Was Socrates Gay?

Get Email Updates Email this Topic Print this Page

Pepijn Sweep
 
Reply Tue 2 Feb, 2010 03:53 am
@Magnus phil,
Is there a classical Greek word for "gay" meaning homosexual? In mythology there is a tale about the first human to rape a male youngster. Can't recall the moral of this tale.
 
jgweed
 
Reply Tue 2 Feb, 2010 07:02 am
@Magnus phil,
We know several things about Sokrates. First he was married (Xantippe was said to have been a shrew). Second, from the narrative of his life at the end of the Symposium, we know that he had (and at least one time rejected) younger and eager male lovers.

We also know several things about Attic Greece (and indeed most of the Mediterranean world---Hadrian had his Antinous) during the classical period. It was fairly common and acceptable for men to have a male lover as well as a wife at home to run the household. Given the political structure of the polis, it was useful to have important and strong associations outside of the family or clan, and same-sex male bonding provided just such a link in male-dominated society. Moreover, the sexual nature of the relationship paralleled a mentoring relationship in which younger men were introduced to political and intellectual life. The relationship was part finishing school and part mentoring (forgive the pun, but this was an earlier example of the "old boy" network).
 
Pepijn Sweep
 
Reply Tue 2 Feb, 2010 08:18 am
@Magnus phil,
:devilish:God I wish I had a wife to do the housekeeping...Joke: I actually enjoy what I can do.
 
Magnus phil
 
Reply Tue 2 Feb, 2010 10:50 am
@Pepijn Sweep,
Pepijn Sweep;124346 wrote:
:devilish:God I wish I had a wife to do the housekeeping...Joke: I actually enjoy what I can do.


Me too...I told my husband we can get another wifee just so that I don't have to do all the chores...lol
 
Pepijn Sweep
 
Reply Tue 2 Feb, 2010 12:01 pm
@Magnus phil,
You know there is a St.Magnus burried in Rome? In an 11th c. Frisian Church, close to St. Peter. Pitty Dan Brown feature it...Viking connection!

Is it nice living in SoCa? Been to LA 20 years ago!

---------- Post added 02-02-2010 at 02:29 PM ----------

:lol:Sybile's Rock!
 
Magnus phil
 
Reply Tue 2 Feb, 2010 03:35 pm
@Pepijn Sweep,
I love socal.

Magnus was a saint? Hmm... My imaginary boyfriend is named Magnus. I'll look him up. lol
 
Pepijn Sweep
 
Reply Wed 3 Feb, 2010 04:20 am
@Magnus phil,
Burried together with Archangel Michael (Wiki)

The inside of the church is 11th century, the church has been altered several times, to make it look more up to date.:whoa-dude:
 
Pepijn Sweep
 
Reply Thu 8 Jul, 2010 05:57 am
Did anybody see Magnus at A2K ?
 
dyslexia
 
Reply Thu 8 Jul, 2010 07:09 am
I've always appreciated Aristophanes. I tend to think of Socrates, Plato and Diogenes as characters created by DC Comics. I'm thinking Aristotle, Augustine, Paul (Saul) of Tarsus were merely precursors to Ayn Rands Howard Roark.
 
ossobuco
 
Reply Thu 8 Jul, 2010 11:34 am
@Pepijn Sweep,
What's that about Sibyl's rock?

I've seen the Tiburtine Sibyl (etruscan temples) area in Tivoli from, oh, say, a hundred yards away.. but know nothing about the Sibyline area in Greece.
 
Pepijn Sweep
 
Reply Thu 8 Jul, 2010 11:39 am
@ossobuco,
Sybill's Rock is in Delphi, Middle-Greece. She was a sort of Fortune-teller for Apollo. Turns out she was "high" on gasses coming from the crack in the rocks.

What Tivoli U mean ?
 
SlySwann
 
Reply Mon 16 Oct, 2017 02:04 pm
@Magnus phil,
Socrates was probably the least gay of the the lot. Alcibiades was the most desirable of the young Grecian men. He wanted to learn all the secrets Socrates knew, so decided to offer himself sexually to Socrates in exchange for that knowledge. Socrates accepted his invitation to dine and converse. So they drank and talked for hours. Finally Socrates agreed to stay the night. He even slept under the same sheet with Alcibiades, but refused him physically and never became aroused.
Reply to Magnus phil
 
 

 
Copyright © 2024 MadLab, LLC :: Terms of Service :: Privacy Policy :: Page generated in 0.03 seconds on 11/05/2024 at 03:30:44