The story of Hyacinth and Apollo takes place in book ten of Ovid’s Metamorphoses. The story of Hyacinth and Apollo takes place after the story of Ganymede. In the story of Ganymede, Jupiter falls in love with an attractive young boy, Ganymede, and abducts him to be the cupbearer for the gods. The story that follows Hyacinth and Apollo is the story of the Propoetides. In the story of The Propoetides, the title characters, the three daughters of Propoetus, deny the divinity of Venus and become prostitutes. All three of these aforementioned stories are narrated by Orpheus, as the story of Orpheus and Eurydice is the first story to take place in book ten.
The story Hyacinth and Apollo depicts the homosexual relationship between the two title characters. Before learning the story of Hyacinth and Apollo, it is important to note that homosexual relationships were not uncommon in classical mythology. The story in the Metamorphoses before Hyacinth and Apollo, Ganymede, also depicts a homosexual relationship. In classical culture, homosexual relationships did not carry much stigma, and pederasty was common in both Greek and Roman societies.
Apollo, often called Phoebus, is the god of music, poetry, medicine, and prophecy. Hyacinth, also called Hyacinthus, was a young man from Sparta, who was observed as incredibly attractive and beautiful. The story of Hyacinth and Apollo begins with an account of the romance between the two. Hyacinth and Apollo had an affectionate, romantic relationship, however, it ends with the tragic, accidental, death of Hyacinth. While Hyacinth and Apollo were playfully competing in discus, Apollo threw through a discus high into the sky. Hyacinth rushed to retrieve the discus; however, he missed. The discus ricocheted on the ground and hit Hyacinth in the head. Apollo tried to heal Hyacinth, but he was unable to save him. Apollo then transformed Hyacinth’s dripping blood into a flower so that, in his own way, Hyacinth would still be alive and immortal. Supposedly, the words ‘Ai, Ai’ were inscribed into this flower as an expression of Apollo’s grief. This flower was then appropriately named after Hyacinth.
With the basic idea of Hyacinth and Apollo explained, there are a few variations of the story that come from sources besides Ovid’s Metamorphoses regarding that were not included in my translation. The first idea is that the flower that is known today as ‘Hyacinth’ is not the same flower created from Hyacinth’s blood. Many sources propose that the flower created from Hyacinth’s blood is the iris or larkspur. The other version of the story is that Hyacinth was not inadvertently and tragically killed by Apollo, but purposefully killed by Zephyrus. Supposedly, Zephyrus, the God of the West Wind, also admired Hyacinth and was envious of his relationship with Apollo. Zephyrus saw Apollo and Hyacinth playing discus, and became jealous. Then, Zephyrus blew the discus with the wind in order to kill Hyacinth. This version of the story indicates that the death of Hyacinth was not caused by a tragic accident, but was a calculated murder.
The story Hyacinth and Apollo depicts the homosexual relationship between the two title characters. Before learning the story of Hyacinth and Apollo, it is important to note that homosexual relationships were not uncommon in classical mythology. The story in the Metamorphoses before Hyacinth and Apollo, Ganymede, also depicts a homosexual relationship. In classical culture, homosexual relationships did not carry much stigma, and pederasty was common in both Greek and Roman societies.
Apollo, often called Phoebus, is the god of music, poetry, medicine, and prophecy. Hyacinth, also called Hyacinthus, was a young man from Sparta, who was observed as incredibly attractive and beautiful. The story of Hyacinth and Apollo begins with an account of the romance between the two. Hyacinth and Apollo had an affectionate, romantic relationship, however, it ends with the tragic, accidental, death of Hyacinth. While Hyacinth and Apollo were playfully competing in discus, Apollo threw through a discus high into the sky. Hyacinth rushed to retrieve the discus; however, he missed. The discus ricocheted on the ground and hit Hyacinth in the head. Apollo tried to heal Hyacinth, but he was unable to save him. Apollo then transformed Hyacinth’s dripping blood into a flower so that, in his own way, Hyacinth would still be alive and immortal. Supposedly, the words ‘Ai, Ai’ were inscribed into this flower as an expression of Apollo’s grief. This flower was then appropriately named after Hyacinth.
With the basic idea of Hyacinth and Apollo explained, there are a few variations of the story that come from sources besides Ovid’s Metamorphoses regarding that were not included in my translation. The first idea is that the flower that is known today as ‘Hyacinth’ is not the same flower created from Hyacinth’s blood. Many sources propose that the flower created from Hyacinth’s blood is the iris or larkspur. The other version of the story is that Hyacinth was not inadvertently and tragically killed by Apollo, but purposefully killed by Zephyrus. Supposedly, Zephyrus, the God of the West Wind, also admired Hyacinth and was envious of his relationship with Apollo. Zephyrus saw Apollo and Hyacinth playing discus, and became jealous. Then, Zephyrus blew the discus with the wind in order to kill Hyacinth. This version of the story indicates that the death of Hyacinth was not caused by a tragic accident, but was a calculated murder.