Lesser Greek Gods

[wanderwonder]

Hey all, I'm thinking about writing a story involving Anteros, Cupid's lesser known brother and the god of requited love. Right now all I have is that the main character is an attractive but dim guy who has adopted a new cult that worships the Greek gods in a bizarre fashion, and he can't hang onto a woman because of it. Anteros pops up in the guys apartment to set him straight and teach him a few things about getting love in return. That's as far as I got. I'm not sure whether the erotic encounters should occur between Anteros and the main character, or between the main character and the woman who loves him in return, etcetera. Damn you, writer's block! Suggestions?

I was also wondering why we seem to focus on the more popular figures in mythology: Zeus, Athena, Eros, Dionysus. Why not write about lesser characters, such as the Nereids, the Gemini twins, or Pan, the randy goat? I'd also love to read about mythology from other cultures (Nordic and Egyptian are the first that come to mind). How about it?

 

[fcdc]

I would say that Anteros having the hots for the dude would be a decent parallel to the older teacher-younger student relationship that was one of the primary forms of Greek homosexuality, and it's too obvious and prevalent an influence not to include in some form.

Here's where it takes a twist, though: I actually think it would be more interesting if said hot-for-teacher stuff weren't consummated or anything (as that would be expected, from the god of requited love). Instead, Anteros presumably would just teach the guy how to be a little more sexually forward, and leave him anticipating his girlfriend. If that helped the guy act with more initiative towards the girl, who's his real passion, it would bring the story full-circle and give it decent momentum.

Just my opinion, however.

-----

My story (not up yet) deals with Hindu mythology and Sara-la-Kali, so wait 'til it's there; it's nothing to do with Greek or Roman mythology and yet is mythologically influenced. If you want, I can poke you thataway when it's up.

 

[DanielOrme]

I confess I've never heard of Anteros (and I thought I was fairly well-versed in Greek mythology), but this sounds like an interesting premise. As I'm not a reader of the Gay Male category, I'd prefer the second option. The idea of a a dim mortal with no social skills getting tutelage from a love god might make a good entry in the Humor category if wittily done.

I did one story about Medusa, though my version doesn't stick very closely to the canon.

 

[yevkassem72]

I had the impression that Anteros was there mainly to punish people for not requiting love (an odd idea when you consider my friend Sev's rather accurate theory that emotions are completely involuntary- but, then, the ancient Greeks might not have felt that way about love).

I like the Pan idea, but that's me. Another one is the Centaur.

 

[Fantasies_only]

Hey all, I'm thinking about writing a story involving Anteros, Cupid's lesser known brother and the god of requited love. Right now all I have is that the main character is an attractive but dim guy who has adopted a new cult that worships the Greek gods in a bizarre fashion, and he can't hang onto a woman because of it. Anteros pops up in the guys apartment to set him straight and teach him a few things about getting love in return. That's as far as I got. I'm not sure whether the erotic encounters should occur between Anteros and the main character, or between the main character and the woman who loves him in return, etcetera. Damn you, writer's block! Suggestions?

I was also wondering why we seem to focus on the more popular figures in mythology: Zeus, Athena, Eros, Dionysus. Why not write about lesser characters, such as the Nereids, the Gemini twins, or Pan, the randy goat? I'd also love to read about mythology from other cultures (Nordic and Egyptian are the first that come to mind). How about it?

I've never heard of Anteros.

 

[Fantasies_only]

I had the impression that Anteros was there mainly to punish people for not requiting love (an odd idea when you consider my friend Sev's rather accurate theory that emotions are completely involuntary- but, then, the ancient Greeks might not have felt that way about love).

I like the Pan idea, but that's me. Another one is the Centaur.

Pan, now that's one I can get into.
He was conceived as a mortal, but was mutated by Hades within the womb (The Beast).

Pan (pandemonium) always terrorized his nannies (god of mischief) and liked his little satin baby blanket.
Over the years, the faun became a satyr (underworld worshipers), and called himself by a new name (the fabric of his Satan blanket).

Ok, I'm just speculating on the name change, but the rest is correct.

