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Originally posted by MarkG
i'd love to see some quotes on that....
Herakles bedded men as well as women.
'While walking through the wilderness, Heracles was set upon by the Dryopians. He killed their king, Theiodamas, and the others gave up and offered him Prince Hylas. He took the young man on as his weapons bearer, and the two soon fell in love and were together "morning, noon and night." Heracles took the young man with him on the Argo, making Hylas and Heracles two of the Argonauts. On this trip, Hylas was kidnapped by a nymph. Heracles, heartbroken, searched for a long time along with Polyphemus, but Hylas had fallen in love with the nymphs and never showed up again. The ship set sail without them. '
'Herakles had countless affairs, with men as well as with women. He naturally had a great many children from various women, collectively referred to as the Heracleidae (most notable: Macaria). One event that stands out was his stay at the palace of King Thespios, who liked his build and encouraged Heracles to make love to his daughters, all fifty of them in one night. They all got pregnant and all bore sons. Many of the kings of ancient Greece traced their lines to one or another of these, notably the kings of Sparta and Macedon. During the course of his life he married twice. His first was to Megara, whose two children he murdered in a fit of madness and whom he later gave in marriage to his ex-boyfriend Iolaus, because the sight of her was too painful. Then he married Deianira, whom he had to fight the river god Achelous for. '
So that's Hylas and Iolaus. Perhaps you think Herakles was just instructing them in macrame, or the best way to make fig and honey tartlets.
'The worship of Horned Apollo included ecstatic naked dancing and feats of acrobatics (including an early form of two-man ritual volleyball played with a bright purple ball!) followed by sex performed by young men. First among the sanctuaries and temples of the island was that of Apollo Karneios, and in the middle of the month Karneios (August-September) the Karneia took place - the solemn and important festival introduced from Sparta. At the height of the festivities and when the moon was full, the Gymnopaediae (which means "naked boy ritual") were held. On a specially dedicated square, close by the cliff edge, and watched by the citizens, naked boys danced and sang paeans to Apollo and apparently had sex (some of whom were moved to express their feelings in the brand new Greek alphabet which are still visible in the nearby stones).'
On the other hand, perhaps mighty Herakles was introducing them to the joys of purple volleyball.....
Several myths that feature, prominently, same-sex lovers:
Zeus and Ganymede, Herakles and Iolaus, Poseidon and Pelops, and Apollo and the Spartan Hyacinth
How the relationship is defined is usually obvious by the 'moral' of the myth- the men are loyal to each other, and feel mutually obligated, even in the case of Achilles and Patroklus, to the point of dying to salvage honour.
The personification of the North Wind, Boreas, attempts to seduce Hyacinth the Spartan youth, who is the lover of Apollo. Hyacinth remains steadfast in his devotion to Apollo, so Boreas slays him, causing Apollo to transform him.
Moral? Stand by your man- or god, as the case may be.
The importance of this myth loomed so large in Spartan culture that it became a reason for one of the three yearly celebrations of Apollo, the Hyacinthia.
Xenophon mentions that he did not fail to see one of the Gymnopaedia celebrations in 20 years. Now there's a surprise....
. I mean the Illiad is MORE than just a war story. The Gods and heroic acts makes into a work of art. It is more than simply another Braveheart.
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