Sexual life in ancient Greece : with thirty-two full-page plates

RELIGION AND ErRorTIc

it fully, and so have been obliged to omit much and to refer only in brief to the rest. Hitherto we have spoken only of the Greek world of gods; but the legends and stories of the heroes also belong to mythology, and without them our description would show an important gap. We can, however, console ourselves with the thought that there is hardly a Greek legend of which erotic did not form the centre or at least the background. Consequently, we must limit ourselves to what is most important, otherwise the result would be a complete handbook of Greek legends. Also we may assume that the reader is acquainted with the majority of them at least, and shall therefore in what follows only mention what is either distinguished by special peculiarity or may be less known. Lastly, it may be noticed that all legends with a pzderastic character will be treated later.

Among the Lapithe of Thessaly Cznis (Apoll., Epit., 1, 22) grew up a maiden fair as a picture. She ventured to boast of the love of Poseidon, and as the reward for showing her favour she begged from the god that she might be changed into a man, which thing was granted her. This story perhaps treats of the idea of the woman with a man’s soul, called by the Latins virago, that slumbers in the subconsciousness.

Ixion, also one of the Lapithz, and their king, in his insolence lusted after Hera, the sublime queen of heaven, who apparently consents to his wishes and places by his side a cloud-form to represent her ; and the fruit of this singular embrace was the centaurs. But Ixion is shameless enough, in a drunken fit, to boast of the favour he was supposed to have enjoyed, whereupon as a punishment he is tied to an eternally revolving wheel in the underworld (Soph., Philoct., 676 f.). Also the national hero of the Lapithz, Peirithous, the son of Zeus, was obliged to pay dearly for his criminal love, since he attempted to carry off from Hades his wife

227