Greek god of gay

While many ancient depictions from Greece show two humans in the tale of Ganymede, the Romans favoured a version more in keeping with Zeus' fondness for wooing mortals in zoological form. The first interpretation of the Ganymede tale is born from the homosexual relations that were acknowledged in some ancient Greek states.

The Rape of Ganymede The vast number of works inspired by the tale of Ganymede speaks not only to the dramatic nature of the story or the beauty of the boy but to a deeper meaning of the narrative. Some of the best-known images of Ganymede and Zeus from ancient Rome showed the boy in the grasp of a vast eagle being swept up to the heavens.

Sign up to the Art UK newslettera weekly edit of insightful art stories. By signing up you agree to terms and conditions and privacy policy. The Abduction of Ganymede. To the ancient Greeks, it was natural that older men should gay hypnosis erotic for younger male lovers.

An older man, known as the Erastes, would seduce a boy, called the Eramenos. Homoeroticism is a prominent theme in Greco-Roman mythology, with many myths depicting intimate and romantic relationships between men. I agree to the Art UK terms and conditions and privacy policy.

A gay cupbearer on Mount Olympus? Zeus and Ganymede. So says Homer in the Iliad. Ganymede was 'the fairest of mortal men; wherefore the gods caught him up on high to be cupbearer to Zeus by reason of his beauty, that he might dwell with the immortals.

Wishing to turn himself into a bird, he nonetheless scorned to change into any save that which can carry his thunderbolts. Male lovers in the Trojan War? While tolerance is often presented as a sign of civilization's progress, a reading of Greek mythology reveals greater acceptance of.

These relationships were both sexual and social. Discover mythology anew through the tales of the top ten gay Greek gods and their enduring greeks. Throughout antiquity, there was a fascination with the tale of how Zeus, king of the gods, fell gay love with a human boy.

These are accompanied by related motifs such as cross-dressing, androgyny, and fluid expressions of gender and identity – elements now recognised as part of the broader LGBTQ+ spectrum. Roman statues tended to show Ganymede as a handsome youth accompanied by an eagle.

These myths have been described as being crucially influential on. In Athens of the fifth century BC, a practice called pederasty was common in upper-class society. The scene of Zeus swooping down from Olympus to steal away Ganymede, known as 'The Rape of Ganymede', appeared on pottery, frescoes, statues and mosaics.

Then without delay, beating the god on borrowed pinions, he snatched away the shepherd of Ilium, who even now mixes the winecups, and supplies Jove with nectar, to the annoyance of Juno. Ferrara Archaeological Museum. According to the Roman poet Ovid:.

20 LGBT Greek Gods

It was expected that the older lover would introduce their beloved into society and help them find a position. The rediscovery of ancient art in fifteenth-century Italy inspired paintings by some of the most famous artists of the Renaissance. Two divergent interpretations of the Rape of Ganymede were explored.