Greek god of gayness

Greco-Roman mythology features male homosexuality in many of the constituent myths. In addition, there are instances of cross-dressing, androgyny, and other themes which are grouped under the acronym LGBTQ+. Ganymede, youngest son of the 1st king of Troy, Zeus was smitten by him and sent an eagle to take him off to Olympus, other variations has Zeus as the eagle, and Ganymede was made as the god of homosexual desire and Zeus’s personal cup bearer.

Eros, the Greek god of love and desire, is often considered a symbol of all forms of love, including same-sex relationships. As the son of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, Eros is depicted as a powerful force that transcends gender and societal norms. Zeus was god of thunder and lightning and ruled over of all of the Greek gods. He was infamous for having sexual relations with various women, producing many offspring.

However, he also maintained a sexual relationship with a young mortal boy named Ganymede. It is said that there existed a military unit known as Sacred Band of Thebes, made up of pairs of male lovers, is usually considered the prime example of how the ancient Greeks used love between soldiers in a troop to boost their fighting spirit.

Eros adorns one of our objects on display in the National Museum of Scotland. To celebrate Pride Month, Queer Classicist Joe Watson explores the queer themes surrounding the Greek god in the ancient world and reflects on what seeing Eros could represent to queer museum visitors today.

ganymede

Language evolves and changes all the time and this blog reflects that. This glossary of terms can help. I want you to imagine that you are walking around Level 5 of the National Museum of Scotland. The pot depicts Eros, the god of love and sex in Greek mythology. Eros is shown naked, with ornate wings, jewellery wrapped about his body and what appears to be a string of pearls in his hands.

Before we go any further, what kind of object is this? Lebetes gamikoi plural for lebes gamikos are a type of Greek pot used at marriage ceremonies. These lebetes contained water which was sprinkled on the bride before she married her new husband. So, these pots are linked to weddings and, by extension, to love between heterosexual people weddings were always heterosexual in ancient Greece.

He is slender, not especially muscly or masculine. His features are delicate and he is wearing jewellery. Most importantly, he wears a hat or bonnet with ribbons which makes his hair look chic and even feminine. I know Eros. Eros is a twink. He likes beauty, the finer things in life and, as far as I can tell from this pot, has no interest in women.

He is a gay icon. This Eros might not even appear male at first glance. It is perfectly possible to look at the lebes gamikos and initially think that a beautiful young woman is depicted. Getting queer vibes from Eros is nothing new. Across the Mediterranean Sea in modern-day Jordan, around three centuries after the lebes gamikos in the National Museum of Scotland was made, the ancient Greek poet Meleager of Gadara wrote the following poem all translations are mine.

There are dozens of similar poems from the ancient world, gathered in the Anthologia Palatina , a collection of short poems in ancient Greek. So, Eros was a god strongly linked to queer love in the ancient world. Ancient poets recognised queer themes in artworks of Eros, just like me and other queer museum goers can do today. Meleager also wrote this poem about a statue of Eros by the famous Greek sculptor Praxiteles.

Praxiteles lived around the same time that the lebes in the National Museum of Scotland was crafted. To Meleager, the statue he references was essentially a museum piece, something made hundreds of years ago by a famous artist. Meleager was able to see the sculpture or hear someone describe it to him and write a poem about it in which Eros was not just a powerful god of love, but a cheeky young man who was attractive to other men.

Queer people have often found that images of Eros, located in museums or at ancient sites, resonate with them. Eros is a sort of icon who is presented in ancient art in a way which allows people to interpret him from their perspective. One such museum visitor was the modern Greek poet Constantine Cavafy, who lived in Alexandria in Egypt one hundred years ago. One of my favourites is And I gazed so much.