The House of Dionysus

Dionysus and the satyr

Lisa Henry, JP Kenwood and I have created a new group on Goodreads for the discussion of m/m set against the backdrop of the Greco-Roman world.

We are entertaining questions about our stories and the ancient world, Classical History in particular.

Please drop by The House of Dionysus and chat.

Becky Condit of USA Today Gives A Spartan Love 5 Stars

"Kayla Jameth writes the most exciting historical romance, and when I say historical I mean waaaaay back in history. Spartans and Greeks, gods and goddesses, farmers and nomads. I can't recommend her book A Spartan Love highly enough." - Becky Condit

Love and Lust rec: A Spartan Love by Kayla Jameth

Spartan Myths - All Slaves Are Alike

That is mostly true in the ancient world. As Lisa Henry pointed out, Roman slaves were chattel. Meaning they were property, an item to be owned, not quite human any more.

Things in Sparta were a bit different. Did I hear someone sigh and mutter, "Of course"?

I did warn you, even the other Greeks thought the Spartans were weird. But don't say it to their faces. The biggest badasses on the block can be as weird as they want to be.

So Spartan slaves. They more or less were owned by the polis (city-state) of Sparta and were comprised of the previous landowners. When the Dorian tribe that later became known as the Spartans invaded Lacedaemonia, they enslaved the previous inhabitants.

This new class of slaves, called helots, was unprecedented in the rest of the world. First they couldn't be bought or sold at the whim of their "master" because they didn't really have a master. Helots belonged collectively to the state not unlike mediaeval serfs.

Most were assigned to a plot of land (klēros). They were expected to give a set portion of the bounty of their fields to the Spartiate (Spartan citizen, i.e. adult male) the land was allotted to. Almost as if the land provided everything the Spartan needed, including the wherewithal to tend itself.

As long as their quotas were met, they were given an amazing amount of leeway in their lives.

Secondly, Helots were allowed to marry as they chose and raised their children with little to no fear they could be sold at any time, unlike chattel slaves. Some of the agrarian helots found themselves performing more traditional roles in Spartiate households. But even there they were not subject to some of the harsher realities of slavery.

But it wasn't all sunshine and roses.

One of the few things the Spartans worried about was a helot revolt. Helots vastly outnumbered the dwindling Spartan population. So in an effort to keep the helots subdued and "cut off the head of the snake", every autumn, the ephors declared war on the helots. This meant that a Spartan could kill any helot without risk of bloodguilt/ritual pollution.

This usually translated into some of the more promising young warriors in training being sent into the countryside with just a knife and the clothing on their back. The youths (18-19 years old) known as kryptes were expected to use stealth to steal what they needed to survive, spy on the helots and stalk their prey.

Any helot caught outside after dark was killed, as were any helots who were respected enough to be considered possible leaders for a revolt. The young men also targeted the best and the strongest as a way to show off their training.

Through terrorization, some but not all revolts were kept in check.

So the helots had in some ways the best life a slave could hope for in the ancient world, but it came at an equally terrible price.

Taming Theron Blurb

Alone, Andreas toils on a remote farmstead for a Spartan overlord. When a kryptes enters his world, Andreas fears for his life. The dread warriors stalk and kill helots—like Andreas' father—as part of their training.

To save himself, Andreas must tame the fearsome warrior.

Andreas is torn as what began as simple self-preservation turns into attraction. Yearning for the company of someone other than his ferret Ictis, he decides to trust the Spartan warrior and risk the fate that claimed his father.

Born to rule by the sword, Theron sees the world as his and acts accordingly, taking everything Andreas offers and reaching for more.

Can a lonely state-owned slave and an elite Spartan warrior find common ground? And if they do can even the gods save them from the terrible price Sparta extracts from men who desire their own sex?

Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/44124324682@N01/8477124634/">mharrsch</a> via <a href="http://compfight.com">Compfight</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">cc</a>

Spartan Myths - Spartan Warriors Embraced Homosexuality

I run across this photo or something similar every so often and want to say, "That's the Thebans!"

The Sacred Band of Thebes, consisting of paired erastês and erômenos, was founded by commander Gorgidas in 378 BC and fell to Philip of Macedon in 338 BC.

Greece in general, and Sparta specifically, was not the haven of homosexuality that many people wish to portray it as.

Crete, Athens, Corinth and Thebes practiced pederasty. A homosocial institute that encouraged love in a myriad of forms between an older man (erastês) and a youth (erômenos). The terms carry certain connotations that directly or indirectly influence modern views on this relationship.

