Eracle and Admeto

Speranza

Admeto, Plutarco says, was not only the lover of his wife Alceste, but also the beloved (eromenos) of Ercole.

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(He then goes on to recall that, according to other authors, Admeto was also the beloved (or lover?) of Apollo).

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The first source that mentions this is

"Alceste", a tragedy by Phrynichus, from the first half of the fifth century.

Athenaeus cites from Diotimus, who in his "Heracleia", makes Ercole the lover of Eurystehus. Diotimus also said that it was to please Eurystheus that Ercole undertook ALL his labours.

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Diotimus lived in the early part of the Hellenistic period.

A common theme of that time was that of lovers subjecting themselves to trials in order to seduce their eromenoi.