Queer Folklore

The pink lotus & an the Garden of Antinous

Queer folklore is a series that explores the themes of queerness and homoeroticism in mythology, folklore and fairy tales as a source of inspiration for my creative work within the mediums of textile art, embroidery, fashion and poetry.

This piece is about the story of Antinous and the pink lotus, and its importance in the construction of Antinous as a Deity. Inspiring a devotional embroidered image and a poem.

The Lion Hunt Papyrus

And swifter than the horse of Adrastus
Which once saved the king as he fled...in battle-throng.
Such was the steed whereon Antinous sat in wait for the deadly lion,
Holding in his left hand the bridle-rein
And in his right a spear shod with adamant.
First Hadrian his brass fitted spear wounded the beast
But slew him not, for of purpose he missed the mark,
Wishing to test to the full the sureness of aim
Of his beauteous Antinous, son of the Argus-slayer.
Stricken, the beast was yet more aroused,
And tore up in his wrath the rough ground with his paws,
And dust rising in a cloud dimmed the light of the sun.
He raged even as the wave of the surging sea
When Zephyrus is stirred forth after the wind of Strumon.
Straight he rushed upon them both,
Scourging with his tail, his haunches and sides
While his eyes, beneath his brows, flashed dreadful fire;
And from his ravening jaws the foam showered to the earth
As his teeth gnashed within.
On his mighty head and shaggy neck the hair stood bristling.
On his limbs it was bushy as trees,
And on his back...it was like whetted spear points.
In such wise he came against the glorious god, upon Antinous
Like Typhoeus of old against Zeus, slayer of giants...

Contemporary translation by the Hollywood Temple of Antinous

The poem was written by the Greco-Egyptian poet and magician Pankrates after the death of Antinous, the favorite companion of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. And it serves as an epic tale about a common theme on the few accounts about their time together: The hunt.

The Lion hunt, from the Arch of Constantine

As the story tells, in one of their hunting activities, Antinous risked his life by facing a man-eating lion, and would have been killed without Hadrian’s intervention. The poem turns into a mythological tale on how the miracle of the pink lotus came to be, blooming from the blood of the lion slayed by Hadrian. Some say it was an attempt to give mythological legitimacy to the new cult of Antinous, officialised and promoted by the Emperor,

For a small community of contemporary Antinoan followers, the pink lotus became a symbol of bravery, and a reminder of our own mortality when we must face danger. But also a symbol of the miracle that can grow from hardship, fulfilling the main aspect of the Antinoan cultus: The promise of rebirth and eternal life after death.

The pink lotus is to me, one of the many aspects that relates Antinous to the growth of life and to the blooming of springtime. An idea that I wanted to represent in my work: An altar to his image, surrounded by his holy garden.

Reference: The bust of Mondragone is now in the Louvre, and is believed to have been made for religious purposes, as part of the established religion of Antinous. The passages are from the Pincio Obelisk, also known as the Obelisk of Antinous. It was commissioned by Hadrian for the tomb of Antinous (and now it's at the Pincio hill gardens, in Rome). The Obelisk describes in some detail, elements of the worship of Antinous

Work in progress

Embroidery art: Cotton thread on linen cloth.

Antinous Asterion

A poem:

In this Garden of the Gods
There is a memory
that walked the Earth 
I walk, and live.
A memory with 
hands of once flesh
and now, Stardust.
A face that once
Imperial eyes gazed,
where beauty eternal 
is now the moon above.
Whose body 
sculpted, 
with perfect 
flesh and skin,
now laying 
in the pyramid 
of infinity. 
A memory of blood
spilt, turned
into seeds for 
the lotus 
In its crown 
of Divinity. 

There is a memory here
of serene Beauty,
And perfumed 
glowing curls.
of eyes, 
in melancholy 
and peace.
A memory 
of surrender and sacrifice,
and everlasting life
that unites human 
and Divine. 

A memory
whose name echos 
the constellations. 
Whose flesh unites 
The Flower and The Sun.

Our Lord 
of the neverending Stars

- Love is One, and One is All