Marianne wrote:
>
> What we are talking about in ancient Greece was
something like a
> buddy system. The older man trained and defended the
younger man in
> battle, educated him, encouraged him - had a kind of
paternal role.
> No doubt if some enemy murdered the younger one he
would go to the
> wall avenging him, and hang the Maltese falcon, the
femme fatale, and
> everything else.
>
> Marianne
>
My reading of the Achilles/Patroclus relationship (& I
swear this is my last word on this topic) is that they began
in this "buddy" system you mention (& it was often if not
universally a sexual relationship also) but when Patroclus
reached manhood they were still bunking together, hence
raising eyebrows for the next coupla thousand years &
probably knowing sniggers around the camp fire (no pun
intended) when Homer related this little nugget of
info.
If anybody else quotes this post, please include the
following: DISCLAIMER: I am not promoting, advocating,
defending, attacking, criticising or demeaning homosexuality,
in any forms, practiced & non-, in or out of the
military, in any era. The same goes for the military, hetero,
homo or non-practising.I believe it's possible for a private
detective to be homosexual although I'm pretty sure Sam Spade
wasn't gay
(Mike Hammer I have some doubts about but not so many I want
to argue about it with anyone). I don't think you have to be
gay to be a good private dick. Not that there's anything
wrong with that. Really.Reading that back, um, look, forget
what I said about Mike Hammer. I didn't mean it, just
thinking aloud. Honestly.
Rene
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