The Greek word paiderastia ( παιδεραστία) is an abstract noun. Erastês should be distinguished from Greek paiderastês, which meant "lover of boys" usually with a negative connotation. In Dover's strict dichotomy, the erastês ( ἐραστής, plural erastai) is the older sexual actor, seen as the active or dominant participant, with the suffix -tês (- τής) denoting agency. Both words derive from the Greek verb erô, erân, "to love" see also eros. Since the publication in 1978 of Kenneth Dover's work Greek Homosexuality, the terms erastês and erômenos have been standard for the two pederastic roles.
Kouros representing an idealized youth, c. 530 BCE The English word " pederasty" in present-day usage might imply the abuse of minors in certain jurisdictions, but Athenian law, for instance, recognized both consent and age as factors in regulating sexual behavior. Scholars have debated the role or extent of pederasty, which is likely to have varied according to local custom and individual inclination. The argument has recently been made that idealization was universal in the Archaic period criticism began in Athens as part of the general Classical Athenian reassessment of Archaic culture. Pederasty was both idealized and criticized in ancient literature and philosophy. It has no formal existence in the Homeric epics, and seems to have developed in the late 7th century BCE as an aspect of Greek homosocial culture, which was characterized also by athletic and artistic nudity, delayed marriage for aristocrats, symposia, and the social seclusion of women. Some scholars locate its origin in initiation ritual, particularly rites of passage on Crete, where it was associated with entrance into military life and the religion of Zeus.
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The influence of pederasty on Greek culture of these periods was so pervasive that it has been called "the principal cultural model for free relationships between citizens." It was characteristic of the Archaic and Classical periods. Pederasty in ancient Greece was a socially acknowledged romantic relationship between an older male (the erastes) and a younger male (the eromenos) usually in his teens. The man on the right tries to kiss the youth with whom he is sharing a couch. So I do.Pederastic couples at a symposium, as depicted on a tomb fresco from the Greek colony of Paestum in Italy. If they don’t, then may stern justice prevail over mercy.Īs for me, I remain straight to this day, though I occasionally spice up my sex life with homosexual encounters. Life is messy, but I had to pick myself up from the dirt and live. If perceptions diverge, then these distinctions should be acknowledged in educating young males about their gender privilege. I would like to merely question the perceptions of penetration upon male and female bodies, and also upon white and colored bodies. I share my experience not to challenge the authenticity of rape traumas or condone the atrocity of perpetrators. The global obsession with chastity seems driven not only by evolutionary biology of genital infections and paternal uncertainty, but by the patriarchal structures that sought to ensure male domination over female bodies.
In contrast to Dionysian Greeks, Christians espoused sacrosanctity of the body and paranoia over organs of pleasure, while also preaching confession and forgiveness. I don’t think the ancient Greek philosophers and Japanese samurais who were anally penetrated as boys developed lasting psychological traumas. But I suspect that the intensity of psychological distress may be culturally amplified. I don’t presume to know what it feels like to dwell in a woman’s body and psyche. I did not go through the gauntlet of sterilizing medical and legal procedures. I returned to the Mother Teresa House the next day. The world is not all roses, and the crooked timber of humanity will deflower you if opportunities arise. Curled in a ball and still high, I passed out.įor whatever reason, I haven’t been scathed. I shared what had transpired with fellow Americans at the hostel, and they sympathized by offering more weed.