Paidi Nisi

by:

dnrock(dnrock@rock.com)

Seven: The New Home

Paidi Nisi came slowly into view, a dark lump on the horizon, slowly growing larger. Max and Seb were on the bridge with Thanos. First just rocks, brownish and yellowish. Then some green, from olive trees and vineyards. They saw beaches and trails or small roads, some grass, and sheep grazing on the low hills. The Aphrodite slowed and approached the harbor opening. There it was, the huge house with large windows, porches and balconies. A dozen or so other buildings, not like Russian buildings. These were white, with arches forming the doors and windows. The quay was long on the port, land, side, with several shorter docks jutting into the small bay on the starboard. The smaller docks had a variety of small sail and power boats moored to them.

The roof of the big house bristled with communications antennas, several radar domes, and satellite dishes. On entering the bay, Thanos sounded the Aphrodite's massive air horns. Between the quay and the house was an extensive terrace, with chairs and tables, potted plants, and umbrellas and such. A line of flagpoles, with flags flying, marked the division between the quay and the terrace. The terrace was about eight steps higher then the quay. The flags flying were four. The blue and white, Greek national, in the center. The pennant of the Papas Shipping lines on the right, a large one with a blue field, an island, in white, in the middle, and the words “Paidi Nisi” in black letters on the bottom. Further to the right was another flag. This one was also blue, with a white dove. Thanos told the boys that that was Aphrodite's standard, but they already knew that, since the white dove is prominent on the ship that bears her name and the boys. To the far left was another flag, again blue, with a green laurel crown and a white tripod, which signified Apollo.

[APHRODITE (a-fro-DYE-tee) the goddess of love, beauty and fertility. She was also a protectress of sailors. The poet Hesiod said that Aphrodite was born from sea-foam.

APOLLO (uh-POL-oh) the god of prophesy, music and healing.]

“Is that where we live?” Max inquired, pointing and literally jumping up and down.

“Yes, son, this is our home island, Paidi Nisi, and our living quarters are in that large house.”

Once the lines were secure, with Spiros in the lead, the boys poured off the Aphrodite onto the dock and into the arms of those who came to greet them.

Spiros immediately introduced Max and Seb to those assembled.

Once the boys reached the terrace, they noticed several sculptures: one was Eros. This is a modern work, in white marble, based on, but not a copy of, the classical style. He is depicted as a life-sized, 1.8 m (6ʹ) young man or older boy, broad of shoulder, thick of breast, narrow of waist and hips, with full thighs and well formed calves. His legs are long, and his butt is moderate, with little hollows on each cheek. The head has a small nose, full mouth, large wide-set eyes, with a moderate forehead and shoulder-length hair. His chin has a small cleft, and his cheeks dimples. The god is naked and very well endowed.

[Eros (EER-oss or AIR-oss) god of love. Later writers portrayed Eros as a roguish boy, but he was actually one of the most venerable of deities. According to Hesiod, Chaos was born first, and after Chaos, Earth, Tartarus and Eros. Pausanias says that Eros is commonly considered to be the son of Aphrodite, but elsewhere he describes a sculpture of Eros greeting the goddess as she is born from the sea. Eros is depicted in Greek art as a beautiful youth.]

Another is Hermes, the messenger god. This too is classical in style, naked, and a fine masculine depiction. The sculpture had taken a few elements from the Romans, such as landing on one winged foot and a strange hat.

[HERMES (HUR-meez) the messenger of the gods and guide of dead souls to the Underworld. A prankster and inventive genius from birth. Hermes was known for his helpfulness to mankind, both in his capacity as immortal herald and on his own initiative. He had magic sandals, which conferred upon the wearer the ability to fly, and a helmet of invisibility as well, also known as the helmet of darkness. Hermes' symbol of office as divine messenger was his staff, or caduceus. This was originally a willow wand with entwined ribbons, traditional badge of the herald. But the ribbons were eventually depicted as snakes. It was Hermes' job to convey dead souls to the Underworld. And as patron of travelers, he was often shown in a wide-brimmed sun hat of straw. His most famous depiction, a statue by Bellini, shows him alight on one foot, wings at his heels, the snaky caduceus in hand and, on his head, a rather stylized combination helmet-of-darkness and sun hat.]

