To: Greg or e who wrote (990 ) 12/6/2012 6:02:20 AM From: Solon Read Replies (1) | Respond to "So Solon's poetry and his own words and his laws legitimizing pedophilia reveal his love for young boys; Right?" Solon did not "legitimize pedohilia "--LOL! He regulated certain instances of it. Pederasty and the veneration of youth was ubiquitous across the greek city states and remained not only legitimate but almost mandatory in some parts of Greece. Greek culture was in love with young boys! I do not know if Solon had same-sex love or whether or to what degree this would involve physical intimacy. But I think it would be rather surprising and strange to definitely find out that he had not! Such an anti-social attitude (given the times and culture) could hardly have permitted him to lead the nation and to achieve such respect and fame. So (at least in the public sphere) one suspects that he would have praised the love of youth (male youth--females were sort of in the background in greek culture!) and supported the "right kind" of male leadership for youth. However, the fog of history and the propensity in greek culture for difference of opinion across city states makes it impossible to know precisely what was involved in the "right kind" of pederasty. It does seem pretty certain that effeminacy was condemned throughout Greece while decorous propriety was a virtue. 'Aelian relates that in Sparta, for a man not to have a youth for a lover was considered a deficiency in character, and he could even be punished for it.[74] But Aelian also says that if any couple succumbed to temptation and indulged in carnal relations, they would have to redeem the affront to the honor of Sparta by either going into exile or taking their own lives.' Dover considers that Greek culture was "overtly" homosexual. Unformatted Document Text: regulating eros and erotic relationships. His laws governing marriage, dowries, children, the behavior of women, adultery, and prostitution are all given rather long descriptions that emphasize their uniqueness. Stressing this indicates that these laws originate not in a science of politics but in the personality of Solon as an individual. They are reflections of his own erotic concerns. But their uniqueness does not make them mere curiosities. Solon’s erotic nature lends him a superior understanding of human nature and personal relationships. The superiority of Solon’s laws and statesmanship is bound up with his inherent eroticism. The first of the erotic laws mentioned by Plutarch is the one which permits heiresses whose husbands are impotent to sleep with a relative. 77 Referring to certain unnamed defenders of the law, Plutarch glosses it through their third-party criticism: its intention was said to be the dissuading of the ‘impotent’ “from marrying a woman for her money and using the protection of the law to abuse nature.” The second part of this clause makes it clear that the proposition was intended not for true impotence but to prevent homosexuals from the civil cover of marriage. 78 But the target of Solon’s attack does not appear to be the regulation of sexual orientation; it is the avarice that is the true ground of immorality here. Solon also “abolished dowries and stipulated that the bride was to bring only three items of clothing and some inexpensive household items, with nothing besides. He did this because he wanted to take the mercenary and commercial aspect out of marriage and make child-bearing, mutual gratitude, and affection the point of a husband and wife living together.” The stance of Plutarch in this dialogue seems to favor heterosexual relationships slightly, but only because they are more likely to exhibit good moderation; he appears approving of homosexual relationships that are oriented towards virtue as well.(Erotika 770c) 79 See also Plutarch’s Advice to Bride and Groom 142F-143A, as well as Erotikos 754A 21 books.google.ca myth Ganymede Zeus There is some pleasure in loving a boy (paidophilein) , since once in fact even the son of Cronus (that is, Zeus) , king of immortals, fell in love with Ganymede, seized him, carried him off to Olympus (paideia) . So, don't be astonished, Simonides, that I too have been revealed as captivated by love for a handsome boy. [47] Greek myths provide more than fifty examples of young men who were the lovers of gods. Pederastic love affairs are ascribed to Zeus, Poseidon Apollo Orpheus Hercules Dionysus Hermes Pan Olympian gods Ares citation needed ] had these relationships, which are adduced by scholars to show that the specific customs of paiderastia originated in initiatory rituals. [48] Sparta , a Dorian polis, is thought to be the first city to practice athletic nudity, and one of the first to formalize pederasty. [71] The nature of this relationship is in dispute among ancient sources. Xenophon in his Constitution of the Lacedaimonians says that Spartan customs were unsuited to pederasty: a man might aim for idealized friendship with a boy but a sexual relationship was considered "an abomination" tantamount to incest .[72] Plutarch also describes the relationships as chaste and states that it was just as unthinkable for a lover to have sex with his beloved as it was for a father and son.[73] Aelian relates that in Sparta, for a man not to have a youth for a lover was considered a deficiency in character, and he could even be punished for it.[74] But Aelian also says that if any couple succumbed to temptation and indulged in carnal relations, they would have to redeem the affront to the honor of Sparta by either going into exile or taking their own lives .[75][49]
