Homosexuality in Greek Myth

by Bernard Sergent

Suggests that institutionalized homosexuality in ancient Greek society derived from initiatory rituals, looks at these rites among other early cultures

Genres: Nonfiction, Mythology, History, Queer

344 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1984

Reviews

[David Areyzaga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, Bernard Sergent, for writing this wonderful book. It is a dream come true. The topic of the love between Achilles and Patroclus has always been problematic for me since I had found intense arguments in favor of that notion, as well as against it. This book, being an in-depth hermeneutic analysis of instances of homosexuality all across Greek mythology as well as other instances from multiple Indo-European cultures, finally answers the question for me (and Bernard Sergent cleverly leaves the topic of Achilles and Patroclus for the very last chapter). This is not a study of how he perceives both characters, instead, he looks at all the versions that have ever existed in Greek mythology for every possible pairing, and relates the elements to cultural practices of which there is plenty of evidence, and it's eye-opening.

Simply put, almost every male character known in Greek mythology has been presented in one way or another as being part of a homosexual relationship. However, we must understand that this isn't a holding-hands, corny relationship. These relationships were for academic purposes, and for the preparation of men before reaching true adulthood. Later, their display in Greek mythology evolved as a result of how a very common practice changed through time, like anything else. And I resent my culture for the way they tend to present Greek mythology, since my perception of it since childhood had been quite different. For example, I never imagined Heracles was first envisioned as part of a homosexual relationship. Nowadays, people tend to think of the Disney version (and the two movies that premiered two years ago which were straight up garbage). Greek mythology was meant to show common practices, and it became a way to access an ancient culture, so it is unfortunate that many scholars have imposed Western ideas and fears on these repositories, thus rendering them into censored texts that carry a close-minded sense of morality.

Fortunately, Bernard Sergent offers relief by showing a long-lost truth that was only alluded to, but always dismissible since it was shown as mere opinion. This analysis is a must read for any fan of Greek mythology, as well as for those who are interested in the history of homosexuality and its practices in ancient cultures before the arrival and development of homophobia (we know very well what happened in Japan after they imported Western culture and ideas, thus making them almost deny the fact that samurais also had homosexual relationships).

Funny thing, though: Achilles and Patroclus end up being less interesting than other characters. I was more fascinated by the stories of Narcissus and Hyacinth, as well as other pairings. However, I picked up this book to finally get answers about Achilles and Patroclus (even though I was already part of the group who accepts that their relationship was romantic thanks to Madeleine Miller's masterpiece, The Song of Achilles), and Bernard Sergent shows with ease the flaws in all arguments against this idea. Hopefully, this could inspire modern translations or retellings of Greek mythology in English and Spanish that show the nuances that Bernard Sergent aptly describes in this extensive analysis. After all, his work is a study, now we need new texts that can spring from the ground laid by his work. <3

[Antoni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un llibre exhaustiu i revelador no sobre la homosexualitat, sinó sobre la sexualitat indoeuropea d'abans de les religions monoteistes.

[Matthew Gallaway · Rating 5 out of 5]

In discussions of the historical evidence of homosexuality, it's very common (and for obvious reasons) to refer to "the Greeks," usually in support of the idea that homosexuality has been around since the dawn of time. This book examines the evidence of homosexuality in Greek mythology, and paints a picture that is more complicated than perhaps might be ideal, at least for our modern political purposes (assuming you favor equality). In short, Sergent shows that almost all of the ancient foundational myths are rife with homosexuality, but that in almost all cases, it's what he describes as a form of "initiation" where an older god/teacher/mentor has a homosexual relationship with a younger god (or mortal adolescent) as a step in the development of the younger mortal/god in becoming a full-fledged citizen or god, etc, which usually meant becoming a hunter or a warrior or even entering a heterosexual marriage/reproducing. So in effect, a young mortal might go through this "initiation" in which he was the "passive" lover of an "active" god before the younger one "grows up" and eventually initiates someone from the next generation, and so forth. So yes, lots (and lots) of gay sex (and going all the way up to Zeus), but for our sensibilities, it tends to be on what I would call the pervy/NAMBLA side of things, and has little to do with love and consent and other facets of modern relaishes. (Most of the book focuses on M2M stuff, too.) Still, this book is a very interesting read and offers important interpretations of the (homo)symbolism of the ancient myths and how these stories do/don't relate to our culture.