> It's worth noting that the classical greeks (including Plato) were sure it was gay: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achilles_and_Patroclus https://en.wikipedia.

> It's worth noting that the classical greeks (including Plato) were sure it was gay: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achilles_and_Patroclus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achilles_and_Patroclus I'm not sure this is correct; the links cited by Wikipedia come from books about Greek homosexuality. Here's the relevant quote of the Symposium[0]: > [...] whereas Achilles, son of Thetis, they honored and sent to his place in the Isles of the Blest, because having learnt from his mother that he would die as surely as he slew Hector, but if he slew him not, would return home and end his days an aged man, he bravely chose to go and rescue his lover Patroclus, avenged him, and sought death not merely in his behalf but in haste to be joined with him whom death had taken. For this the gods so highly admired him that they gave him distinguished honor, since he set so great a value on his lover. And Aeschylu talks nonsense when he says that it was Achilles who was in love with Patroclus; for he excelled in beauty not Patroclus alone but assuredly all the other heroes, being still beardless and, moreover, much the younger, by Homer's account The word used for love/lover here is based on ἐραστής[1], who besides "lover" also translates to "fan, adherent, admirer". The term used for "beautiful" comes from "καλός"[2], who isn't restricted to superficial beauty: "beautiful, lovely, good, quality, right, moral, virtuous, noble". Heroes admiring virtues in others, especially in this context, isn't far-fetched of an interpretation at all (probably less inciting though). There's a similar issue with Achille's "anger": the term used actually is IIRC closer to "wrathful", and only used once or so throughout the Iliad, to describe Zeus's behavior. [0]: https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0174%3Atext%3DSym.%3Asection%3D179e https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext... [1]: https://www.definify.com/word/%E1%BC%90%CF%81%CE%B1%CF%83%CF%84%CE%AE%CF%82 https://www.definify.com/word/%E1%BC%90%CF%81%CE%B1%CF%83%CF... [2]: https://www.definify.com/word/%CE%BA%CE%B1%CE%BB%CF%8C%CF%82?q=%CE%BA%CE%B1%CE%BB%CF%8C%CF%82 https://www.definify.com/word/%CE%BA%CE%B1%CE%BB%CF%8C%CF%82...