If nothing else, these works of art would set any boy's or man's penis in full erection. Spiros and Kon took Max and Seb by the hand and began showing them around. If there was any doubt in their minds about just how boy-centered the culture of this family and its island was, one look at the interior of the manor house dispelled them. Everywhere, on every wall or in every corner, were works of art, all depicting boys or young men. In those paintings or photographs that had adult men, those adults were interacting with a boy. The only artistic depiction of females in the place were two paintings and several photographs of Thanos' and Dem's mothers and sisters and their children.

Kon stopped in the parlor or living room. It was a great hall with numerous leather sofas and chairs, low tables with lamps, and so on. The room was commanded by a large fireplace, which in this climate is little used. Seb thought it looked like some of the rooms at the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.

“These are our grandmothers, aunts, and cousins; you met them in Athens last week, remember.” Max and Seb nodded in recognition. Max remembered very well: it was grandmother Papas that held both of them so tight he almost lost his breath. She showered them with kisses in welcoming them to the family. She proceeded to kiss and hug each of the brothers, giving each one some kind of compliment, heaping praise on the all for their performance in Denmark. She singled out Photois, telling him that she had been in almost daily contact with Mrs. Christiansen and how impressed she and Jytte were with him. Photois turned several shades of red.

Grandmother Koronios showed up and repeated the whole process, each grandmother taking turns holding and kissing Max and Seb. “it is the fate of being the youngest,” Jason whispered to them. Neither Max or Seb minded all that much, since they dearly missed their biological mothers. Besides, Yannie, Kon, Jason, Photois, and Spiros had all experienced much the same kind of welcome, and they survived.

What was quite surprising was the “dressing down” Thanos and Dem received from their mothers. It was all in Greek, and much too fast for accurate translations, but from the tone of voice and expressions it was clear. You didn't need to speak the language, all you need was the experience of having been dressed down by your mother, to completely understand. They had placed these grandchildren in potential harm's way, and to these grandmothers that was a definitely bad thing. It was obvious that Thanos and Dem were being reduced to boys in front of their own boys. None of the brothers appreciated that, but all seemed to realize they needed to keep their mouths shut. Dem and Thanos stood and took it like men. Finally, Mrs. Koronios turned to Max and Seb, and in English said, “to a mother, her children are always just that: children, it's a mother's privilege.” She smiled. “Our grandchildren of course are always perfect angels that can do no wrong,” Grandmother Papas added, also in English, “now I think you boys need some sweets, follow me.” And that was that.

Max and Seb talked about it later when they were alone. Neither one quite understood everything that was taking place, but they had no doubt that they were as much a part of the family as anyone else.

Later that day, uncle Thomas and the grandfathers showed up. The grandfathers were something else. They praised everyone, including Dem and Thanos, for a job well done, poured everyone a small glass of Ouzo, and toasted their new grandsons. Max and Seb were somewhat taken aback by how the stuff burned as it went down, but they both like anise, so it was OK. Grandpa Papas took Max on his knee, and Grandpa Koronios took Seb on his. They asked first Max and then Seb to tell them all about their adventures. Everyone else sat around, mostly on the floor. After Max and Seb had their say, each one in turn added his part of the adventure. Finally, Yannie said something about how hard the grandmothers were on Dad and Uncle. “That's just their way of showing how much they love their sons and grandsons. We old men do that by sharing, as best we can, in your young man's adventures.”

While all this was going on, Thomas and Spiros seemed to have another agenda. No one said anything, but Max and Seb noticed it. Since they were only in Athens for a few days this time, and the city was in a state of construction chaos in preparation for the Olympic Games, there were many places and people they just didn't get a chance to meet or see. The grandfathers did ask Photois about Jytte, but in private and one at a time. They wanted him to know they were interested and supportive, but did not want him to feel uncomfortable. They knew that 14-year-old boys, with their first female love, are, to say the least, easily embarrassed and their brothers would ensure they had sufficient chiding.

Other ground floor rooms were a huge library with a bank of computers and little desks. “This is where we study and do research. Games are played in the gymnasium. It is fully equipped and then some,” Kon pointed out.