 

[wanderwonder]

Anteros: Love Returned or Love Avenged

Anteros and Eros were members of the Erotes, the winged gods of love of indeterminate number. As of right now the count is somewhere around six, featuring Love/Eros, Requited Love/Anteros, Marital Love/Hymenaios (more specifically, god of the bridal song), Desire/Himenos, and Passion/Pothos

In the most popular versions of the story (the ones in which Eros is the child of Aphrodite), Eros is lonely and Aphrodite gives to him Anteros as a playmate. I believe what the Greeks were trying to tell us is that love, if unrequited, is nothing. Requited love can come in the form of friendship or, in the case of Eros and Anteros, familial love, but Anteros is best known as the punisher of those who scorn love, those who do not requite love given to them. There is a story about a young man who scorned the love of a friend, and jokingly told the other man to cast himself off a cliff to prove his love. The friend jumped, and the first young man felt so guilty about it that he threw himself off after his friend. People said it was Anteros, angry with the selfish youth, who caused the deathly guilt trip. So he was the patron god of homosexuals for a while, and I believe of nationals of whatever ethnicity the first jumper was. Anteros is not as exciting as Eros, who had many more adventures involving other characters, and so is often overlooked.

As a side note, the story of Zeus and Gannymede was used by Plato (I believe it was he, correct me if I'm wrong) to justify his feelings for his students—pederasty, basically, which ties into the tutor/pupil attraction suggested by an earlier post. The story is also considered a religious justification for homosexuality, since sodomy was apparently frowned upon before this tale came about. Funny kids, those Greeks. Had a story for everything.

 

[yevkassem72]

So, that brings to mind another idea. Since you mention homosexuality and friends not requiting love. What about if a lesbian has a crush on a straight woman, and it's not requited? What might Anteros do then? It might make an interesting story.

 

[Fantasies_only]

Hey all, I'm thinking about writing a story involving Anteros, Cupid's lesser known brother and the god of requited love. Right now all I have is that the main character is an attractive but dim guy who has adopted a new cult that worships the Greek gods in a bizarre fashion, and he can't hang onto a woman because of it. Anteros pops up in the guys apartment to set him straight and teach him a few things about getting love in return. That's as far as I got. I'm not sure whether the erotic encounters should occur between Anteros and the main character, or between the main character and the woman who loves him in return, etcetera. Damn you, writer's block! Suggestions?

I was also wondering why we seem to focus on the more popular figures in mythology: Zeus, Athena, Eros, Dionysus. Why not write about lesser characters, such as the Nereids, the Gemini twins, or Pan, the randy goat? I'd also love to read about mythology from other cultures (Nordic and Egyptian are the first that come to mind). How about it?

The title of this thread implies you want to write Greek myths.
Both Cupid and Anteros are Roman.
A far more interesting take is the Greek version with Eros and Psyche.
You can even backtrack before Aphrodite's trist with Hermes (inventor of masturbation).
Pan (short for pandemonium) is the son of the trickster, and is the god of masturbation and fertility (has extra long phallus).
Hermes (rub statue's penis for good luck) also has a son named Priapis who has an extra long always stiff penis.

Aphrodite's son with Hermes is also interesting.
Hermaphroditus met a nyad (underwater nymph, has legs) who fell in love with him.
The forbidden love was too great, and the nyad was granted a wish for them never to be apart.
They were morphed into a giant sea slug (jellyfish type snail) with both male and female sex organs (hermaphrodite).

Meanwhile, the story of Ares and Aphrodite continue, with Hermes as her "boy toy" and Hephestus to pick up the slack when the marriage falls apart.
Remember Zeus also made love to her when she was younger, and had a grudge against Ares for marrying her.

That's funny, my book says Priapus is Hermes, and he's the god of fertility, but the Greeks often had conflicting myths of the same god or goddess.

 

[wanderwonder]

Quick note

Anteros was a Greek invention on which the Romans elaborated, just as Venus had originally been the goddess of field and fertility (more like Demeter) before those theiving Romans got their hands on Aphrodite lore and simply added the characteristics they liked.

