This will be the first installment of this series, as mentioned here earlier. The questions/topics for this were derived from this list by Galina Krasskova, slightly modified in a few cases, and will be the same throughout the series (though changed in some cases to say “Hero” rather than “Deity” in a few instances…and of course, oddly enough, Antinous is both, but we’ll stick with “Deity” for simplicity’s sake in this instance!).
Remember, the goal here is to answer each of these questions/address each of these topics in no more than six sentences (except where, for example, a poem or other text is supposed to be quoted/given, etc.). I think I’m up to that challenge! But, we’ll see, certainly, as things go on…for some, there’s a lot to say, while perhaps not as much for others, but even that could shift based on how the mood strikes me, and how the Deities or Heroes strike me in a given moment and how receptive I am to such striking (!?!).
So, without further ado…
ANTINOUS
1. Write a basic introduction for the Deity.
Antinous is the deified lover of the Roman Emperor Hadrian (who ruled from August 117 to July 138 CE), who drowned in the Nile and was, thus, made divine by long-standing Egyptian custom. The Emperor’s relationship with Him, however, allowed His cultus to spread much further afield than the other deified drowned of Egypt, and eventually His worship was known in every corner of the Empire. He was considered a Hero, in the ancient Greek tradition, in some locations, while in others He was hailed as a God. Promiscuous syncretism characterizes every localized instance of His cultus, and through these means He becomes connected to many other Heroes and Gods. Sacred athletic games (known as the Megala Antinoeia), temples, an oracular shrine, and even a number of Mystery cults, were dedicated to Him, and His worship in some forms survived the forced transition of the Roman Empire into hegemonic creedal monotheism, with His sacred games lasting in some locations in Egypt into the later fourth and early fifth centuries, and His recollection in poetry as a God by Christians extending even into the sixth century CE. More images of Him survive from European antiquity than any other individual, with the exceptions of Octavian (i.e. Augustus Caesar, the first Emperor) and Hadrian. His cultus appealed to many types of people across the Empire, and a close and loving relationship with Him characterizes many of these instances of devotion, both in the ancient world and to the present day.
2. How did you become first aware of this Deity?
The first time I heard of Antinous was through John Boswell’s book Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality, when I was in a course on Gender and Sexuality in Premodern Europe during the last semester of my undergraduate education in early 1998. I had unknowingly seen one of Antinous’ images, however, in the lecture/chapter on ancient Greek Mystery religions in Joseph Campbell’s book/lecture series Transformations of Myth Through Time. It was not until June of 2002, however, that via the ANDROGYNE list on groups.Yahoo.com (originally on OneList–anyone remember that?) that I fully understood Antinous as a God in his own right (and rite!), and became involved in His worship in collaboration with others.
3. what are some symbols and icons of this deity?
Common symbols include a dark/eight-pointed star (since a star appeared a few months after his death in late January of 131 CE), the red Nile lotus (said to have sprung from the blood of His Lion hunt and subsequently named after Antinous), and spiders (one particularly ferocious but beautiful South American spider is named after Him). Rivers (since He drowned in one and was syncretized to other river deities), lions (due to His hunt and the identification of the flower from the lion’s blood with Antinous), and the moon (which was connected to Him on a number of coin issues, and through syncretism with various Deities and Heroes) are also common symbolic associations. Finally, an Obelisk dedicated to Him exists from His cultus, probably commissioned by Hadrian and likely standing at the Antinoeion shrine (at Hadrian’s Villa), which is also the likely site of His tomb, can be a symbol of Antinous.
4. Share a favorite myth or myths of this Deity.
Only one full-fledged myth–and that only known in fragments and summaries–is known in relation to Antinous from the ancient world: that of the Lion Hunt of Hadrian and Antinous, purported to have been written by Pancrates/Pachrates of Heliopolis, a Graeco-Egyptian poet, priest, and magician. It survives only in a brief synopsis and quote in Athenaeus of Naukratis’ Deipnosophistai, and in a few fragments of papyrus from Oxyrhynchus and one other location, as well as being attested visually on one of the hunting tondi later appropriated into the Arch of Constantine.
