Did Achilles have homosexual tendencies?

Question

some where I heard that Achilles was in love with his male cousin or something like that. if any one can clue me in on some accurate history I'd be thankful. My husband and I are considering it for a baby name.

His sexual preferences are not a factor in whether we choose this name. It was just a bit of trivia between my husband and i.

Answer 1

He was in love with Patroclus, his cousin. Whether this relationship is sexual is a matter of interpretation, but most people think that it was. It's certainly the traditional interpretation.

I concur with the previous respondent that this sort of thing doesn't really matter that much in terms of choosing a name. However, Achilles is a pretty strange name anyway; maybe slightly less so if you are ethnically Greek, but still deeply odd. He really didn't have many redeeming human qualities; if anything, his relationship with Patroclus shows him at his most human. In most of the stories he appears in, Achilles cares for nothing but glory and senseless violence -- it is only in his relationship with Patroclus that he shows any tenderness or caring. Achilles was not an admirable person by most standards.

Answer 2

The relationship between Achilles and Patroclus is a key element of the myths associated with the Trojan War. Its exact nature has been a subject of dispute in both the classical period and modern times. In the Iliad, it is clear that the two heroes (who are also first cousins once removed) have a deep and extremely meaningful friendship, but the evidence of a romantic or sexual element is equivocal. Commentators from the classical period to today have tended to interpret the relationship through the lens of their own cultures. Thus, in 5th century BC Athens the relationship was commonly interpreted as pederastic. Contemporary readers are more likely to interpret the two heroes either as non-sexual "war buddies" or as an egalitarian homosexual couple.

The Ancient Mediterranean world had vastly different attitudes toward gender and sexuality than those found in 21st century North America or Europe. Although sexual relations between men are well attested, there was no term for, or concept of, homosexuality as such. In addition, much of what is known about ancient Greek sexual practices and beliefs is based on writers and artists who lived at least 200 years after the epics of Homer were created; it is unknown how much these practices and attitudes changed from the time Homer's epics were originally sung and the time that these later writers and artists recorded their work.

Answer 3

Do the research, there are plenty of books on Achilles.

Here's the thing about baby names, they do not impart the character of the person or people who had that name before, if they did I would be a playwright.
At this point in time you will find that pretty much every male or female name has been used by someone homosexual so worrying about that element is useless.

Answer 4

omg, do not name your child achilles. name your dog achilles instead. there are so many nicer sounding greek names that won't get your kid made fun of in school. (but no, he didn't have homosexual tendencies)

Answer 5

Well, often ancient Greek culture, held Achilles and Patroclus (his cousin) as lovers

Answer 6

why would you name him that? If your bent on finding a unique name, then research mythology on the internet.

Answer 7

I would worry less about his gay tendencies and more about the notion that he was a redneck sleeping with family members.