In Praise of Shame

bythegods:

fuckyeahancienthistory:

This is Antinous.

Antinous was (probably) Hadrian’s boy toy, and was basically considered to be the hottest thing to have ever graced the planet. He has the third most surviving representations of any historical figure ever (after Augustus and Hadrian). 

Antinous died in an ‘accident’ on the Nile, although some sources say that he was actually sacrificed to the gods by Hadrian because of his beauty. After his death, Antinous was deified. Because he was sexy.

Oh la la.

You don’t have to be there at the creation of the world to be a god. Deification is a common process, and happened more than once within the reaches of the Roman Empire, though it can also be seen in the other corners of the world. 

The Norse poets eventually added Bragi to the pantheon of gods, who was a renowned Skald in his own day, and certain generals and warriors in China and Japan were regarded as powerful spirits, and received prayers and sacrifices from Shinto and Buddhist practitioners. Deification (the process of turning worshipping/treating someone as a god) is all over the place, and there are even some contemporary examples.

Ever been to the Lincoln Memorial? That big ol’ statue of Honest Abe? The statue of him on that mighty throne (if that’s not “King” imagery, I don’t know what is) is very Jupiter-esque, no? That could absolutely be considered deification, and ditto for the founding fathers of the USA. Franklin, Washington and the gang are held in such high esteem that they are seen by many as protective Patron Saints of America, and receive prayers and questions from the citizenry in times of trial.

Forever reblog anything about Antinous.

(Source: thebygone, via bythegods)