“We have computers in our dorm too, for those other kinds of games,” Spiros chuckled.

The word gymnasium, originally spelled gymnazein, is Greek for place to be naked, and derives from the Greek word for naked: gymnos. Historically, such a place was a place for both exercise, as well as bathing, especially social (communal) bathing. In 1598, the term was adopted from a “place to be naked” to a “place of exercise.” The abbreviation to gym was introduced in 1871. The Greek term gymnastikos (first re-spelled as gymnast in 1594) now refers to someone skilled in the art of bodily exercise, but no longer necessarily naked. In this household, the boys would be naked most of the time when in the gymnasium. Most floor games and all field games are played out of doors. Sports like wrestling, fencing, ping pong are played inside, marshal arts, some in, some out. Swimming in the ocean, mostly nude, and things like archery, definitely outside.

The dining room has a massive, long table, able to seat about 25. In addition, a large porch is attached to the kitchen. It is covered with green plants and flowers. Many grapevines climb trellises that block the sun. It too has a long table, made up of five smaller ones pushed together. Dem has a fully equipped examination and surgery room along with a good-sized office, and Thanos has a large office, both just off the library.

“This is our chef, Ted. Ted, this is Max and this is Seb,” Kon said. The boys shook his hand and accepted a glass of lemonade. The galley on the Aphrodite is relatively small, but this place was huge. It looked more like a restaurant than a home. Max and Seb were impressed, it sure looked a lot nicer than the orphanage's. It is state of the art, mostly German and French appliances, huge freezers and refrigeration units, long tables, ovens, and so on. Just outside was a large fire pit, for BBQ's and roasting, along with a traditional dome-shaped clay oven, for making flat breads. The place smelled of cheese and olives, mixed with roasting lamb. Over on the wall, by the door, was posted the week's menu and the duty roster. Like on the Aphrodite, everyone helps with meals, Thanos and Dem included. Max and Seb's names already appeared for meals and cleaning functions later in the week.

“Just like on the Aphrodite, our evening meal is a must-attend,” Kon said. Ted is a highly trained chef, having worked in France, Canada, and Athens, at some of the finest hotels. He misses the fine presentation part of his job, since everything is usually serve-yourself; but every now and then insists on demonstrating his skills and teaching them to the others. Tonight, being a special event, is one of those nights. His assistants for this meal are the geography/history/social studies and fine arts tutors. Ted is the only man on the island that is not a boy lover or bisexual. He is the only man who never leaves the island. Only Thanos and Dem know why this is, and they refuse to talk.

The upper story is designed like a hotel; each adult has his own apartment. Thanos and Dem share a large bedroom with an attached bath. It is large enough to have a sitting area and dining space, in addition to the huge bed and two walk-in closets. The dorm is also very large; it occupies one side of the building. Each boy has his own bed, upright locker and foot locker, desk, bookcase, computer, and communication center. The room has a huge plasma screen that can be seen by everyone, with all the attendant bells and whistles.

Max and Seb were overwhelmed. By now they expected things to be organized, but this was one or possibly two better. Name plates over the bed and communication center were expected, also names on the lockers, and so on. What they didn't expect were their favorite Russian books on the shelves, games already loaded on the computer, personal radios, iPods, and the like. They had cell phone/radios that worked on the island or could access the satellite and cell phone system. When they looked in the cupboard that is part of the desk, they found all their personal stuff that had been shipped from Russia. Suddenly, Seb started to cry. When he opened his cupboard, the first thing he saw was a picture of his dead parents. He suddenly missed them, he suddenly felt guilty for being in such a wonderful place, while they lay in the cold permafrost of northern Russia.

Kon, Spiros, and Max were at his side in an instant; within seconds, so were the other brothers, Thanos and Dem.

In no time at all, everyone was sobbing; hot tears streamed down their faces along with Seb. Finally Jason asked, “Little brother, why am I crying, are these tears of joy or tears of sorrow?”

Seb looked around and noticed everyone was crying with him now. He was confused. He didn't quite know what to say. “Confusion. When I saw the picture of my parents, I felt so alone and so guilty. But you all, I mean, you're here with me, sharing my feelings. You must all really care about me.”