The mentor, or erastês, is intended to be an older man who guides the youth through the upper echelons of society. This was a form of social networking. Erastês means "lover". This has been taken to imply a sexual relationship. Especially as erômenos means "beloved". These are not so much descriptions of the individuals as titles for their place in the relationship.

Were all pederastic relationships sexual? I doubt that was the case, as the majority of men now, and likely then, identify as straight/heterosexual. That's nothing more than statistics. Were there bisexuals and bi-curious individuals? Without a doubt, but once again not to the exclusion of straight individuals.

In ancient Greece, men, regardless of their sexual identity, were expected to marry and produce offspring. They married her and got their heirs. Then they had mistresses, went to brothels, and of course boys were an option.

Even then, there were strict rules on who, when and how. Who: Young men of the upper classes. Wouldn't do to have commoners hobnobbing with their betters. When: The youths must be beardless. Once he grew facial hair, he was no longer acceptable. He was now an equal and if the relationship continued, he lost that standing and became "womanish". How: Intercrural, where the older man places his penis between the thighs (literally, not figuratively) and rubs off on the youth. Penetration was only for inferiors, i.e. women and slaves.

So that is pederasty in the Hellenic world.

Sparta was always a bit different, but they really began to march to their own drum under Lycurgus the Lawgiver. He set up their entire social order to make them the best warriors the Hellenes ever knew.

The two kings were usurped by his ephors, becoming primarily generals and priests. All children underwent the agōgē, a strict method of schooling that produced elite warriors and strong-minded women. He changed pederasty to more of a foster father/son relationship, the titles employed to "inspirer" and "hearer", and made sexual love between the man and youth punishable by exile or suicide.

Xenophon of Athens, the only contemporary source, sent his sons to participate in the Spartan agōgē. He categorically denied any sexual aspects to the relationship in Sparta.

Aristotle further claims that the lack of homosexuality in Sparta was responsible for the deplorable way the Spartan women acted. They were literate and schooled in mathematics, song and dance, and participated in athletics. All purviews of men. Thus they were considered outrageously outspoken by the rest of the Greek world.

I'm not saying that homosexual relationships didn't occur in Sparta, I'm sure they did--after all, I've just written a series of novels based on the idea of a forbidden love set in Sparta--just not out in the open like elsewhere in Greece. And look at my previous post about Apollo and Hyacinth, a Spartan prince. Just remember that is a "survival" of an older system that was supplanted by the Spartan view of themselves.

I suspect that the more prevalent form of pederasty may have been practiced in Sparta until someone who later came to power had a very negative experience and chose to stamp it out of their society.

Spartan Myths - Apollo Hayakinthios

Apollo and the mortally wounded Hyacinthus

I haven't blogged much recently because no one wants to hear that I took the kids to school today and I think I'll do some writing before I have to go pick them up.

While researching Taming Theron and A Spartan Love, I found all kinds of, for lack of a better word, myths about Sparta. Some are just minor things, such as trying to apply a modern mindset to an ancient culture and one that even its contemporaries considered strange. Others are the result of the other Greek city-states giving them bad press. No one really liked the bullies on the block.

So I thought I would start with a real myth and explore its origins.

First the myth. Hyacinthus was a prince of Sparta. Both Apollo and Zephyrus courted the beautiful young man, but Hyacinthus preferred Apollo. One day while Apollo and Hyacinthus were throwing a discus, Zephyrus, the West Wind, blew the disc off course in a fit of jealousy. The discus struck Hyacinthus in the head, killing him.

Apollo was heartbroken. He refused to allow Hades to take the prince to the Underworld. Instead, he gathered the youth's blood to create a flower, the hyacinth. Aphrodite, Athena and Artemis carried the divine hero's body to the Elysium Fields.

Apollo mourns Hyacinthus

The likely origins. A tomb to Hyacinthus can be found near Apollo's altar and idol in the village of Amykles southwest of the modern city of Sparta and dates to the Mycenaean era. Most scholars consider Hyacinthus to be a local deity who predated the Spartan's and Apollo. His name with the suffix –nth shows him to be pre-Hellenic. (The Greeks called themselves Hellenes.)

When the Doric Spartans invaded the Peloponnesus, they brought their sky gods with them. The Spartans considered Apollo to be one of their patron gods. Since Apollo was one of the most likely to take a male lover, Hyacinthus was quickly accounted as his lover.

As is commonly the case when one god absorbs another's place and prerogatives, the older deity had to die. Hyacinthus met with an "accidental" death at another, although minor, sky god's hands. Apollo stepped in to fill the religious void, laying claim to Hyacinthus' sacred site and becoming known as Apollo Hayakinthios.