In essence, Hadrian–an avid hunter–heard of a ferocious human-eating lion in the deserts West of Alexandria, and went to hunt it along with Antinous. Wanting to test the mettle of the youth, Hadrian allowed Him to strike it first, and He wounded but did not kill the beast, which then redoubled its onslaught on Antinous. Hadrian rode in and saved Him at the last second by slaying the lion. The blood of the lion, washed in the Nile, then became the red Nile lotus, which was named for Antinous thereafter, and which was used in garlands as the victory-crown for His sacred games.
5. Who are members of the family/genealogical connections of this Deity?
In one fragmentary papyrus, Antinous’ mother is said to have been Mantinoë, and it is also likely that He and His mother were descendants of the eponymous Heroine of the mother-city of Bithynion-Claudiopolis (His birthplace in Bithynia), which was Mantineia in Arcadia, Antinoë, who followed a dragon in order to re-found the city of Mantineia after its initial foundation by Mantinous. (Confusing enough?)
In other texts, He is said to have been the son of Hermes, and also of Aphrodite, which would make Him the brother of both Priapus and Hermaphroditos (two siblings more unlike each other could not be imagined!); and on the Obelisk of Antinous, He is said to have been the son of Re-Harakhte.
6. What are some other related Deities and entities associated with this Deity?
In addition to those listed above, some of the most frequent visual syncretisms and epithets of Antinous are from originally Dionysian sources, and thus Dionysos is high on the list, as well as Apollon, and also Hermes being the three most common Deities to Whom He was syncretized. Artemis/Diana also has a close connection to him in some locations, and Selene is said to have desired Antinous for a mate in one Oxyrhynchus Papyrus hymn fragment. Demeter and Persephone, due to Hadrian and Antinous’ participation in the Eleusinian Mysteries, are also important in His overall cultus and context. Osiris is also his most frequent syncretism in Egypt, with the dual name Osirantinous or Antinosiris being attested in several instances. Hathor and Bes are also important in His cultus in Antinoöpolis, having been worshipped at the site long before His city was established there, and the three of them form what in modern times has been called “The Antinoöpolitan Triad” along the lines of divine triads otherwise attested in Egypt.
7. Discuss this Deity’s Names and epithets.
Many of Antinous’ epithets come from or are related to other Deities originally: some come from Dionysos (e.g. Epiphanes, Choreios, Neos Iakkhos), some from Apollon (e.g. Neos Pythios), and some from Hermes (e.g. Argeiphontes, Neos Hermes, Propylaios). Some that are not much attested outside of the Antinoan context are the Latin epithets Deus Frugiferus (“Fruitful God”), found in Leptis Magna, and Deus Amabilis (“Lovely God”), attested in Rome and potentially referring to Antinous, Glykon, or Phosphoros/Lucifer. The latter is an especially apt epithet, since it not only reflects the beauty of Antinous physically, but also His beauty of spirit and personality and an overall sense of amiability between Him and His devotees.
8. Discuss variations on this Deity (aspects, regional forms, etc.).
While each of the attestations of Antinous is, technically, a variation on Him, with local syncretisms, particular theologies (i.e. considering Him a Hero, a God, or even a daimon!), and epithets, one division of Him into Three Aspects is very commonly recognized today, which emerged in my cultus to Him not long after I became involved with it in the summer of 2002. These Three Aspects are Antinous the Liberator, Antinous the Navigator, and Antinous the Lover. Antinous the Liberator reigns during the year from November 1st through January 28th, and is associated with warrior and justice-making/restitution-seeking dimensions of the God’s role. Antinous the Navigator rules from January 29th through April 20th, and is associated with oracular guidance, discernment, and more subtle influences upon the world and His devotees, as well as dimensions of Him most associated with afterlives. Antinous the Lover is dominant from April 21st through October 27th, and is associated with the aspects of love, beauty, pleasure, fertility (of all sorts!), and abundance that derive from Him. Various syncretisms, theologies, and symbols and symbolic connections go along with each of the Three Aspects, and such triadic reasoning permeates Antinoan theology generally.
