Thread by @FemboyFolklore

QUEER GREEK MYTHOLOGY THREAD! ✨🏺🏛

Today I am going to be telling you about queerness in Greek myths. In this thread I'll provide a little bit of background knowledge, present a few tales, and provide some sources for further reading. 1/

First, the acceptance of homosexuality largely depended on who you were. It was typically viewed favorably mostly for masculine men who topped. So before you think, "wow I'd love to be gay in ancient Greece!" Ask yourself, am I a femboy, or a bottom? If so, maybe reconsider. 2/

It is also important to note that the most common gay custom in ancient Greece was that of pederasty, involving a male youth and an adult man. This is of course wrong, but was common at this time and place, so there are stories in Greek mythology which are a bit related to it. 3/

With these disclaimers out of the way, I would like to say that I do believe that these myths are quite important in a world where we are told (incorrectly) that queerness is a modern phenomenon with no basis in history. Now onto the actual myths! 4/

The nature of Achilles and Patroclus's relationship is debated, but it is easy to see them as lovers in Homer's Illiad and indeed they were portrayed as lovers in the archaic and classical periods of Greece. Achilles was rather callous to all except Patroclus. 5/

Achilles treated Patroclus tenderly and was incredibly distraught after his death in battle. Achilles requested that when he died, his ashes should be mixed with those of Patroclus. 6/

In the story of Apollo and Hyacinth, Apollo and Hyacinth, a Spartan prince, fall in love. Apollo taught him many things like how to hunt, use a bow, and play the lyre. When teaching him how to throw the discus, Hyacinth was accidently hit in the head with it and was killed. 7/

Flowers sprouted from Hyacinth's blood and then is how it is told that we got the flower named after him. 8/

There is a similar tale involving Hermes and Crocus. Hermes and Crocus, a mortal, were in love and liked to do athletic activities together. One day when playing discus together, Crocus was accidentally hit in the head and died. Hermes transformed his body into a flower. 9/

Nerites was a minor sea god common in mariners' folklore. It is told that he & the sea god Poseidon fell in love, & Poseidon made Nerites his charioteer. They fathered the god of mutual love, Anteros, together. This has led some to think that Nerites could've been trans. 10/

Unfortunately, this tale also came to a tragic end as Nerites was turned into a shellfish by Helios, possibly due to challenging him to a chariot race. 11/

Daphnis was a Sicilian shepherd who was said to have invented pastoral poetry. Pan, the god of the Wild, fell in love with him and taught him how to play the panpipes. Daphnis was blinded (or turned to stone) by a nymph in an unrelated event and died soon after. 12/

Dionysus, the god of wine and ritual madness, fell in love with a Satyr boy Ampelos. According to a tale told by Nonnus, Ampelos rode on the back of a bull and bragged to Selene, goddess of the moon, that he was the best at it. 13/

In jealousy she sent a gadfly which bit and stung the bull until it threw Ampelos off and gored him to death. Dionysus, distraught, turned him into the first grapevine and made wine from his blood. 14/

The nymph Callisto was one of Artemis's most devoted followers. One day Zeus disguised himself as Artemis to seduce her & when she fell pregnant she was expelled from the group. After giving birth, she was turned into a bear. Her son later killed her, not knowing who she was. 15/

Hermaphroditus was the god of hermaphrodites, effeminacy, and androgyny, and was the child of Aphrodite and Hermes. They were originally a man until the naiad Salmacis prayed to be merged with Hermaphroditus when bathing in a pool together. 16/

Hermaphroditus prayed that whoever else bathed in the pool would be transformed in the same way, and this prayer was granted. Hermaphroditus is also one of the Erotes, gods that play roles in love and sex. Anteros, who was mentioned earlier, was also an Erote. 17/

Apollo and Artemis are often viewed as representatives of male femininity and female masculinity. Apollo is depicted as having longer hair, no beard, and is said to have a soft face. Artemis is associated with masculinity and is often depicted more masculinely. 18/

Both Artemis and Apollo have at times been mocked for not conforming to their genders. Both have been associated with queerness, with Apollo even being considered the patron of same-gender love. 19/

Sappho, who is known as being a great poet and also a queer woman, identified Aphrodite as the patron of lesbians, and enlisted her help in winning the affections of a woman in her poem "Ode to Aphrodite." 20/

Eros, Heracles, and Hermes also are considered to play positive roles in gay relationships, and are said to bestow positive qualities onto male lovers. 21/

It is important to note that myths have a lot of variation, and many of these myths have other versions that I did not discuss because this is a Twitter thread, but if you desire to learn more about these myths I've given brief summaries of, I encourage you to research them! 22/

And there are also far more tales than I was able to recount! Greek mythology is full of queerness. I have simply aimed to provide a brief overview here and pick out a few interesting stories. 23/

I will leave you with some links for further reading that I find interesting and informative.

Finding Queer Belonging in Ancient Mythology mygwork.com/en/my-g-news/f…

52 Queer Gods Who Ruled Ancient History google.com/amp/s/www.prid… 24/

How art reinterprets Greek mythologies: from problematic patriarchies to queer perspectives: artuk.org/discover/stori…

Lesbianism and Queer Female Sexuality in Ancient Greece womeninantiquity.wordpress.com/2018/11/27/les…

Greek homosexuality: livius.org/articles/conce… 25/25