Dem reached out and took Seb's hand, pulled him up, and directed him to the next bed, it was Photois'. He opened the door. Seb could see his mother's picture. The other boys jumped up and opened their cupboards, revealing their mothers or dead parents, even Max. “You see, son, they all understand and they all love you too. We must all honor our biological parents or their memory, but you must never feel guilt. Except for Thanos and I, none of them are here with us. Except for Thanos and I, none of us had a say in being here either. You, son, have no guilt. We share your emotions as best we can, but we can not share what you don't have.” He swept little Seb up in his arms and carried him away.

Max looked up at Thanos, smiling, “he needs you too, dad, I have all the love I can handle at the moment.” Spiros and Jason were already helping him out of his uniform.

“We think more,” Yannie said, proceeding to tickle his little brother. Thanos shrugged his shoulders and exited the dorm alone. By this time, Seb lay in the middle of his and Dem's bed, naked and being ministered to by his equally naked uncle. Thanos lay next to Seb, sandwiching him between the two male parents. With the two adult mouths, two adult erections and the four adult hands, Seb sustained his first dry climax in about ten minutes. His adults did not stop, except to take a small pill with a sip of water. For the next few hours, Seb will receive non-stop physical and emotional attention like he has never had before. His men placed him on his side, and while one moved to a 69 position with him, the other slipped his long thick cock in his butt. As soon as he would climax, he would be turned over on his other side and the performance repeated. This would keep an erect cock continuously in his ass and another available for this mouth and hands. Seb could have rejected the advances from his men, but he did not. In fact, he loved it. He liked the physical and emotional attention. He liked the euphoric feeling of climax. He liked the loving words of encouragement and best of all the taste of his men's sperm.

That is the way it is supposed to be, according to Thanos. His approach to all this child raising is based on the old Greek ways, but he is a modern man and incorporated some modern ideas too.

When human beauty was discussed in the old literature, it was usually that of young men, not that of women. For many Greek thinkers, homosexual love for boys was superior to heterosexual love, because the latter stemmed from the natural need for procreation and thus was inferior to homosexual love, whose sole aim was aesthetics and communion. There was a widespread conviction that true love was impossible with a woman; marriage was regarded as necessary, and for this reason protected by law, but it was not considered as the fruit of love, nor sought with love in mind. Thanos and Dem were more than aware that this too has changed. They knew the old philosophers were mistaken in not holding women is higher regard. True and lasting love between the sexes was possible, and not a bad thing either. Their mini society may be male-dominated and boy-centered, but the boy's education must not be misogynistic.

Is this nothing more than a pedophile's justification for fucking boys, on the part of Thanos and Dem? No, it is not. They do love their boys, and they do think them beautiful, but all parents love their children and so on. In fact, they would have been satisfied with each other. Thanos, at least, would have found a woman to bear his children and there were more than enough desirable men around to keep both of them well kept. Sure they liked sex with the boys, but not for lust, but for nobler reasons.

If you are taking a boy away from his mother and sisters and sending him to live with other boys, something needs to be substituted. If you are giving an example of men and boys loving each other, why not boys and boys? We know that was more than common in the gymnasiums, it is natural.

They did make a decision to start their sons at 10, not 12. They were not about to let them be courted in the old sense, and they did not intend them to have just one man or older lover. They did intend them to “leave home,” perhaps to school at about 18, but for sure at 21. What they needed to do was find a way to quickly and effectively weld this family into a coherent entity. The most effective and long lasting tool was sex. By starting them at ten, they were able to fully train them in the arts and skills needed, when the hormonal desires of adolescents set in. They would know what they wanted and how they wanted it. It worked too. It worked better then they had expected. Just looking at how quickly and completely Max and Seb were taken into the family illustrates that. It is impossible to be angry or jealous of the boy you are sleeping with. It is impossible to be mean to, or to put down, the boy who will be giving you pleasure. It is very hard to be selfish when the important resources: love, support, fellowship, affection and so on, are endless in quality and quantity.

