Find your Queer God in Mykonos

Clio Muse remembers the LGBT relationships of the gods in Mykonos.

Following the failure of the Venizelist movement in 1935, the royalist government proceeded to persecute many of its prominent political opponents. As part of the displacement, George Papandreou and Alexandros Papanastasiou were exiled to Mykonos.

Today it seems almost unthinkable that one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world was once a place of punishment but it is a fascinating reminder that this windy island in the heart of Cyclades is a place where everything is possible in a climate of tolerance and freedom. The gods know it too.

Unlike Papandreou, we went to Mykonos voluntarily in search of a divine experience. Besides, this is the island that the gods of Olympus would choose to enjoy their holidays with their queer partners. Greek mythology is full of tales of homosexual adventures of the gods, with the usual suspects not missing any opportunities in order to enjoy the most beautiful mortals (who usually paid a heavy price for their divine troubles). The beaches of Mykonos, bustling with an erotic mood in the summer, are the perfect place to look for your personal queer god.

In Kalafatis, Apollo could have come to enjoy his crazy passion for Hymenaeus and forget about the theft of his oxen from Mercury. Next, to him, Amphion would be sunbathing, with golden fluff on his cheeks, playing the lyre given to him by the messenger of the gods.

In Elia beach, Endymion, who was one of the most beautiful mortals in the world and had gotten Selene pregnant 50 times. Hypnos was crazy about him and he refused to let the beautiful shepherd close his eyes and only allowed him to sleep with his eyes open so that he could look in them endlessly when they made love.

At Agrari, we had the opportunity to hear all these stories firsthand and to realize how unpredictable and difficult the summer relationships can be. We were thinking of the unfortunate Ameinias, who was melting with lust in front of the door of Narcissus, and instead of love, he received a sword to commit suicide. Equally unfortunate was Callisto, who thought she had found the ultimate happiness in the arms of Artemis before she realized she had fallen into the hands of Zeus. The king of the gods had taken the form of the goddess of hunting to seduce her, and when Callisto tried to get away from him, he raped her and got her pregnant. Artemis was angry with her follower’s infidelity and unpredictable pregnancy and transformed her into a bear.

At Jackie O’, we learned about the dangers of playing games with the gods. Hyacinthus was in a parallel relationship with Apollo and Zephyros. The god of the wind was deadly jealous and killed the young Hyacinthus by throwing at him the discus that Apollo had thrown.

At Fokos we heard the story of Kalamos and Karpos, who enjoyed the competition in swimming. One day, however, as Karpos reached the coast, a jealous wind lifted a wave and drowned him without mercy. Kalamos was saddened so much that he fell and drowned in the river. He gave his name to the reeds, leaning over the shore to see their beloved, while Karpos gave his to the fruit of the earth.

In the summer, Mykonos is transformed into the center of the world and magnetizes its visitors with the expectation that everything is possible. This is the idea behind the route of “Find your (queer) god in Mykonos” where five of the most popular beaches of the island are the setting for a feast of stories inspired by the queer adventures of the gods of Olympus.

All of us, more or less, have increased demands from our summer vacation. Some will meet their personal god. Others will make mistakes and pay for them. But everyone will be back with unforgettable stories and hoping that the next holidays will be even better.