King Lycaon of Arcadia was the figure who famously tried to feed Zeus human flesh, specifically his own son, Nyctimus, to test the god's omniscience, resulting in Zeus's fury and Lycaon's transformation into a wolf (a werewolf), a myth that also explains the origin of lycanthropy, notes Wikipedia.
In the account given by the late-1st-century BC writer Didymus, the infant Zeus is raised by the nymphs Amalthea and Melissa, the daughters of Melisseus, who feed him honey and the milk of a goat.
Apollo, the god of sun and music, is considered the patron of same sex love, as he had many male lovers and was often invoked to bless homosexual unions. He is also called "the champion of male love" by Andrew Callimach.
King Lycaon. The myth goes that he killed and cooked his son and fed him to Zeus to see if Zeus would realize. Zeus turned him into a wolf as punishment.
In Greek mythology, Lycaon (/laɪˈkeɪɒn/; Attic Greek: Λυκάων, romanized: Lukáōn, Attic Greek: [ly. kǎː. ɔːn]) was a king of Arcadia who, in the most popular version of the myth, killed and cooked his son Nyctimus and served him to Zeus, to see whether the god was sufficiently all-knowing to recognize human flesh.
Ganymede in Greek Mythology: Zeus' Young Lover & Cupbearer. Ganymede, a beautiful Trojan young man, was aducted by Zeus to serve as his personal cupbearer and lover on mount Olympus among the other gods.
Jupiter, king of all gods, was gender-fluid and polyamorous. He was known to present as both male and female and slept with both men and women… much to the chagrin of his wife, Juno, who also happened to be his sister.
She is the daughter and first-born child of Zeus. Athena is also the favorite child of Zeus, being allowed to carry his Aegis, or armor, into battle.
While Kronos was benevolent to these primordial humans, he was also a paranoid and angry figure. In particular, he feared that his own children would continue the cycle of throne usurpation, a fear validated by a prophecy that his own child would defeat him.
The Iliad itself doesn't explicitly label Achilles and Patroclus as "gay," but their deep, emotionally intense bond has led to interpretations of a romantic or sexual relationship, especially given ancient Greek concepts like pederasty, though some argue their bond was purely platonic or different from modern ideas of sexuality. While Homer describes them as "beloved companions," later Greek writers often depicted them as lovers, using their relationship as an example of same-sex love, while figures like Xenophon refuted this, showing a long-standing debate over interpretation.
Apollo: The God of Bisexuality.
Many people interpret Artemis to be either lesbian or asexual and for the larger pop mythology community it's no longer interpretation. Artemis is the queer goddess.
Second, historical sources for Attica indicate that, although most men may have married, homosexual behavior was widespread among all levels of society and was considered no more opprobrious than heterosexual behavior.
1. Zeus or Jupiter. King of the gods is Zeus – or his Roman equivalent, Jupiter – who rules over Mount Olympus and is the god of thunder and lightning, as well as law and order.
Socrates says that Zeus was in love with Ganymede, called "desire" in Plato's Phaedrus; but in Xenophon's Symposium, Socrates argues Zeus loved him for his mind and their relationship was not sexual.
Insatiable Appetites: Much like many mortals, Zeus does have one major human weakness: An insatiable sexual appetite. He never found a woman he didn't like and as such, would always look for a way to trick his woman into union with him.
Rhea was a Vestal Virgin who became pregnant with the twins after being raped by the god Mars; after giving birth, they were taken from her and raised by a she-wolf. These events were frequently portrayed in Roman art and literature.
With his sister Rhea, another Titan, Cronus had many children, including the goddesses Hestia, Demeter, and Hera and the gods Hades and Poseidon. To prevent his father's prophecy from coming true, Cronus swallowed all his offspring at birth.
Furthermore, Kronos began to fall deeply in love with Rhea, his most beautiful sister. He seemed to believe that marrying her would improve his personality and induce his siblings to visit him more often. In the end, Kronos confessed his deep feelings for Rhea and proposed to her.
Yes, many Greek gods had male lovers, with the norm being bisexuality, though figures like Zeus (with Ganymede), Apollo (with Hyacinthus), Hermes, Dionysus, and the hero Heracles are famous examples, often involved in pederastic relationships or deep bonds that modern interpretation calls homosexual or bisexual. While gods like Ares, Hades, and Hephaestus had fewer or no male lovers, same-sex relationships were common across the pantheon, with Zeus often cited as the prime example of a powerful god with male paramours.
Even though they know that Athena, equal in strength and intelligence to her father, is to be born before Metis conceives a son, Zeus takes no chances and swallows Metis ahead of time. After swallowing Metis, Zeus gives birth to Athena—fully arrayed in the arms of war—from his head.
Zeus was also infamous for his erotic escapades. These resulted in many divine and heroic offspring, including Apollo, Artemis, Hermes, Persephone, Dionysus, Perseus, Heracles, Helen of Troy, Minos, and the Muses.
The God Jupiter (Zeus) was the son of Titan Saturn (Cronus), who had devoured all his children when they were born. Rhea, mother of Jupiter, thus gave birth to him in secret on the island of Crete.
On Saturday 10 January 2026, the giant planet reaches opposition - the point where Earth passes between Jupiter and the Sun. That means Jupiter rises at sunset, shines all night long, and appears brighter and bigger than at any other time this year.