Elagabalus

From: Peter Metcalfe <metcalph_at_voyager.co.nz>
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1998 00:54:43 +1200 (NZST)

MOB: [In the context of sun worshippers acting up]

Me>>But then in the RW, there was never a mythological
>>reason for Elagabalus to do what he did (A Roman Emperor who
>>worshipped a Syrian Sun God - He was also one heck of a fucked-up
>>kid).

>There's no need for a mythological reason why Elagabalus worshipped a Syrian
>Sun God: he worshipped this deity naturally enough because he was a Syrian.

Bad writing on my part. That wasn't the things that he did that I was thinking of - I mentioned him worshipping a Syrian Sun God to illustrate that although a sun worshipper he did outrageous acts that were not required by his religion.

Namely:

• He had his agents seek out well-endowned men so he could employ them within the Imperial Household so he could oggle them.
• married Zoticus who was supremely well-endowned. Encouraged him to treat him like a wife even unto the extent of marital violence after being caught flirting.
• propositioned senators in the streets by cooing from beind curtains.
• wanted a vagina grafted onto him.

Now admitedly he did some wacky things that were done out of religious policy (such as marry a vestal virgin, prancing around a rock-shaped-like-a-thingy and many other things besides) and these could have been said to have resulted from his religion. But the specific items listed above are not. Both can be said to have contributed to his being the only emperor to have been dragged through the streets, cast into the sewer and then pitched into the Tiber.

>There's an excellent historical novel on the life of this crazy mixed-up kid
>called "Family Favourites" by Alfred Duggan. Get it if you can find it!

Depends on when it was written, some details are likely to be toned down. Graves' Claudius books suffered from a similar problem (but the TV series included them in).

• --Peter Metcalfe

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