⠀

Not all of the Gods were

pleased, either —particularly

Hera, Zeus’s wife and

Queen of the Gods.

This was because Hebe,

Hera's daughter, was the

previous cupbearer.

Ganymede was now not

only being substituted for

Hebe, but also upsetting the

goddess by pouring nectar

with his hands.

⠀

⠀

II.⠀LGBT+ Significance

⠀

The myth of Ganymede

is more than a simple tale.

It's another chapter in the

history of ancient sexuality,

and one very relevant

to queer history.

If the King of the Gods

was allowed to take a male

lover, that says a lot about

the people who followed

that faith.

Looking at Ganymede's

myth, romantic encounters

between people of the same

same-sex were clearly

tolerated at the very least.

⠀

⠀

III.⠀Myth & Greek History

⠀

Though we cannot definitively

pinpoint Ganymede's exact age,

ancient sources explicitly

state that he was young, most

likely an adolescent or younger.

Ganymede's myth plays

a key role in understanding

not only the acceptance

of same-sex couples

in Ancient Greece,

but also, sadly, the practice

of pederasty (the relationship

between an adult teacher

and a young student).

However, stating that all

Greeks at that time preferred

to engage in that practice

would be a clear oversight.

Plato stated that Ganymede's

myth was "a creation of the

Cretans to justify their immoral

ways", implying that not

everyone took part in the

idealization of this practice,

at least in Athens.

Nevertheless, Plato's claim

hints that pederasty was

at least popular in one part

of Greece; Crete.

Furthermore, the myth's

popularity and reception, as

well as evidence from

ancient art and literature,

provide credible evidence that

many males engaged

in homosexual activities

as part of the pederasty

institution from an early age.

⠀

source: :copyright: & :copyright:

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❛ We reached for each

other, and I thought of how

many nights I had lain awake

loving him in silence. ❜

⠀

— The Song of Achilles

⠀

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⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀   ➤ ʙʏ : ᴄᴀʀᴇ ⟶ 𝘓𝘐𝘕𝘒

⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ╰──────────── : :love_letter:

⠀

:star: :pushpin: REMINDER

Keep in mind that the

Mythology Club is brand

new and desperately needs

more .

With that in mind, please

do not expect a regular

schedule from us until we

have more on our team.

⠀

• • •

⠀

[ L I N K S ]

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𝘓𝘐𝘕𝘒 ⟶ CLICK HERE :sparkles: ;;

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