hellenic polytheist representation: maurice by em forster

i want to share with you guys the book i read with a hellenic polytheist character! i haven’t seen much other representation of hellenic polytheists in fiction, so i thought it was neat.

it’s called maurice by e.m. forster. it was the first western novel to explicitly and positively depict homosexuality, having been finished in 1913, although it wasn’t published until several decades later, after the author’s death.

clive durham is a gay student at cambridge. living in a time period where homosexuality was viewed as so abhorrent that it was unspeakable, clive was terribly isolated as an adolescent, having never met any other gay people. coming from a christian background, he believed that yahweh had cursed him and that he was damned. this psychologically wrecked him.

however, clive found great solace in the works of ancient greece that alluded to homosexuality. it made him understand that the intense homophobia of england said more about society’s fluctuating standards than his actual worth as a human being.

upon converting to hellenic polytheism, clive became much more confident, as his religion would finally let him exist in peace. he credits athena with having saved him. however, there’s still the issue of telling his extremely christian mother that he’s now a hellenist!

i just wanted to share with you guys, because clive is the most me character i’ve ever fucking seen, and it sounds like a lot of people in this community would sympathize with his struggles coming from a christian background. a truly beautiful piece.

clive isn’t the protagonist, but he’s the secondary protagonist. the book isn’t about helpol, but it’s certainly a notable part of the theme. i highly recommend the read. despite having been written over a hundred years ago, it is the single most relatable book i’ve ever read.