The Myth Of The Ancient Greek 'Gay Utopia' - CURVE

Contents:

• GAY HERO OF ANCIENT GREECE
• WAS ACHILL GAY? WHAT WE KNOW FROM CLASSIL LERATURE
• LOVER'S LEGENDS: THE GAY GREEK MYTHS
• GAY HERO OF ANCIENT GREECE
• THE MYTH OF THE ANCIENT GREEK ‘GAY UTOPIA’
• WERE THE GREEK GODS GAY

GAY HERO OF ANCIENT GREECE

A gay cupbearer on Mount Olymp? While tolerance is often prented as a sign of civilizatn's advancement, a readg of Greek mythology reveals greater acceptance of homosexualy ancient Athens than n be boasted wh today's world religns. The LGBT Greek gods and migods prove gay culture is no morn ventn.

While Homer never explicly stat a gay relatnship between Achill and sikick Patrocl, many scholars read a romantic nnectn between the two, as only Patrocl ever drew out a passnate si to the famoly arrogant warrr. Rearcher Johanna Hypatia-Cybelaia wr that lbian and gay vote worshipped her as Artemis Orthia, and that lbian port Pamphilia referred to the godss hymn as Artemis Pergaea. Above: Athena, center, a mural by John Sger SargentAphrodeWhile the godss of love is not intified promently as lbian herself, the Greek poet Sappho (as sapphic) of Lbos (y, as lbian) told many homoerotic tal and named Aphrode as the greatt patron and ally of lbians and homosexuals wh the Greek pantheon of gods.

WAS ACHILL GAY? WHAT WE KNOW FROM CLASSIL LERATURE

Above: Enrique Simo, El Juic Paris (1904)ErosWhile the bt-known myths of Eros pict the son of Aphrode as a fertily god -- the versn that proved spiratnal to the popularized Roman god Cupid -- later Greek myths portrayed Eros as one of several wged erot, and the one regard as a protector of homosexual culture, acrdg to rearch the scholarly book Among Women: From the Homosocial to the Homoerotic the Ancient World. But rerds of the LGBT romanc survived homophobic revisnists and still stand as celebratns of the origal Greek (and Roman) love. A seri of poems about Catull' gay love affairs has drawn more attentn ntemporary tim; some of gets outright vulgar.

Alexanr the Great and HephatnAlexanr III, the famed kg of Macedon, que likely mataed a gay relatnship wh his general Hephatn.

Ined, two of the most famed generals of their day, Epamondas and Pelopidas, were lovers who fought wh this famo band of gay warrrs.

LOVER'S LEGENDS: THE GAY GREEK MYTHS

Pdar and TheoxenThe most famo love poem wrten by Pdar to clare his love for the young Theoxen was scribed by gay rights scholar Magn Hirschfeld as "one of the most perfect love songs the Greek language.

Ort and PylasThe relatnship between the two men was celebrated by Greek scholars as a tale of the wonr of homoerotic romance. He lived wh longtime lover Psanias, who was quoted extensively on the subject of homosexual sire Plato's work.

While tolerance is often prented as a sign of civilizatn's progrs, a readg of Greek mythology reveals greater acceptance of homosexualy ancient Athens than n be seen wh today's world religns. Above: Enrique Simo, El Juic Paris (1904)ErosWhile the bt-known myths of Eros pict the son of Aphrode as a fertily god -- the versn that proved spiratnal to the popularized Roman god Cupid -- later Greek myths portrayed Eros as one of several wged erot, and the one regard as a protector of homosexual culture, acrdg to rearch the scholarly book Among Women: From the Homosocial to the Homoerotic the Ancient World.

GAY HERO OF ANCIENT GREECE

The Song of Achill tak this story and foc on Achill and his iend/lover Patrocl, fully embracg the homosexualy of their relatnship that so many other retellgs ignore.

Please be aware, however, there is some vlence this story, as well as homophobia at some plac.

The characters MERAKI are funny, rg, telligent, flawed, and gay.

THE MYTH OF THE ANCIENT GREEK ‘GAY UTOPIA’

The first terpretatn of the Ganyme tale is born om the homosexual relatns that were acknowledged some ancient Greek stat. The relatnships were not what we would today ll homosexual.

Even as they emphasised the Christian msage of this scene, homosexual artists of the Renaissance were not bld to the more obv meang of the Ganyme myth. Some patrons may have requted a versn of the Ganyme myth as an exprsn of their homosexual sir. In poetry, plays, and even mon parlance, Ganyme me to stand for both paedophilic and homosexual tast.

WERE THE GREEK GODS GAY

Homosexualy the morn sense was only named and acknowledged the late neteenth century. While many homosexual men had to rema gey about their love, there were some outspoken artists who were relatively open about their sir.

Today his works, cludg a patg of Ganyme before he is rried off, are some of the few ma by a homosexual artist that explore the psychology of gay men.

Dpe the ubiquy of Ganyme wtern art, his populary fell away the late neteenth century favour of another symbol for homosexual love. It may be that openly displayg a work of Ganyme, wh all of s illic homosexual unrton, would too openly 'out' a llector as a Ganyme himself.