Another of my favorites is the story of Demeter's daughter, Persephone. We are told that Hades snatched her from a field one day and made her his queen, and that Demeter was so upset she turned the whole earth to a wintery wasteland. Demeter appeals to Zeus, who capitulates and sends Hermes to bring Persephone back. Hades lets Persephone go, but when she returns to the earth she has eaten a pomegranate from the underworld, which means she can never fully return to Earth. She spends half the year with her mother and half with her husband, and while she is away from her mother the winter season comes.

That's the short version, but what I want to know is if Persephone knew what she was doing when she ate that pomegranate. She screamed when she was snatched, so she was frightened, but we're never told how she feels about the whole situation. Did she want to return to Hades, and thus ate a pomegranate to ensure their continued union, or was she really hungry and just got tricked? In other heroes' tales she is often there to greet the living who travel to the underworld and help them bypass the obstacles set for them. Obviously not the most obedient wife, I wonder if she was always mischevious or if she really didn't like her husband.

 

[Fantasies_only]

Incidentally (carried over from another thread), with the exception of Zeus to Aphrodite, Hermes was the first pedophile.

Being god of all things farm related (livestock, sheep, shepherds, farms, crops, and the harvest), he would normally be found on farmland with a sweaty excuse to remove his shirt (Mercury is the god of markets, commerce, and goods, which is where we get merchandise).

He would often be in the company of young boys (sometimes without his pants).
To ensure a good harvest (also god of good luck), kids and families were encouraged to rub his penis for good luck.
Statues of him were posted on each street corner and other areas of interest just for this reason (abbreviated to a head on a pillar, with feet and a penis).

The statues in Athens might have inspired the child's ride you would find in a payground (like 2 children were sitting on a giant dildo).
Before ships saled to sea, rubbing what looked like a half moon was supposed to bring a good voyage (made erect to hang purces and other objects).

His son Pan had a shofar (ram's horn) he wore as a phallus.

I'd like to see your sources for the above statements.
I have never heard of that.
I know Venus and Cupid are Roman, and Aphrodite and Eros are Greek, so it would stand to reason Psyche is also Greek and Anteros is Roman.

 

[emap]

As I recall the story she was down there for a very long time, weeks and had not eaten anything in all that time despite Hades placing every kind of food before her. Except for taking a single pomegranite seed, well this part varied, sometimes she took a bite of one the first day then spit it out, others say it was an apple or pear, though the most popular version has her grabbing a pomegranite while being dragged down and feeding on that until her rescue.

Now as I recall the last one, she gets a pomegranite before they reach his home, but it is halfway between thusly holding her to Hades half the year. The taking a bite versions have her taking a bite of the fruit just as Demeter arrives and has her spit it out, she does except for a seed that gets stuck in her teeth. The taking a single seed version has her taking a pomegranite seed to sustain herself for the long imprisonment because she figures it is safe enough to only take one seed. Though that varied to, I recall one version saying she took naught but a single pomegranite seed each day and sucked it then spit it out except for one that gets stuck in her teeth and Demeter drags her free before she can get it out.

Now as for the liking part, that also varied. In some she is despondent when she is with him and happy and free when not. Others which are the majority she cares for him but also cares for the rest of the world and cannot choose. A few paint Demeter as something of a bad guy in she has chosen Hades but Demeter drags her out anyway.

As you can see there is tons of room for sexual activities in just this one story. Which more or less was all of the Greek or Roman gods stories. A few even talk about sex though in broad terms, like Hercules, or as some like it Heracles.

 

[Fantasies_only]

The Greeks had a hippy way of thinking.
They challenged Christianity at every turn, saying if the gods made man in their own image, and we are all born naked, they never intended us to wear clothing.

The Greeks also celebrated procreation in the name of the lord, thus openly having sex all the time, and poetry and myth reflects that lifestyle.

 

[Fantasies_only]

Another of my favorites is the story of Demeter's daughter, Persephone. We are told that Hades snatched her from a field one day and made her his queen, and that Demeter was so upset she turned the whole earth to a wintery wasteland. Demeter appeals to Zeus, who capitulates and sends Hermes to bring Persephone back. Hades lets Persephone go, but when she returns to the earth she has eaten a pomegranate from the underworld, which means she can never fully return to Earth. She spends half the year with her mother and half with her husband, and while she is away from her mother the winter season comes.

