“The statue of Zeus and Ganymede was found nearly intact in the Stadium area in Olympia during excavations in 1878 and was constructed entirely out of clay and seems to have been sculpted in 470 B.C.E.”2(1). It was taken to the Archaeological Museum of Olympia in Greece, where it has remained to this day. “The statue depicts the king of the gods and lord of the sky, Zeus, wielding a rod and draped in robes. He carries Ganymede, a prince of Troy, as he moves with his left foot forward, indicating a stride”2(2). The statue tells the story of Zeus kidnapping the young prince to Olympus and with it, it has sparked some debate over Zeus’s relationship with Ganymede. That being said, Zeus had romantic feelings for the prince of Troy and how this
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Despite all the women Zeus had seduced, women who often sired his children, he never brought them back to Olympus with him or offered to make them a god so he could look at them for all eternity. This could have been because bringing Zeus’ mistresses to Olympus to become gods would anger and offend Hera. But this could also imply that Zeus thought Ganymede would be an exception because he was a man, therefore, not as great an offense. Hera would still be offended by Ganymede’s presence, however. Partly because “he stole her daughter Hebe; the goddess of youth’s job as cupbearer”1(3) and/or partly because she did, in fact, see Ganymede as a romantic rival for her husband’s affections. However, despite my arguments of Zeus being enamored by Ganymede, I have doubts that Ganymede harbored those same affections for the king of the gods. The different interpretations of the myth never go into detail about Ganymede’s feelings about his predicament, so it seems hard to determine whether his acceptance of Zeus’ offer was a choice made of his own volition or one he made because he felt he had no other real …show more content…
To sum up the points made from the myth and what is displayed on the sculpture itself, the statue served to remind the Greeks of the story. The ancient Greeks heavily centered their daily lives around the gods they worshipped. Praying to them in temples and giving offerings to them as they feared the wrath their gods could enact upon them if they happened to insult them in any way. So, if the Greeks were aware of a story where the king of the gods had a male lover, they would feel that they should respect the concept despite not having a name for it at the time. Even without the existence of the statue, ancient Greeks felt encouraged to pursue a similar relationship. One notable figure would be the Greek lyric poet, Sappho. She resided in Lesbos and, while known for her poetry, was also known to have female lovers like Atthis based on some of her poetry, “But you hate the very thought of me, Atthis, And you flutter after Andromeda”4(1). Her name is also the origin for the word “sapphic”, which refers to women who love women but not exclusively (lesbians, bisexual women,
Despite all the women Zeus had seduced, women who often sired his children, he never brought them back to Olympus with him or offered to make them a god so he could look at them for all eternity. This could have been because bringing Zeus’ mistresses to Olympus to become gods would anger and offend Hera. But this could also imply that Zeus thought Ganymede would be an exception because he was a man, therefore, not as great an offense. Hera would still be offended by Ganymede’s presence, however. Partly because “he stole her daughter Hebe; the goddess of youth’s job as cupbearer”1(3) and/or partly because she did, in fact, see Ganymede as a romantic rival for her husband’s affections. However, despite my arguments of Zeus being enamored by Ganymede, I have doubts that Ganymede harbored those same affections for the king of the gods. The different interpretations of the myth never go into detail about Ganymede’s feelings about his predicament, so it seems hard to determine whether his acceptance of Zeus’ offer was a choice made of his own volition or one he made because he felt he had no other real …show more content…
To sum up the points made from the myth and what is displayed on the sculpture itself, the statue served to remind the Greeks of the story. The ancient Greeks heavily centered their daily lives around the gods they worshipped. Praying to them in temples and giving offerings to them as they feared the wrath their gods could enact upon them if they happened to insult them in any way. So, if the Greeks were aware of a story where the king of the gods had a male lover, they would feel that they should respect the concept despite not having a name for it at the time. Even without the existence of the statue, ancient Greeks felt encouraged to pursue a similar relationship. One notable figure would be the Greek lyric poet, Sappho. She resided in Lesbos and, while known for her poetry, was also known to have female lovers like Atthis based on some of her poetry, “But you hate the very thought of me, Atthis, And you flutter after Andromeda”4(1). Her name is also the origin for the word “sapphic”, which refers to women who love women but not exclusively (lesbians, bisexual women,