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Boy or god : the vacillating role of the divinity of Antinous
(2015-07-28) Tenpenny, Rachel Elizabeth
Antinous is a figure of Roman history known to all. His name is practically infamous. The young boy and beloved of Hadrian became a god upon his death, and that's where his life really took off. The most fascinating mystery about Antinous is his vacillating role throughout history including the various and manifold critical reception of him. Considering that he was a young boy who did not live past twenty years of age at the most, the sheer immovable permanence of his image is astounding. From the oracular Egyptian god to the Victorian homosexual icon to the modern god of homosexuality, Antinous has concretely proven his h'1d immortality. In a way, Antinous has become a sort of "blank slate" god, who has/syncretisms and various incarnations thrust upon his identity. All these variations make it hard to discover who the "true" Antinous really is, if there even is one. Ultimately, throughout history Antinous was transformed into the god or icon that a particular people needed at a particular time.