A Spartan Love

Ancient Greek Battle Prep

A Spartan Love is coming along nicely. As is the case with my stories, A Spartan Love has been growing as it goes through my editing/revision process. The original rough draft was about 86K. Now at about 25% through my second draft, it is up to 96K. I have no doubt that it will be 100K+ by the time I submit it.

Most of the growth is due to world building. I try to get as much of that in the rough draft as possible, but it's not until I get the story back from my betas that I find any holes in my descriptions and explanations. Their questions let me know what I need to clarify. Just because I know my world, doesn't mean others do.

So the story gets longer and more involved. With two tiers of betas, that can be quite a bit of additional material tucked in here and there as unobtrusively as possible.

A Spartan Love is as much an adventure as a romance. After all, I'm not going to expect my warriors to avoid battle and valor.

Andreas and Theron live in 5th century BC Sparta. I try to make the somewhat enigmatic city-state of Sparta as historically correct as possible. However, many aspects of their society and thought processes were mysterious even to their neighbors, many of whom hated them and portrayed the Spartans in as bad a light as possible when they actually wrote about them. So sources are hard to come by and often contradictory and/or suspect.

I have also decided to write about the world Andreas and Theron think they live in. So as in Homer, the gods and their lesser brethren are real. As are ghosts, known as shades or phatasma(ta). I'm hoping that the stories retain a feel not unlike Homer's works, although not as flowery and wordy. I'm not really a songsmith.

The goal is to submit A Spartan Love before Taming Theron comes out. That way there will be minimal time separating the stories.

Some Common Misconceptions about Pederasty in Ancient Greece

Pederasty, or the ancient practice of mentoring, was a social institute similar to modern day networking with religious and military implications that originated in Crete. This practice had nothing to do with the sexual orientation of the men involved. The mentor and his youth were more likely to be straight than homosexual, but since this was a social practice every male citizen (BTW that is redundant) participated regardless of orientation.

Sexual interactions between the older erastes (mentor) and eromenos (youth/future citizen) occurred in Crete and Athens primarily, although it varied from city-state to city-state. The only acceptable form of sexual activity between the two men was intercrural in nature. The term erastes means lover, eromenos means beloved.

What is intercrural? Intercrural refers to the older man placing his penis between the youth's thighs. This is literal and not an euphemism. Sexual activity was regulated by the class distinctions between the individuals. Penetration was for women and slaves, not men. And most definitely not social equals or even future citizens. In fact, penetration of a free man was considered to be a form of hubris, the ultimate sin.

The beardless youth was courted by one or more prospective mentors. The young man (mid-teens) was expected to chose the most noble man. However once he became a man, and developed a beard and body hair, he was expected to marry and produce heirs. The mentor was to remain supportive of his protege.

Even in Athens, the city-state were pederasty was most strongly tied to sexual behavior, the relationship was only intended to last for a few years. Sometimes a youth became a kept boy, but he did so at the risk of losing his citizenship and all the associated rights, especially the right to vote.

The Spartans practiced pederasty strictly for its religious and military aspects. The mentor was given the place of foster father. At least since the time of their greatest lawgiver Lycurgus, any sexual relations between the men required they either commit suicide or go into exile to redeem the affront to Sparta's honor (Aelian).

The Sacred Band of Thebes (378-338 BC) was made up of 150 pairs of male lovers. The rational being that "a band cemented by friendship grounded upon love, is never to be broken, and invincible; since all, ashamed to be base in the sight of their beloved (eromenos), willingly rush into danger for the relief of one another." Three hundred warriors were chosen and then grouped into pairs with an older man (erastes - lover) sworn to a younger man (eromenos - beloved). This group of warriors so impressed Philip of Macedonia, that even after their final defeat he said, "Perish any man who suspects that these men either did or suffered any thing that was base."

As you can see, the practice of pederasty varied significantly in the ancient world and making broad generalizations about it is impossible.

Greek Love

Zeus & his eromenos Ganymede

Pederasty, one of the social institutions of ancient Greece, is central to my story. Pederasty is a mentor relationship between an older male aristocrat and a youth of the same class. The relationship was more about instruction in the arts of being a nobleman and less about the sexual aspects. "Greek love" is not what most people assume it to be.

"Greek love" is not even Greek in origin. The practice first developed in Crete where it coincided with the youth's coming-of-age when the young man began his military training and induction into the cult of Zeus. The youth, known as erômenos or beloved, was usually in his teens. Some sources say as young as thirteen, but most believe starting at between fifteen and seventeen years of age. The relationship usually ended when the young man reached his mid-20s; although, it could continue until the man was 30 in some cases.