9. What are some common mistakes people make about this Deity?
The most commonly made error, in my view, about Antinous occurs due to historians taking His cultus as an example of interesting history, or especially sexual (and thus *scandalous*!) history, rather than as an example of religious history. In essence, the main mistake here is the understanding that it was only Hadrian’s grief over losing his lover which caused Antinous to be deified, rather than that truth allowing His cultus to spread wider than just its originating spiritual context in Egypt. Had Antinous been anyone else and had any other relationships to mortals, if He had drowned in the Nile he still would have become a God, without question, by Egyptian custom. It is only because He had such a strong romantic and sexual relationship with the Emperor that it spread further than Egypt, and while we cannot discount the latter, nor the fact that without that relationship He never would have traveled to Egypt to eventually drown and die and become deified in the Nile anyway, we must understand that the “anomaly” and “curiosity” of Antinous’ cultus is not due to sexual and historical idiosyncrasies, but instead is one especially famous example of something which had been taking place in Egypt for millennia before His death.
10. what are common offerings for this Deity (both historically and via your own experience)?
While not a lot of details about this exist from ancient sources, one Egyptian cult calendar does indicate something related to “horse rites,” and horses do also seem to be frequent associations with Antinous. An oil/resin/incense associated with Him and used as an offering now is storax, which is also associated with a number of other Deities (including Dionysos, the chthonic Hermes, and the Egyptian God Set). A modern offering, confirmed independently via divination and personal experiences, which occurs in high-status public rituals as well as privately, is chocolate oranges, or anything of a pastry or confectionary status which includes both orange and chocolate.
11. Talk about festivals, days, and times sacred to this Deity.
While our Calendar is extensive and has several occasions of note in every month of the modern year, there are probably five festivals that are more important than any other. The first is Foundation Day, on October 30th, commemorating Antinous’ deification and the founding of the holy city of Antinoöpolis in 130 CE in His honor, and the Sacred Nights of Antinous which begin on October 24th and run through November 1st in which Foundation Day is situated, culminating in the welcoming of Antinous the Liberator’s activity during the year. The second is the Natalis Antinoi on November 27th, which is recorded in two different locations as the birthdate of Antinous. The third is the Megala Antinoeia, the sacred games held on April 21st that also commemorates the Bear Hunt and the beginning of Antinous the Lover’s ascendancy during the majority of the year (as well as several other significances!). The fourth is the emergence of the Star of Antinous on January 29th, also marking the beginning of Antinous the Navigator’s dominance as an Aspect. The fifth is the two-day Festival of the Lion Hunt and the Red Nile Lotus on August 21st and 22nd, commemorating Antinous’ most important myth as well as focusing upon our human failures and transformation of failure and suffering through love.
12. What are some places associated with this Deity and their worship?
The most important location is Antinoöpolis in Egypt, the site of Antinous drowning, death, and deification. The second most important (or perhaps a tie for first!) would be the Antinoeion at Hadrian’s Villa in Tibur (modern Tivoli, just a short distance outside of Rome to the North), the likely site of His tomb and an important location generally for much surviving Antinoan cultic statuary. Equally important after that would be His birthplace of Bithynion-Claudiopolis (now Bolu in Turkey) and the mother-city of that Greek colony, Mantineia in Arcadia, where a thriving cultus of Antinous was known to have existed. Lanuvium, near Lake Nemi in Italy, is another important location for a collegium dedicated to Antinous and Diana, and likewise Alexandria seems to have had an active Antinoan cultus of various sorts as well. Around fifteen other sites are known to have had temples or major dedications to Antinous.