It was on the second island night that Max and Seb were inducted into the secret society, Apollo's Phallus. The purpose of this society is several-fold. The most important is keeping these sexual and intergenerational relationships a secret to the outside world. As we have seen, sex between the boys is accepted and a given. The boys knew they should never talk about it outside of themselves. The sex between the adults, was again something they knew not to discuss off the ship or island. The sex between the adults and the youth was most prized secret, and one they must never talk about, except to another AP member.

[Forgot your Edith Hamilton? It might serve the reader to remind himself of how the old Greeks saw things, specifically gods. http://faculty.gvsu.edu/websterm/Gods&men.htm, this is a good place to start and a lot shorter than Hamilton's “Mythology.”]

The pageantry and general trappings of a secret society, loyalty to the fraternity and family, appeals to men and boys alike. Being part of a group is very important to adolescent boys. Dem believed you have to have a scrotum to understand it. The society reinforces and honors other social and human values, the bond between members, sex education, and just having a good time, among the many.

Each member is given a round silver ring, which has a laurel wreath around the outside, a narrow tripod in the center and rays radiating outward. The tripod, when looked at from a distance, resembles a phallus. This is the same symbol that appears on the standard, flying from the flagpole. In the basement of the house is a large pool, an old fashioned Greek bath. Instead of marble, the bath floors, and other areas that could get wet, are granite. The walls and other accoutrements are mostly marble. The common themes are the laurel, brightness or light, musical instruments; tripods, arrows, and other phallic symbols.

Apollo is, and always was one of the more popular of the Greek gods, and the twin brother of Artemis. Apollo is associated with the sun gods, but remember the sun god is Helios. Apollo is the god of light, in whom no darkness exists, therefore he is the god of truth. In Classical Mythology, he was considered the standard for male beauty. Some authors speak of his lovely endowments. In short, he was well hung and a hunk. He presides over religious and civil law, and even foretold the future. He was the founder and chief patron of Delphi and other similar temples, the tripod symbolizes this. Carrying a lyre, that symbolizes music, poetry, and dance, Apollo is a patron of the arts, poets, and muses. His bow symbolized death, terror, and distance. He is also associated with crops and herds. Apollo is the only Greek god who did not sleep with Aphrodite, but he did sleep with her son, Hymen. Apollo's other male lovers included: King Admetus of Thessaly, Amyclas and his son Hyacinthus, the king of Sparta, Branchus, Cyparissus, Daphnis, Hylas, Iapis, Orpheus, Paros, Phrobas, Potneius, Troilus, Tymnius, Zacynthus, and the ram-god Carneius. He got around.

Day light to the “bath” is provided by a series of tubular skylights that pipe the sun into the room. On entering, one sees the pool, of course, and a small altar-like shrine in the background; it has a huge phallus sitting on it. The head of this object has a laurel wreath around its outer margin or corona, and another girdling the sulcus (the indent below the corona). The meatus is prominent and open. At the base is a large set of testicles. The columns all look like gigantic penises or arrows. On the walls are large works of art, mostly frescoes that depict naked boys and men in all forms of physical contact or athletic activities. Their are several life-sized statues of the god and other beautiful men and boys. Long benches covered by cushions, along with large cushions and pillows are scattered around the room. The place smells of men and sex, honey and herbs. In addition, Dem has male pheromones dispensed into the air, these “smells” are not perceptible. They do get the hormones flowing.

For ceremonial meetings of the society, everyone is dressed in very brief and revealing white togas, and laurel wreaths are placed on their heads. For bathing or just using the place, the men and boys are naked. The pubescent boys are encouraged to shave or remove any non-head body hair. None of these boys need to shave their faces yet, and few have any real body hair yet either. The men must either be clean-shaven or have beards that are well trimmed and long enough to be soft. Except for a few mustaches, the men are all clean-shaven at this time.

Following the induction ceremony, there will be one hell of an orgy. This is one of the few non-meal times when the boys are allowed to drink wine or beer, but only in moderation. The supplicants or new members are fitted with those special butt plugs described earlier. So are all the regular members. In addition, the pubescent and older males are fitted with triangular shaped cock and scrotum rings. There are only two kinds of ceremonies, induction and pledging. Pledging is the declaration of a youth and man as lovers, as a man and boy couple. The boy pledges to refrain from sex with any other man and the man pledges to refrain from sex with any other boy. They are expected to put on a demonstration of their love, and following that, during the orgy, a demonstration of their pledged fidelity. This has not happened yet.

