Did Argynnus of Boetia and Agamemnon of Mycenae have a healthy relationship? Or am I making up that fact. Also where can I read anything about Argynnus?
Once again...it depends on the source! Hahaha there are only a handful of sources mentioning Argynnus (of much later years in fact) and even one or two of them barely mention the relationship as anything else but the typical erastes-eromenos which could even be seen from the social perspective however given that the generally accepted solution is to interpret the rites of passage with the sexual meaning too, is hard to tell if the relationship goes both ways or if it is a one-way thing
Anyways most of the mentions of Argynnus come from post-Augustean times which also has its cultural meaning plus of course the hint of the legend existing in Alexandrian times too.
Stephanus of Byzantium for instance in 6th century AD in his "Ethica" barely calls Argynnus: ἐρώμενος Ἀγαμέμνονος (eromenos/lover of Agamemnon). It doesn't mention either side's feelings over such relationship but we can assume it was consensual or at least not dysfunctional
Clement of Alexandria in the late-2nd century AD, in his work "Exhortations" he quotes the older poet Phanocles (an elegian poet probably of the Alexandrian times) who mentions in a work Clemens calls "Loves or On Fair Youths" that Argynnus was the favorite of Agamemnon and that "Agamemnon loved him" or rather that again Agrynnus was his eromenos (Ἀργύννιω τω ἐρωμένω) or simply that "he desired him" and that he dedicated a temple to him or rather to Aphrodite and gave her Argynnus's name as an epithet (ironically the same source claims that there is a temple of Zeus Agememnon haha but I shall comment on that in a little)
Athenaeus and his Deipnosophists in 3rd century AD mentions the tragic story of Argynnus drowning in the river Cephesus. Athenaeus mentions that Agamemnon fell for Argynnus when he saw him bathing in that said river and that Argynnus died in an accident after one of his many times he bathed. That left Agamemnon devastated
The elegian poet Propertius mentions in his 3rd book 7th poem that the fleet could not sail from Aulis because Agamemnon was devastated by the death of Agrynnus leading to the sacrifice of Iphigenia as a delay
(Agamemnonias testantia litova curas, qua notat Argynni poena Mimantis aquas. hoc iuvene amisso classem non solvit Atrides, pro qua mactata est Ipliigenia mora)
Now that version is both bizarre but also interesting twist to the usual myth of Agamemnon's hubris with the deer. It seems that the elegy tries to symbolize this grief as so distracting that even a powerful leader like Agamemnon would leave his duty (like...is Propertius trying to present Agamemnon as Achilles or what?! Hahaha) once again the emotions of Agrynnus are rather kept aside
I will make the full on commentary later but these sources do not mention the union between Argynnus and Agamemnon as bad. Argynnus's feelings are not commented but the relationship is depicted through the lenses of the custom of pederasty of mature antiquity and sometimes it includes Agamemnon's apparent intense feelings for him.
But overall the texts seem positive on the mutual relationship
Plutarch of course had to add a different thing to the streak hahaha in his work "Beasts are Rational" (Περὶ τοῦ τὰ ἄλογα λόγῳ χρῆσθαι) he added the story of Agrynnus and Agamemnon to a series of stories of men pursuing unwilling youths and one of them was of course this. According to Plutarch Agamemnon basically combed the entire area of Boetia but Agrynnus didn't want him at all. In fact the source goes as such
ὁ δ´ Ἀγαμέμνων τὴν Βοιωτίαν ἐπῆλθε κυνηγετῶν τὸν Ἄργυννον ὑποφεύγοντα καὶ καταψευδόμενος τῆς θαλάσσης καὶ τῶν πνευμάτων, εἶτα καλὸν καλῶς ἑαυτὸν βαπτίζων εἰς τὴν Κωπαΐδα λίμνην, ὡς αὐτόθι κατασβέσων τὸν ἔρωτα καὶ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἀπαλλαξόμενος·
However Agamemnon after searching all over Boetia for Argynnus who was fleeing from him. After wrongly accusing the sea and the winds, because he was moral of nature, he acted correctly when he decided to jump into the waters of lake Copais so that he would put himself out and get rid of his erotic desire
So Plutarch seems to give us a different story here. It doesn't show any relationship at all but rather that Agamemnon was taken over by strong desire to the point of searching Boetia to find Argynnus who was rejecting him. Eventually Agamemnon seems to....give himself a cold shower to come back to his senses hahaha
So Plutarch seems to give us a totally negative reaction by Argynnus (literally running away from Agamemnon - Ἄργυννον ὑποφεύγοντα) but also Agamemnon catching up with his behavior and eventually stopping his pursue and trying to heal himself (αὐτόθι κατασβέσων τὸν ἔρωτα)
So to conclude this;
The whole Argynnus business seems to be a later invention or addition to the myths, if anything some of the earliest examples we have so far from indirect sources being of Alexandrian times on and the story seems to be heavily inspired by Zeus and Ganymedes or stories involving Heracles. Knowing that already in Homer there is the tendency of people comparing Agamemnon side by side with the king of Gods (one who made that comparison was Thetis for example to persuade Zeus to honor her son) I find it normal that some thematic from Zeus's overall lore would find itself within the stories involving Agamemnon
In fact Clement seems to even hint that Agamemnon was worshiped alongside with Zeus at some essence or something of the sort (I will need to look it up deeper on Agamemnon's heroic cult) which does seem to confirm this hypothesis
Now for most part Agamemnon is not abusive. On the contrary either we speak on a relationship in essence of rite of passage between a youth and an older man or a relationship of erotic nature. Usually Agamemnon's feelings are the ones to be seen but the text doesn't imply that Argynnus was being forced or unhappy and many times over we see that his death was an accident and that it was devastating for Agamemnon
Plutarch seems to mention Argynnus being unwilling and that Agamemnon was very persistent to continue his pursue but eventually Agamemnon realizes that he was acting no different than a beast so he stopped immediately and dips himself in the lake Copais so that he will come back to his senses with its cold water after having a small streak of...blaming the elements for his unfulfilled desire XD
Overall no I wouldn't say you make it up. In fact I think we shouldn't immediately assume that the average relationship in Greek myth in general and in regards to Agamemnon in particular is necessarily a monstrous man that forces others do stuff.
Now do you call that "healthy"? For modern standards that is hard to define but yes I would say that if you take it that they are in a relationship that it was not a forced one. Even in Plutarch it is assumed that Agamemnon didn't force Argynnus after all.
Anyways do I think of Argynnus and Agamemnon relationship as a potential? Sometimes yes I admit it has plenty of potential to explore (like imagine a younger Agamemnon and all hahaha) not always but sometimes I do hehe now the rest is up to you.
