Ganymede (mythology)
In Greek mythology, Ganymede (/ˈɡænɪmiːd/) or Ganymedes (/ɡænɪˈmiːdiːz/; Ancient Greek: Γανυμήδης Ganymēdēs) is a divine hero whose homeland was Troy. Homer describes Ganymede as the most beautiful of mortals and tells the story of how he was abducted by the gods to serve as Zeus's cup-bearer in Olympus.
[Ganymedes] was the loveliest born of the race of mortals, and therefore
the gods caught him away to themselves, to be Zeus' wine-pourer,
for the sake of his beauty, so he might be among the immortals.
| Ganymede | |
|---|---|
Cupbearer to the gods | |
Roman marble bust depicting Ganymede, dating to the 2nd century, now at the Louvre | |
| Abode | Mount Olympus |
| Personal information | |
| Parents | Tros and Callirhoe or Acallaris |
| Siblings | Ilus, Assaracus, Cleopatra, Cleomestra |
The myth was a model for the Greek social custom of paiderastía, the romantic relationship between an adult male and an adolescent male. The Latin form of the name was Catamitus (and also "Ganymedes"), from which the English word catamite is derived. Socrates says that Zeus was in love with Ganymede, called "desire" in Plato's Phaedrus. According to Dictys Cretensis, Ganymede was abducted by the Cretans.