Tonight it is the induction of two boys and a man. After preparation in the vestibule, everyone troops into the hall. Max, Seb, and Kemp are surrounded by the others and are invited to approach the shrine. With everyone chanting a welcome to our brotherhood, each supplicant kisses the phallus and receives his laurel wreath. When they kiss the phallus, it squirts a pre-cum tasting liquid into their mouths. This liquid contains several plant extracts. They then sit on high tripod stools, facing the audience.

Thanos and Dem, acting as priests, give a brief sermon about the goals and nature of the society, allowing the drugs to take effect. They are reminded that they do not worship Apollo, but honor what he represents. That they were striving for something much greater than pleasure or the satisfaction of lust. The men see membership as a duty to the boys, in preparing them to take their place in society as men. Boys have an obligation to learn from the men, and when they become men, teach those lessons to boys. They are reminded of the strict secrecy connected with membership, and each given their ring and welcomed by name. Membership is totally voluntary, and the member can resign, but his vow of silence remains for ever.

Three padded benches are positioned in the center of the floor and each new member is welcomed, one at a time by the others. These welcomings involve much kissing, hugging, folding and the removal of the toga and butt plug. Then everyone else gets naked and the orgy begins. The goal is for every old member to welcome every new member, by having some kind of sexual interaction with them.

The over-eighteen members divide themselves around the three supplicants. Kemp is in the middle, the boys on either side. Two brothers each stand by Max and Seb, and three by Kemp. By now the drugs have taken full effect. The attendants cover the inductee's and each other's bodies with scented olive oil. One penetrates the anus with lubricant followed by his phallus, another his mouth and a third delivers oral pleasure to his genitals, while the other two move around, giving encouragement and stimulation to those delivering pleasure. As soon as one of the pleasure-givers ejaculates, he is replaced by a spare; after each one has ejaculated, the teams rotate. The cock rings keep the members' members rock hard and ready for action. Once each new member has been fucked six times, the group reassembles for some refreshments, and in some cases mild stimulants; and as much additional sex as they are capable of. After the refreshments, couples and threesomes form and reform until spent.

Except for the younger boys, this is one hung and physically fit group. The younger boys are good sized for young boys, but they still have lots of growing to do. Dem has calculated the individual mass of the males (not young boys) on this island is about equal, independent of length. He assumed an average density. That is, the shorter ones in the six- to seven-inch range (15-18 cm) seem to have a greater diameter. The volume is therefore about the same. There is one exception. Elias's phallus is both long and thick, 28 cm (10.5 in) in length and 5 cm (2ʺ) thick. His is the only one that does not stick straight out, but droops down a bit, due to a slight up curve it looks like it sticks out.

……………………

Some scholarship, notes and discussion, read them if you are interested.

In classical times, boys between the ages of 10 or 12 and 17 or 18 were encouraged to choose an older male lover. This lover's job was to teach the boy to be a man. Adult men that took a passive role in same-sex interactions were often a source or ridicule (we know this from the literature); but like modern humor and satire, this should not be paid too much attention to. Most human males have the capacity to not be exclusive toward one sex: that is, in modern terminology they are bisexual. Some are homosexual (not a concept given a specific name by the ancients) some are exclusively heterosexual (also a concept not specifically named by the ancients).

It was a cultural norm for boys to choose a lover from the available men. One of the man's obligations was to mentor, and sometimes apprentice, his boy lover. When the boy reached the age of majority, he was expected to take a wife and sire children, hopefully boys.

This man-boy stuff goes right to the heart of much mythology. Zeus and Ganymede are examples. The Romans called male homosexuality practiced with adolescents or, more precisely, ephebic love, the “Greek vice” (Horace, Ep. 2, 1, 156). They rightly said that it was unknown in more ancient Roman times. It was something totally foreign to the traditional Roman mentality; therefore they absolutely condemned it. Cicero wrote: “It seems to me that this habit of loving boys originated in the Greek gymnasiums, where these love affairs are free and tolerated.” That of course did not stop the Romans from having sex with children, and pleasure slaves were widely available, as were brothels. The Romans would fuck anything that moved and breathed, gender aside, and they did.