13. What modern cultural issues (if any) are closest to this Deity’s heart?
Anything having to do with queer people falls under the Populus Antinoi, and all movements for civil rights, legal equality, and social acceptance are important considerations in the wider lives of many Antinoans, in close connection with the Deity’s wishes, and especially in relation to His Aspect as Antinous the Liberator. Movements for social justice and equality of all sorts are also important to Antinous the Liberator. Youthful deaths are also of interest to Antinous, and especially youthful suicides (often connected to queer identities), have been of great concern to Him in the past few years. The fostering and education of young people and the recognition of their importance to society and to spirituality and their full inclusion in all such considerations is also an important, though difficult-to-atualize, interest for Antinous in the modern period. All of these seem to be consonant with what is known about Him and his life as a human, as well as the ongoing associations He had as a Hero or God after His death as attested in various cultic contexts.
14. Has worship of this Deity changed in modern times?
YES! While we do use some texts and indications of practices present in the original late antique cultus, having to do so generally outside of the context of permanent temples has meant that Antinous’ modern devotion is mainly a domestic and private affair. The modern cultus has very little in terms of overall similarity or direct continuity with the original, other than its focus upon Antinous, and the building of an entire worldview and cosmology with Him as its center would probably not have taken place in any deliberate fashion in the ancient world either.
15. Are there any mundane practices that are associated with this Deity?
If by “mundane” what is meant is “things outside of a directly spiritual practice context,” then a few activities might qualify. One is purification, especially by water, and the visiting of swimming pools and hot tubs or natural bathing locations. Another is hunting, but also just being out in nature and in parks. Another is anything involving physical activity, whether competitive or otherwise. Another is doing art and pursuing beauty in all of its forms. A final one for consideration at present is not killing spiders (unless it is unavoidable).
16. How do you think this Deity represents the values of Their pantheon and cultural origins?
As Antinous was alive during a time in which the Roman Empire was at its height, and was the most peaceful and successful that it ever had been or would be, and He lived in a cosmopolitan culture and was under the direct influence of one of the most broad-minded and cosmopolitan Emperors ever to have been in the principate, all of these do appear to have had a profound influence on Antinous personally, and on His subsequent cultus as well. The openness and interest in syncretism is significant. Also, even outside of the directly Egyptian context, the ways in which Antinous’ cultus ultimately emphasizes that apotheosis is possible for all humans, and His deification and subsequent cultus–though perhaps shocking to and even resented by some Romans–would not have been an unusual idea, even outside of directly and specifically esoteric and mystical circles in late antiquity. Cultural openness and acceptance, recognition of sexual and gender diversities, a grounded and definite polytheism, and a wide-ranging interest in spiritual practices while not devaluing the supposedly “mundane” all seem to characterize the Graeco-Roman-Egyptian mindsets of late antiquity in which Antinous’ cultus emerged.
17. How does this Deity relate to other Deities and other pantheons?
Very well! He has a huge number of syncretisms across three different pantheons, at least, and in His modern cultus this has extended further into other cultures and their pantheons as well. Antinous’ modern devotion has also resulted in the interesting phenomenon known as a “God Party,” in which every sort of divine being is invited and able to participate, and He has yet to encounter one that He has not been able to get along with on some level!
18. How does this Deity stand in terms of gender and sexuality?
Antinous is very open to people of all genders and sexualities, and is particularly well-disposed toward and interested in queer people of all sorts. From both the mythic and historical evidence available, He was typical of males of his culture, i.e. essentially bisexual, even though his homoerotic connection to Hadrian is very important and is often highlighted and even overemphasized (for reasons that are understandable historically, but which are not as much of interest to the people of His own time as they are to us). He is also what we would call cisgendered, even though some sources (particularly Christian ones) try to demean Him by saying He was effeminate, simply because he was not exclusively interested in what we would consider heterosexual intercourse for procreation. He does not seem to be gender-variant to any appreciable degree, though He is extremely open to and interested in those who are, both human and divine.
