Achillean
| Pronunciation | ə-ˈki-lē- |
|---|---|
| Etymology | Achilles + -an |
| Abbreviations | MLM |
| Subcategories | |
| Other terms | |
| Synonyms | |
| Flag | |
 | |
| Flag name | Achillean pride flag |
Achillean is an umbrella term for men who are attracted to other men,[4] regardless of sexual or romantic orientation. This term includes men who are gay, bi, pan, m-spec, ace-spec, aro-spec, non-binary, and queer.
Etymology
[edit]
The term derives from Achilles, the greatest warrior among the Greeks at Troy and slayer of Hector from Homer's Iliad.[5] The definition comes from the relationship between Achilles and his friend Patroclus. Some have interpreted this relationship as a same-sex relationship.[4]
The term Achillean was not traditionally used in reference to sexuality but rather to denote heroic qualities associated with Achilles, with its earliest recorded usage dating back to 1579 in the writings of William Fulke.[6] As a descriptor, Achillean often referred to being nearly invincible with a critical weakness (an Achilles' heel), which ultimately leads to one's downfall, or to being guided by emotional motives, such as rage, rather than reason.[7][8] In medical literature, the term Achillean related to the Achilles tendon.[9]
The historical term for male homosexuality is Uranian, which was coined in 1864.[10] The female counterpart to Uranian is Sapphism,[11] a term referring to female homosexuality, which had been in use since the 1890s.[12]
Use
[edit]The term Achillean is used to refer to any man who is attracted towards other men, such as homosexual, homoromantic, multisexual, and multiromantic men.[13][14]
Flag
[edit]
The achillean pride flag was created in 2016 by a tumblr user.[4] The light blue represents men and the green carnation is a reference to Oscar Wilde, who popularized using a green carnation to hint at homosexuality.[15]
References
[edit]- ^ Wrightson-Hester, Aimee-Rose; Anderson, Georgia; Dunstan, Joel; McEvoy, Peter M.; Sutton, Christopher J.; Myers, Bronwyn; Egan, Sarah; Tai, Sara; Johnston-Hollitt, Melanie; Chen, Wai; Gedeon, Tom; Mansell, Warren (2023-07-21). "An Artificial Therapist (Manage Your Life Online) to Support the Mental Health of Youth: Co-Design and Case Series". JMIR Human Factors. 10 (1): e46849. doi:10.2196/46849. PMC 10403793. PMID 37477969.
- ^ Barron, Victoria (2023-02-21). Perfectly Queer: An Illustrated Introduction. Jessica Kingsley Publishers. ISBN 978-1-83997-409-0.
- ^ "Vincian | definition by Lexicon Library.LGBT". lexicon.library.lgbt. Retrieved 2025-04-01.
- ^ a b c Theil, Michele (2024-10-23). "The fascinating meaning behind the MLM term 'Achillean'". PinkNews. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
- ^ "Definition of ACHILLES". Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
- ^ "Oxford English Dictionary".
- ^ Mallin, Eric Scott (1995). Inscribing the time: Shakespeare and the end of Elizabethan England. The new historicism. Berkeley: University of California press. ISBN 978-0-520-08623-4.
- ^ Hamilton, A. C. (1959). "Spenser's Treatment of Myth". ELH. 26 (3): 335–354. doi:10.2307/2871792. ISSN 0013-8304. JSTOR 2871792.
- ^ El Miedany, Yasser, ed. (2015). Musculoskeletal Ultrasonography in Rheumatic Diseases. SpringerLink Bücher. Cham: Springer. ISBN 978-3-319-15723-8.
- ^ Ulrichs, Karl Heinrich (1994). The Riddle of "Man-Manly" Love: The Pioneering Work on Male Homosexuality. Translated by Lombardi-Nash, Michael A. New York: Prometheus Books. ISBN 978-0-8797-5859-2.
- ^ Gille, Elin Martin (2024). Lesbian Spies and Gay Superheroes : The Folksonomies of Archive of Our Own.
- ^ "Sapphic (adj.)". Etymonline.com. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ Barron, Victoria (2023-02-21). Perfectly Queer: An Illustrated Introduction. Jessica Kingsley Publishers. ISBN 978-1-83997-409-0.
- ^ Kousholt, Moa (2024). A Time, A Place, and A Person : A comparative literary analysis of Red, White & Royal Blue and One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston and how queer representation can be problematized in a classroom context.
- ^ Burton, Tara Isabella (2023-06-27). "How Oscar Wilde Created a Queer, Mysterious Symbol in Green Carnations". Literary Hub. Retrieved 2024-11-14.