Scholars dispute the origins of the pervasive practice of male homosexuality in classical Greece: whether it developed as a consequence of ancient initiation rites or from the custom of completely separating men from “decent” women, who were enclosed and inaccessible in the gynaeceum, i.e., the living quarters reserved for their use. The boys being trained to take full part in the city's political and social life would be educated in the city gymnasiums and later academies, from which girls were excluded. Thanos and Dem have obviously made up their minds about this, however.

On the other hand, male homosexuality in the form of ephebic love was widespread and highly praised, particularly in classical Athens. Not every type of homosexual love was socially acceptable, only what corresponded to certain moral norms of the city-state (the one you lived in or are reading about). First of all, it was only permissible between free citizens. The courting of a free citizen by a slave and vice versa was not approved, because loving a slave, even if he were young, did not achieve the goal of training and education, since the slave was not a citizen; nor was male prostitution approved by society. Homosexual love, which could also be expressed physically, was primarily spiritual and intellectual; the adult involved or his culture had pedagogical goals for the adolescent. (Much of this discussion is based on the writings of A. di Berardino.)

The ethical values of classical antiquity were not usually based on religious norms, which merely indicated ritual purity and impurity, nor on any precise authority. Their more or less binding moral force was based on social consensus, which led to a sense of honor or shame, psychological repercussions extremely strong in ancient society. Spiritual guides were not priests but philosophers, and in certain respects, poets and writers in general. Aided by extant works, we can only partially reconstruct the ancient mentality and corresponding behavior, which, moreover, were not those of the plebeian masses, of which we know little. Furthermore, any discussion of classical civilization is always somewhat imprecise, since we have no way of comparing the differences between cities and between peoples. This introduction helps us understand the relativity of ancient local moral codes, which cannot be generalized in an overall reconstruction.

A Beroean law (Bereans were the inhabitants of the ancient city of Berea, also know as Beroea, now known as Veria or Veroia, is a city in Ancient Ascedonia.) forbade certain categories of people from attending the gymnasium, where the boys were, to avoid “unworthy” love affairs. The boy was to be courted with seriousness and commitment, even with gifts, and he had to be shown the sincerity of one's love and intellectual involvement. Only adolescents (eronomoi) from 12 to 17 years were eligible to be loved, and not younger boys or adults. It was a disgrace to seduce little boys, since they were not considered capable yet of choosing their own lovers. The ancients did not oppose heterosexual love or homosexual love. This was all well and good, Thanos and Dem thought, but we do not have gymnasiums in the old sense of the word. The role of women in modern society is, to say the least, much changed, and this must also be recognized.

At the root of this Greek concept was the idea that heterosexual relations gave physical life to an individual, but only the relationship between a mature adult and a boy prepared the latter for social and political life. The formal education needed to be a citizen was a lot different than then it is now. The relationship of a boy to his man will not necessarily be the same. Such a relationship was socially and legally acceptable only if it did not last beyond the age limit prescribed for the adolescent, who was then obliged to adopt a different attitude. This different sexual attitude was expressed both as husband, hence in a heterosexual relationship, and as erastes, that is, the lover and educator of a young favorite for the sake of his involvement in city life. Dem and Thanos did not think all their sons needed to procreate, but those that chose to do so would be supported and encouraged. Many will form lasting relationships with women, and all will take up some kind of active professional activities. Their society by modern necessity will not be the same as in the very old days.

Nevertheless, all that has been said does not mean that Greeks were permitted to express their bisexuality freely, even if they were men. “Indeed, men were permitted neither to express their feelings nor to follow their personal urges. The Greek adult man had to have his homosexual experiences at the proper time, with the proper individuals, and according to the proper rules” (E. Cantarella, Secondo natura, Milan 1995, p. 171). That said, when one considers the actions of many gods in mythology, notable homosexual couples in society and organization of the military such as Thebes, they thought this was bull. What the old-timers did not appreciate was a male in a passive sexual or political role. That was not acceptable, at least in the literature that has survived. Thanos and Dem figured the old guys were probably not different than moderns. It took all kinds to make up a society.