Leonardo da Vinci, Eleanor Roosevelt, Virginia Woolf — many were the historical figures who either had their sexuality or even themselves erased from the books. Although it’s hard to determine a person’s sexuality after their death, especially when they were from another time in history, there’s plenty of evidence that points to the fact that heterosexuality wasn’t a reality for everyone, unlike what some of the books try to teach us. One of the most famous poets in history, Sappho, was an important figure in the LGBTQ+ scene, even though her sexuality was often hidden by historians in the past.
The poet was born about 620 BC on the island of Lesbos, in Greece. She was a member of the aristocracy, from a family who had full participation in local politics. Sappho was well-known in the region for her poetry, being one of history’s most famous literates. The female counterpart to Homer — referred to as “the Poet” and “the Poetess” — was as important as him.
She used to write about love, relationships, and politics in a simple and direct way. As time passed, most of her work got lost in the burning of the Alexandria library or in religious attempts to hide her writing because she was a woman who didn’t conform with heteronormativity, especially during Medieval times. Pope Gregory VII, for example, ordered that Sappho’s works were destroyed and burned.
Sappho’s poetry
I have not had one word from her
Frankly I wish I were dead.
When she left, she wept
a great deal; she said to
me, “This parting must be
endured, Sappho. I go unwillingly.”
I said, “Go, and be happy
but remember (you know
well) whom you leave shackled by love
If you forget me, think
of our gifts to Aphrodite
and all the loveliness that we shared
all the violet tiaras,
braided rosebuds, dill and
crocus twined around your young neck
myrrh poured on your head
and on soft mats girls with
all that they most wished for beside them
while no voices chanted
choruses without ours,
no woodlot bloomed in spring without song …”
In this poem, Sappho mourns the leaving of her lover, who was, possibly, returning to her family. Even though their love was brief, the poet makes it clear that it was very intense and romantic, to the point that she wishes she was dead rather than seeing her lover leave. The writer was heartbroken by this other woman going away, so she wrote a “forget-me-not” piece to express her feelings.
Sappho’s involvement with both women and men is controversial, because both homosexual and heterosexual communities end up trying to invalidate her sexuality — ignoring the fact that bisexuality (and other sexualities) also exists. It would be unfair to judge ancient behaviors based on contemporary concepts. She had a huge importance considering that she was a notorious and recognized person who had relationships with women. How many times have we seen that through history? We’re still fighting this battle after many centuries.
A symbol to the queer comunity
At her time, being a woman with another woman wasn’t considered wrong or unnatural. As years passed by, dominant heteronormative ideals transformed that fact into a problem, but that wasn’t enough to forget Sappho’s existence and accomplishments. She became a symbol to women who were into other women romantically, to the point where “sapphic” became an adjective that referred to this kind of relationship.
Later, “lesbian” — deriving from the island where Sappho lived — was also created with a similar meaning. What some people might not know is that she founded the first academy for women, where they could study and create music, dance and poetry, activities that were strictly masculine at the time. Therefore, she helped women occupy the public space in society. Besides everything, Sappho was a feminist! This is why the word “lesbian” was related to imitating the women of Lesbos, which means: take their rightful place in the public sphere of the city.
It’s unquestionable the importance of Sappho to the LGBTQ+ community, especially to the relationships involving women. For a group that is often erased, having that kind of representation on poems written over twenty centuries ago is hopeful and comforting. The presence of an ancient and queer personality needs to be mantained and passed to future generations to guarantee that history is not forgotten — like they once tried to.
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The article above was edited by Amanda Moraes.
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