The Rape of Ganymede

Homer, the Blind Poet, speaks of Ganymede in the Iliad,

This Erichthonius had a son Tros, who ruled the Trojans, and Tros then fathered three outstanding sons—Ilus, Assaracus, and godlike Ganymede, the handsomest man among all mortal men, so beautiful, gods kidnapped him and made him cup bearer to Zeus himself, so he'd live among immortals.

introducing him as a Trojan. Troy was originally the seat of the Gods, and Hera was the patron goddess of Troy. As most Greek myths start, Zeus saw an attractive figure and took them. The story starts with Ganymede tending a flock of sheep in a field when Zeus spots him and immediately falls in love with the youth. Youth being the key word here. Ganymede is a young man, and the Rape of Ganymede is both a representation of the commonality of male same sex relationships in ancient Greece, and also a representation of the common pederasty of these relationships. The image above is from a vase housed in the Louvre. Ganymede is typically depicted as strong and athletic but also as doing childish activities like rolling a hoop. In the story of Ganymede Zeus appears as an eagle and whisks him away to the hall of the Gods. Ganymede became Zeus' lover and cup bearer. A cup bearer in Greek mythology provided the Gods with honey and ambrosia. Ganymede was considered Zeus' favorite lover because he was the only one given immortality.

H., Murray, A. T., & Wyatt, W. F. (1999). Iliad. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.