|
Author
|
Comment
|
SecondQueen
Registered User
(7/13/06 1:04 am)
|
Homosexuality in folklore and fairytales?
I am taking a course in gay theater right now, studying plays and their writers. My final project will be to write a 10 minute play of my own and I have been looking at folklore as a spring board for ideas.
I read something recently (at least I think I did...) about a myth where people used to have two heads, four arms and legs and the two parts could be male and female, or both the same gender. For some reason they were split in two and people would try to find their other half again, which explained heterosexuality and homosexuality.
I'm not sure if I read that here, on another site, or in my anthropology course. Have y'all heard this before? Or know of any other fairytales that discuss homosexuality?
Thank you :)
|
estrilde
Registered User
(7/13/06 5:19 am)
|
Re: Homosexuality in folklore and fairytales?
The myth you describe is part of the eulogy to the god Love given
by Aristophanes in Plato's 'Symposium'. You can find it online here:
www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi...+Sym.+189d
The Greco-Roman myths have a few male-male pairings. You might want to look at the story of Zeus and Ganymede, or Apollo and Hyacinth, for example.
I can't help with any fairy-tales, I'm afraid.
Edited by: estrilde at: 7/13/06 5:23 am
|
Writerpatrick
Registered User
(7/13/06 5:52 am)
|
Re: Homosexuality in folklore and fairytales?
For the most part homosexuality isn't found in fairy tales because so many come from Christian cultures where it was considered unacceptable. There might be some found in the folk tales of non-Christian cultures but fairy tales are typically from Christian cultures.
|
AliceCEB
Registered User
(7/13/06 8:49 am)
|
Re: Homosexuality in folklore and fairytales?
This is not a fairy tale, but GILGAMESH encompasses homosexuality, or at least, bisexuality. It's the story of Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, part man, part god, who falls in love with Enkidu part man, part animal.
Enkidu who lived with the animals and was more animal than human, becomes entirely human after having sex with a female prostitute who tames him. Although Gilgamesh likes sex with virgins, once he meets Enkidu, he loses interest in women and sleeps with Enkidu. Although the tale isn't explicit about the sexual nature of their relationship, it is hard to discount. Certainly all of Gilgamesh's passion is directed toward Endkidu. After Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh embarks on a quest to find a way to bring Enkidu back to life.
There may be an on-line version, but the one I am fond of is Herbert
Mason's GILGAMESH:
A VERSE NARRATIVE. It is neither long nor difficult to read.
Best,
Alice
|
Helen J Pilinovsky
Registered User
(7/13/06 9:02 am)
|
Re: Homosexuality in folklore and fairytales?
While I can't think of too many tales which feature homosexuality in more than subtext, there are a fair number out there in which the subtext is pretty fascinating, expecially in the tradition of balladry: you might want to take a look at "The Famous Flower of Serving-Men" (Delia Sherman wrote a beautiful retelling of it in _The Brazen Mirror_), which does, in fact, have the king falling in love with his squire/valet *before* he becomes aware that the young man is, in fact, a young *woman*.
|
SecondQueen
Registered User
(7/13/06 9:47 am)
|
Re: Homosexuality in folklore and fairytales?
Thank you for your replies! I'm going to start going through those and see what sparks my interest.
-I know if I put it off, I will end up clueless in front of a blank word processor the night before it is due :)
|
Veronica Schanoes
Registered User
(7/14/06 4:20 pm)
|
Re: Homosexuality in folklore and fairytales?
You might want to take a look at Christina Rossetti's "Goblin Market"--it is an original fairy tale, as far as I know.
|
Erica Carlson
Registered User
(7/20/06 3:05 pm)
|
Re: Homosexuality in folklore and fairytales?
You may also want to look at "The Counterfeit Marquise," which can be found in Marina Warner's collection, Wonder Tales: Six French Stories of Enchantment
|
balaustine
Unregistered User
(7/23/06 7:02 pm)
|
Re: Homosexuality in folklore and fairytales?
Both "The Girl who pretended to be a Boy" and "The Snow Queen" have, in my opinion, loads of subtext. In the former, the two women get married, although this is after the "prince" becomes a man.
|
Terri Windling
Registered User
(7/31/06 1:10 am)
|
Re: Homosexuality in folklore and fairytales?
You might try asking Steve Berman if he has any info on fairy tales
involving homosexuality. He's a writer who often works with folklore
material and editor of the forthcoming anthology So
Fey: Queer Faery Fictions, due to be published Winter 2007
from Haworth Positronic Press.
His website is www.steveberman.com,and
his contact information can be found here: www.steveberman.com/stevecontact.htm.
Good luck.
Edited by: Terri Windling at: 7/31/06 1:14 am
|
Meg Fox
Registered User
(8/6/06 7:29 pm)
|
Re: Homosexuality in folklore and fairytales?
Much Chinese myth includes homosexualityin the stories. Here is an interesting link with a lot of information and story references.
www.glbtq.com/literature/..._myth.html
Best,
Meg
|