Erastes and eromenos

Alexios is eighteen, a little old, but what can you do with modern mores? We all know that boy has been active for years, but I'm not allowed to comment on that. So there will be no reminiscing with Galen about his youthful escapades. That's probably just as well, Galen would want to kill him by the time he got done listing all the skirts he has lifted!

The older man, known as the erastes or lover, could be as young as his early 20s, but was often in his 30s. Not quite a May/December relationship, more of a Daddy/Son situation in today's terminology. With the Spartans, that was literally how they defined it. He was the youth's mentor.

Erestes courting eromenos

King Lykos is one of the kings invited to Alexios' coming-of-age celebration as a possible father-in-law/mentor. Lykos is a mature bear of a man with confidence in spades, exactly the kind of man a youth would chose to be his mentor. He is in his late 30s, powerfully built with body hair and a beard. He and Alexios hit it off right from the start, much to Alexios' father's disgust.

The erastes courted the youth, not unlike modern couples, with gifts; however, there was one significant difference. He would fondle the young man's cock while grasping his chin, forcing the supposedly modest youth to maintain eye contact. Maybe the ancient aristocrats had a better grasp on the true way to another man's heart.

Pederasty was intended as a way of linking individuals and family lines without requiring a marriage. It was networking at its most basic level, allowing the influence of the older man to smooth the way for the untried youth. The pair was expected to continue to be close once the relationship ended.

Intercrural Sex

The sexual aspects of the relationship varied. Most were sexually active to one degree or another in a society that was culturally bi-curious. Intercrural sex, where the erastes thrust between the creamy thighs of his erômenos, was the norm. This preserved the masculinity of the erômenos and kept even the straight youths from feeling ill-treated.

Mirroring the mortal world, almost all of the Greek gods have male lovers. Most of them had multiple male lovers. Apollo's love affairs with men were often short lived. Hyacinth, a prince of Sparta, was killed by a jealous god. Cyparissus accidentally slew a deer (a pederastic gift) given to him by Apollo and was turned into a cypress tree in his grief. Leucates threw himself to his death when Apollo attempted to carry him off.

The myth of Zeus and Ganymede is one of the few instances of a god loving a mortal man that ended well. Zeus in the form of an eagle abducted the beautiful youth and took him to Mount Olympus. Once there, Zeus made the young man immortal and kept him as his cup bearer.

Alexios finds himself being offered to Apollo and doesn't know if he will survive the experience.

Blurb: 

The mature King Lykos has a sexy confidence that turns Alexios' head. Seduced by Lykos, Prince Alexios discovers a world of men he's never known before.

Meanwhile his slave Galen has gotten tired of waiting in the wings. He sets out to woo Alexios and win his heart.

Even Apollo can't leave Alexios alone. The young prince finds himself pursued by a god and in danger of a perilous love.

How will Alexios follow his heart when he unwittingly wins the favor of a god? Can Alexios escape the fate of Apollo's past lovers and have the man he wants?

http://www.breathlesspress.com/alexios-fate

Alexios' Fate preorder sale: Get 10% off until April 12 with the codeALEXIOSFATEPREORDER04C352FF

Excerpt:

After seeing to the fiery steed, he paused to give his own colt some of the fragrant grass and scratch his ears. The shift in his colt's ears alerted Alexios to the presence of someone else in the stable. With a final pat on the withers, he turned toward the intruder, pleased to find Lykos.

Lykos descended on him with fire in his eyes. A shiver raced through his body as Alexios realized he wanted whatever the older man had in mind. Once more his cock stirred to life as Lykos swept toward him like a wave before the storm.

"Ah, there you are. I wondered if I would still find you here. It took me longer to get away from the others than I would have liked."

"You followed me?"

"I asked your brother where you had gone."

He crashed down upon Alexios and bore him back against the side of the stall. The king slipped both hands under Alexios' tunic, grabbed his ass, and tugged their groins together. Alexios thrust against Lykos almost before he could get his hands on the hips surging against him like the tide.

"I knew you wanted me. I watched you get hard on the deck of my ship."

"Maybe that was just the excitement of being on a warship, naked in front of the whole crew."

Lykos threw back his head and laughed, startling several of the drowsy horses. "We shall see about that!"

Blunt fingers massaged and parted the hillocks of Alexios' ass before one probed his hidden valley. Like the advance scout of a conquering king, the digit explored him with a thoroughness that caught him unaware and left him breathless. When Lykos' finger passed over his opening, the tip pressed lightly. His blood thundered in his ears so loud he almost didn't hear the groan that ripped from his throat.