19. What quality or qualities of this Deity do you most admire?
I most admire Antinous’ youthful optimism, promiscuous curiosity, and willingness to accept and appreciate others. He is also very beautiful, but I firmly believe that this beauty of body and form entirely follows from his beauty of soul and mind and character, and if the latter were not present to the extent that it was, any of his physical beauty would have been entirely superfluous.
20. What quality or qualities of Them do you find the most troubling?
What I find the most troubling is that this God that I love and appreciate and whose historical context and original attestations are so important to me is, fundamentally, in the position that he ultimately was due to something that I recognize is entirely inappropriate and even illegal and abusive from a modern perspective, i.e. the context of the Greek erastes/eromenos relationships amounting to paradigmatic pederasty. While the historical situation then was much different than it is now, I often have seen that the tendency to idealize and spiritualize Antinous and Hadrian’s relationship–oftentimes with only moderate attention to actual religious devotion to Them–is done not out of a sense of Their inherent worth or spiritual significance, but instead as a way to religiously justify illegal and abusive behavior or attitudes in the modern world. I cannot condone this remotely, and it is something that I greatly fear might end up undermining the modern cultus of Antinous if either pressed too much, or if some unscrupulous individuals become involved in it.
21. Share any art that reminds you of this Deity.
I am assuming that this means “art not directly depicting the Deity,” yes? Well, since it doesn’t say for certain, I’ll give you the four images of Antinous I like the best from the ancient world, and one more that is not of Antinous directly but which is one of many that reminds me of Him.
Antinous Propylaios from/now in Delphi.
Antinous Farnese, likely depicted as Hermes, now in Naples.
Antinous Silvanus by Antoninianus of Aphrodisias, from Lanuvium, and now in Rome.
Antinous Braschi, depicted as Dionysos-Harpocrates, from Hadrian’s villa in Praeneste, now in the Vatican
John William Waterhouse’s “Hylas and the Nymphs,” an image which I’ve loved since I first saw it during high school, right around the time I first saw an image of Antinous!
22. Share any music that makes you think of this Deity.
I am guessing the same applies here as to the previous question, yeah? As there aren’t that many songs that discuss or mention Antinous directly anyway, I’ll give you six (breaking my rules for this series slightly!) that have been associated with him in various ways for me over the years. I should probably just do a playlist of these and several others…but anyway…
This song is one I play on the Lion Hunt every year…listen to it closely, take the French horn part as Antinous, the trumpet as Hadrian, the bass as the horses and the other hunters, and the drums and lightning as the lion, and you have it all perfectly…!
This was the “theme song,” so to speak, for my pilgrimage to Hadrian’s Wall sites around Newcastle in July of 2003…don’t ask me why (though my having to come to terms with what it meant to have a very close and important, intense devotional relationship slowly dawning on me is definitely a part of it), but it was, and it still never fails to remind me of Him! (And, I had literally never seen the video for this song until just now…crikey! I like robots, though…!?!)
In devotional contexts, we have an acclamation: Vel in limine mundi, Ecce, Ego semper sum coram te (“Even at the edge of the world, behold! I am in your presence!”)…and this song is pretty much an early 2000s Colombian dance pop version of exactly that! (And notice all the Poseidon imagery in this video…He, too, was syncretized with Antinous on coins in Corinth!)
I have had many “dark night” experiences in my life, especially in relation to Antinous, and one dimension of those is somewhat conveyed by this song.
In 2004, when things really started to ramp up for me devotion-wise in many ways, this was one of my favorite songs, and it conveys a very Dionysian (and, I’d recognize later, Thracian!) sense to me, and since one of Antinous’ Dionysian epithets is Choreios, “God of the Dance,” that’s important…and it was through this that I really began to realize that until there is dancing at every Antinoan ritual, we won’t be doing it right.
And, one more, so the boys don’t get mad since the above is mostly women musical acts (but hey, how bad, like?)…but this song is great, and so is the video (though sad)…’nuff said.