I don't quite remember it very well, but that's not the version I heard.
First of all, Demeter was the goddess of the hearth (gave up the title after leaving Mount Olympus), which is a position Hephestus took advantage of.
The original residence of the god Hades was the temple that Medusa later moved into.

For some reason, the ground opened up, and swallowed Hades and his Queen Persephone (goddess of Melancholy and possibly gloom or doom).

In some myth there was an apple (must ride the river Styx) that later turned Andromeda into a pair of sheers which Hercules had to obtain (apple from tree at the end of the world), but I don't remember a pomegranate (seeds of apple were buried in ground to raise dead warriors).

 

[wanderwonder]

According to my dictionary…

Guess the Romans weren't the only diety thieves: my dictionary told me that Priapus was originally a Turkish diety, and his worship spread to the Greeks when Alexander the Great established his ginormous empire.

The Romans also stole Persephone, I found out, and renamed her Prosperina—as in prosperity during harvest. Also, she was the daughter of Zeus, prior to when Hera took over the position of queen goddess, and so was snatched by her uncle. Do you think the Greeks actually thought about these blood ties before they chose the characters in their stories? I'm not a fan of incest in the least, and pretty much all the gods and goddesses got frisky with their relatives. Does anyone know if this is a common theme in other mythologies? My pseudo-expertise rests with the Greeks.

I will admit, I'm not as big a fan of Hercules, Jason, and the other mighty (mostly) human heroes. There was always someone who got totally shafted by the heroes, and they didn't have god status to excuse themselves. Odyseus and Orpheus are the only heroes I can recall who weren't self-serving asses.

Side note: Anteros is always listed as the brother of Eros/son of Aphrodite, not a relation of Cupid or Venus. Ergo, Greek.

 

[Fantasies_only]

Anteros is always listed as the brother of Eros/son of Aphrodite, not a relation of Cupid or Venus. Ergo, Greek.

Then who the hell is Psyche?

 

[wanderwonder]

Eros's Wifey

She's the chick with whom Cupid fell in love. Or Eros. It's a long story, so I suggest looking at http://www.plotinus.com/myth_cupid_psyche.htm for a detailed Roman version.

 

[Fantasies_only]

I see, she is Roman and not Cupid's sibling (or a boy for that matter).

 

[Fantasies_only]

I don't quite remember it very well, but that's not the version I heard.
First of all, Demeter was the goddess of the hearth (gave up the title after leaving Mount Olympus), which is a position Hephestus took advantage of.
The original residence of the god Hades was the temple that Medusa later moved into.

For some reason, the ground opened up, and swallowed Hades and his Queen Persephone (goddess of Melancholy and possibly gloom or doom).

In some myth there was an apple (must ride the river Styx) that later turned Andromeda into a pair of sheers which Hercules had to obtain (apple from tree at the end of the world), but I don't remember a pomegranate (seeds of apple were buried in ground to raise dead warriors).

I told you it didn't sound quite right.

Hestia (Roman - Vesta)
The eldest child of Cronos and Rhea (Demeter's sister), she is the (virgin) goddess of the hearth.
My second myth book does not match my first, saying it was Demeter who was the hearth bearer, and she was similar to Flora (goddess of gardens) even though she was a muse (adopted daughter of Zeus).
My second book also says the hearth bearer was one of the 12 great Olympians, but she is not.

Zeus has 13 thrones on Olympus, but Hades was cast out, and only 12 are filled.
Before Hades was cast out of Olympus, Zeus hadn't married Hera yet, so there were still 12 thrones filled.

The old interior of Mount Olympus had the 13 thrones in a semi circle by the wall, and a hearth (fire pit) in the center.
The young muse was invited to sit as an honorary goddess, but she always attended the hearth.
Hephestus also worked with her, before he was banished to the lava pit (volcano).

This book confuses 12 filled thrones, with 12 deities, so who are you going to believe?