82 - the Catamite
04 september 2005
Ganymede
Ganymede riding the Eagle (1540–1550)
Bronze by Niccolo Tribolo (1500-1550)
Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence.
A term for the youthful lover of an older man derived from the Latin name Catamus, a latinized form of the Greek "Ganymede." In Greek mythology, Ganymede, a mortal shepherd boy so beautiful that the god Zeus spirited him away to Olympus, served as the god's cupbearer and lover. In 17th and 18th Century France and England, "Ganymede" came to be used for the boyish lovers of older men, and eventually for any male willing to be penetrated during anal intercourse.
In 17th Century England, men who buggered Ganymedes were not stigmatized as effeminate, but an adultman who played the Ganymede was despised as weak and womanly, even in the most libertine society.
In France, "pederast" replaced the words Ganymede and sodomite during the 18th Century, while in England the word fell into disuse when all sex between males came to signify whorish effeminacy, no matter who was on top.
Posted by willy at 12:44 pm to 82 - the Catamite | Sexual and Gender Entities | Comments (0)