"Like that, do you?" Wine scented breath played along his neck. "I'll show you other things you will like even more," the dark voice promised more of the world of men Alexios had just discovered.

Alexios allowed himself to be turned until he faced the wall. Cool air washed over his lower body as Lykos eased his tunic up to his waist. Something hot and hard slid between his nether cheeks, rubbing up and down his crack. When the head pushed against his hole, he leaned back. He wanted more, but had no idea how to go about getting what his body craved.

A deep chuckle vibrated against his back. "Easy. There will be plenty of time for that. But for now we'll take it slow."

The older man thrust up his cleft a few more times. Lykos shifted and his cock slipped under Alexios' ass to rub on the sensitive skin behind his sac. He pulled Alexios' hips back against his groin until the head of his cock mashed against Alexios' balls. With a groan, Alexios placed his crossed forearms on the wall and rested his head on them, pushing his hips back into Lykos' solid body.

Alexios smiled at the sudden hitch in the older man's breathing. Maybe the control didn't rest solely in Lykos' hands.

"You want me, Prince? I'll give you all you can handle."

"I think you want me too."

"I'll show you what I want you for!"

Hard hands drifted over his hips and thighs, stroking the skin and making his body tingle. He pushed back against the strong body holding him, shoving the head of Lykos' cock into his balls again. Twin moans entwined in the dark air.

"Squeeze your legs together tightly." The sexy rumble commanded instant obedience and a thrill shot down Alexios' spine.

Girls had never had half this effect on him when he fucked them. Why were men so much more arousing? Did he enjoy the take-charge attitude of the man holding him? Did he prefer hard bodies and firm hands over feminine softness? The answer to his questions rose ever-proud before him. Precum leaked down his length and pooled in the dark hairs at the shaft's base.

One hand grasped his hip and held him steady as Lykos drove his engorged cock between Alexios' thighs. The other hand wrapped around Alexios' damp cock, gliding up his shaft to squeeze the head with a gentleness unexpected in hands used to the sword. The firm grip slid back down to the base, the moist friction heaven on Alexios' skin.

His panting breaths matched the gasps of the older man as he thrust with growing fervor into the king's hand. Lykos let him set the pace. He stood while Alexios' hips snapped forward into his hand then drew back against him, rubbing the man's hard cock over the sensitive skin and into his balls.

"Come for me, erômenos."

With an inarticulate cry, Alexios pulsed out string after string of pearly cum. Dazed by his release, he wondered how much cum a man could spend in one day before he ran dry. When the last spasm left him weak, he slumped back against Lykos.

Muscled arms encircled his waist and kept him upright as the older man plunged between his legs with increasing urgency. His balls swung back and forth under the onslaught. Lykos surged forward and buried the entire length of his cock within the sheath of Alexios' sweat slicked skin. Hot cum bathed his balls as the man holding him twitched his hips forward in a series of shallow thrusts.

Lykos' weight on his back bore them both down against the wall, pinning Alexios beneath the king's larger, heavier frame. Content to be held in place while their harsh breathing slowed, Alexios marveled at the speed at which he had yielded to the man.

"You called me 'erômenos.' I'm not your beloved. You aren't my mentor yet."

Lykos nuzzled the back of his neck and nibbled on his ear. "Is there any doubt? Theocritus enjoys bringing a youth to heel. Andronikos doesn't have the taste for taking an erômenos. Philon is too old and his daughters already wed."

After their breathing slowed, the king stirred. Lykos stepped away from him, allowing his tunic to drop back down into place. Alexios' cum covered cock and balls grew clammy. He reeked of sex. He hoped his father and the other kings would think he had indulged with one of the slave girls. His standing with his father, not to mention his father's plans to acquire an advantageous alliance, would suffer if any of the other kings discovered what he had just done. He resolved to garner an alliance with the man who had just shown him a world he wanted to become part of.

"I believe you are competing in three days. When I see you there, naked before everyone, I'll remember that you wore my seed."

Alexios endeavored to settle his tunic to hide the evidence of what they had just done. The cum on his cock and balls made the cloth cling suggestively to him. He searched in vain for something to wipe the thick fluid off. After noticing the amusement on Lykos' face, he settled for washing with some of the water from the large collecting tank. He might not be wearing the man's seed any more, but the smell clung to him and his clothing.

"Now, my young prince, return to your father's house. I will remain here a little longer."

Lykos aimed a playful swat at Alexios' ass as he left the stable.

http://www.breathlesspress.com/alexios-fate

Alexios' Fate preorder sale: Get 10% off until April 12 with the codeALEXIOSFATEPREORDER04C352FF