Homoerotic themes in Greek and Roman mythology


Homoeroticism is a prominent theme in Greco-Roman mythology, with many myths depicting intimate and romantic relationships between men. These are accompanied by related motifs such as cross-dressing, androgyny, and fluid expressions of gender and identity.
These myths have been described as being crucially influential on Western LGBTQ+ literature, with the original myths being constantly re-published and re-written, and the relationships and characters serving as icons. In comparison, lesbian relationships are rarely found in classical myths.

Homosexuality and bisexuality

Apollo, the god of music and prophecy, was often invoked to bless homosexual unions.. Due to his numerous same sex relationships, in modern times he's considered a patron of homosexual love. Apollo was also called "the champion of male love" by Andrew Callimach. Other gods are sometimes considered patrons of homosexual love between males, such as the love goddess Aphrodite and gods in her retinue, such as the Erotes: Eros, Himeros, Anteros and Pothos. Eros is also part of a trio of gods that played roles in homoerotic relationships, along with Heracles and Hermes, who bestowed qualities of beauty, strength, and eloquence, respectively, onto male lovers. Sappho's poetry contained strong devotion to Aphrodite as well as same sex love between women, leading to Aphrodite being identified as a patron goddess of lesbians.

List of homosexual lovers

Sex and gender

Transgender

The gender-change theme also occurred in classical mythology. The reason for the transformation varies, as in the case of Siproites, a hunter from Crete, who was transformed to a woman by Artemis after having seen the goddess bathing/nude.
There was also a motif of a woman needing to disguise herself as a male and later being transformed into a biological male by mysterious forces. In the cases of Iphis and Leucippus, the woman's mother was pressured to bear a male child so the protagonist was forced to impersonate a male from birth. Later in life, manhood was "granted" through the blessing of a deity.
Caeneus and Mestra, each of whom was a mate of a god, were granted manhood by the said god. Mestra, however, had the ability to change her shape voluntarily, instead of staying in male form like Caeneus and other instances above.
Tiresias, on the other hand, became female because he struck a couple of copulating snakes, displeasing Hera, who punished him by transforming Tiresias into a woman. Later the sentence was remitted, due to either trampling on the mating snakes or avoiding them, and he became male again. In another version, Tiresias' sex-change was caused by an argument between Zeus and Hera, on which they debated whether a male or a female had greater pleasure in sex, so they transformed him into a female to experiment.

Androgynes and intersex

According to Leah DeVun, a "traditional Hippocratic / Galenic model of sexual difference – popularized by the late antique physician Galen and the ascendant theory for much of the Middle Ages – viewed sex as a spectrum that encompassed masculine men, feminine women, and many shades in between, including hermaphrodites, a perfect balance of male and female". DeVun contrasts this with an Artistotelian view of intersex, which argued that "hermaphrodites were not an intermediate sex but a case of doubled or superfluous genitals", and this later influenced Aquinas.
Hermaphroditus, the son of Hermes and Aphrodite, is considered the god of hermaphrodites and intersex people. Hermaphroditus was depicted as a winged youth with both male and female features, that is, usually female thighs, breasts, and style of hair, and male genitalia.
Dionysus has been dubbed "a patron god of hermaphrodites and transvestites" by Roberto C. Ferrari in the 2002 Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Culture. He is referred to as effeminate, which is sometimes linked to his being dressed in girl's clothes during his childhood. In Orphic Hymn 41, the goddess Mise is referred to as an aspect of Dionysus, who is described as "male and female".
Apollo was another god with effeminate features. His cheeks and chin are said to be soft and tender. He was beardless and kept his hair long, giving him a feminine appearance. In one of his myths, he is mocked for draping himself in women's clothing, while his twin sister Artemis was made fun of for appearing manly and rough.
In addition to Dionysus/Mise, several gods are referred to as "both male and female" or "both female and male" in the Orphic Hymns, including Selene, Athena, and Adonis. In Cyprus and Athens, an aspect of Aphrodite with male genitals and in some cases a beard, called Aphroditos, was worshipped. Macrobius wrote in his Saturnalia, at 3.8.2: