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Philhellenike In reply to queen-of-olympus [2016-01-10 04:10:54 +0000 UTC]

Maybe.  I think Aristotle said it best though (he has a way of doing that) when he said that they were like "one soul in two bodies". They shared everything, without apologizing for anything. They built the life that they wanted, together, even though they had to forcibly change the world to do so. It's what we all wish we could do with the person that we love above all others, but few of us ever get the chance. Most of us end up lost somewhere between fear and circumstance. Did they, at some point in that incredible journey, do something that we would deem sexual? almost certainly. Did they view it as important? no. They both viewed sex as an annoying thing that had to be done, like trimming your hair, or shaving. Well, we know Alexander did, and Hephaestion never said or did anything that indicated that he didn't share this opinion. Alexander was recorded as saying that "sleep and sex remind me that I'm mortal". Like with most people, Alexander did not especially appreciate being reminded that he was mortal. He had several lovers in his life, male and female, but his guards could generally count on him sleeping alone most of the time. They could also usually expect him to be up half the night working, so this is perhaps unsurprising. Personally I don't find this view of sex so strange: while fun, especially with someone I love, sex is hardly the most interesting thing I've ever done. The important thing however is that Alexander and Hephaestion shared a deep spiritual connection, and made no secret of it.  Their love-and there can be no doubt that it was true love in the best sense-lit up the world like fire from heaven. And even today we can still see it burning off in the distance, beckoning us in.  I think perhaps that answers your question, though the answer may be a little longer than you were hoping for! 

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queen-of-olympus In reply to Philhellenike [2016-01-10 11:08:13 +0000 UTC]

it rings very true. They, from what I've read, had a beautiful relationship, whether or not it was romantic or not.

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Philhellenike In reply to queen-of-olympus [2016-01-10 20:09:23 +0000 UTC]

good, I'm glad I didn't confuse you further It confused me for a really long time, but I'm enough of a nerd to obsessively study things like this until they start making some sort of sense. What I told you is my own conclusion based on everything I've seen (which, as far as I'm aware, is just about everything).  But I might be completely wrong still. 

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queen-of-olympus In reply to Philhellenike [2016-01-11 14:10:27 +0000 UTC]

Seriously.. I am the same way. Alexander's history is dear to my heart... I have always been intrigued by him and the mustique that surrounds him. It is difficult to separate fact and fiction when someone is so much larger than life like he was.

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Philhellenike In reply to queen-of-olympus [2016-01-12 17:04:38 +0000 UTC]

haha true that an awful lot of the "mystique" though is due to people attempting to use Alexander for their own political purposes.  Two thousand plus years after his death we're still fucking fighting over him as if he were an object.   Not that he didn't experience his fair share of objectification in his own lifetime: starting with his own parents of all people. First they tried to use him as a pawn in their chess-match marriage, then Athenians used him as a demon-tyrant in absentia, then satraps from Baktria to Olympia were trying to use him in their own petty rivalries, then his best friends were fighting over his body like dogs over a bone. And to this day scholars and politicians are using his name as a weapon or a crown. It's like he really has become a God, a character in myth which any writer can use to make a point or tell his/her own story.  

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queen-of-olympus In reply to Philhellenike [2016-01-12 19:34:07 +0000 UTC]

Omg I think we are supposed to be friends lol we are angry about the same things hahahaa

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Philhellenike In reply to queen-of-olympus [2016-02-22 03:18:10 +0000 UTC]

hi friend it's good to know someone shares my brand of insanity... love your picture by the way, it's hilarious. 

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Penthesileia In reply to gallow [2004-06-27 15:29:55 +0000 UTC]

Yup have to admit I very much ripped off the whole profile in circular border idea from Mucha. I've been highly obsessed with Art Nouveau recently
I like the colour scheme of your Mucha pencil piece.

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Penthesileia In reply to Zerattakis [2004-06-27 09:15:34 +0000 UTC]

Hey get it right, I'd say Alexander was more his "butt-monkey" than the other way around. Ahem.

Anyway, to answer Ameban's question a tad more seriously, Hephaestion was Alexander's best friend and probably lover.

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Zerattakis In reply to Penthesileia [2004-06-27 09:22:37 +0000 UTC]

True, it think Alexander was the bottom.

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