Gender variance in spirituality: Difference between revisions

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    (→‎Greco-Roman religions: Deleted deities with no reference to gender variance. moves Iphis to this section, as the story is roman. Expanded on Pales)
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    Gender variant deities and patrons of gender variance in Greco-Roman religions:
    Gender variant deities and patrons of gender variance in Greco-Roman religions:
    * Greek mythology with Phrygian origins described '''Agdistis''', who was both male and female. The other gods feared the power of this complete being, and so castrated Agdistis, removing Agdistis's penis. From their blood sprang a tree that bore either almonds or pomegranates, depending on the version of the story, but both of these fruits symbolize the vulva and womb. The fruit of it fertilized Nana, who gave birth to Attis. Agdistis brought chaos to the wedding of Attis, so that Attis went mad, castrated himself, and died. In dismay, Agdistis asked the gods to preserve Attis's body, and founded a festival in his honor. There are several very different versions of the story of Agdistis, but these basic events remain similar between them.<ref>Pierre Grimal and Stephen Kershaw, The Penguin Dictionary of Classical Mythology, p. 27-28.</ref> In some versions, Agdistis a relation or aspect of the goddess Cybele.
    * Greek mythology with Phrygian origins described '''Agdistis''', who was both male and female. The other gods feared the power of this complete being, and so castrated Agdistis, removing Agdistis's penis. From their blood sprang a tree that bore either almonds or pomegranates, depending on the version of the story, but both of these fruits symbolize the vulva and womb. The fruit of it fertilized Nana, who gave birth to Attis. Agdistis brought chaos to the wedding of Attis, so that Attis went mad, castrated himself, and died. In dismay, Agdistis asked the gods to preserve Attis's body, and founded a festival in his honor. There are several very different versions of the story of Agdistis, but basic events remain similar.<ref>Pierre Grimal and Stephen Kershaw, The Penguin Dictionary of Classical Mythology, p. 27-28.</ref> In some versions, Agdistis a relation or aspect of the goddess Cybele.
    * '''Aphrodite''' had male or male-female aspects. Servius said, "There is in Cyprus an image of the bearded Venus with the body and dress of a woman, but with a scepter and the sex of a man, which they call '''Aphroditus''', and to which the men sacrifice in a female dress and the women in a masculine one."<ref>Gerald Massey, ''The natural Genesis.'' p. 512. </ref> This can be seen as the presence of transgender priests and priestess, as the Romans often had antagonistic views towards androgyny. This deity was depicted as a woman with a penis, rather than with a beard.  
    * '''Aphrodite''' had male or male-female aspects. Servius said, "There is in Cyprus an image of the bearded Venus with the body and dress of a woman, but with a scepter and the sex of a man, which they call '''Aphroditus''', and to which the men sacrifice in a female dress and the women in a masculine one."<ref>Gerald Massey, ''The natural Genesis.'' p. 512. </ref> This can be seen as the presence of transgender priests and priestess, as the Romans often had antagonistic views towards androgyny. This deity was depicted as a woman with a penis, rather than with a beard.  
    *'''Venus''', the Roman counterpart to Aphrodite, also had gender variant aspects.'''Venus Barbata''', an aspect of the goddess Venus, grew a beard and dressed as a man in order to court a gay man. This deity was patron of sex workers and of socially taboo love and sex, particularly homosexuality.<ref>Raven Kaldera, Hermaphrodeities, p. 72-74.</ref> '''Venus Biformis''' was both male and female. Another aspect of Venus was '''Venus Castina''', who was associated with "the yearnings of feminine souls locked in male bodies."<ref>Bulliet, Clarence Joseph (1956). ''Venus Castina: Famous Female Impersonators, Celestial and Human''. Bonanza Books. Unpaged.</ref> Her followers included men who dressed as women, and she’s said to have turned some men into women.
    *'''Venus''', the Roman counterpart to Aphrodite, also had gender variant aspects.'''Venus Barbata''', an aspect of the goddess Venus, grew a beard and dressed as a man in order to court a gay man. This deity was patron of sex workers and of socially taboo love and sex, particularly homosexuality.<ref>Raven Kaldera, Hermaphrodeities, p. 72-74.</ref> '''Venus Biformis''' was both male and female. Another aspect of Venus was '''Venus Castina''', who was associated with "the yearnings of feminine souls locked in male bodies."<ref>Bulliet, Clarence Joseph (1956). ''Venus Castina: Famous Female Impersonators, Celestial and Human''. Bonanza Books. Unpaged.</ref> Her followers included men who dressed as women, and she’s said to have turned some men into women.
    * '''Cybele''', a goddess who was in some interpretations both male and female. Her priestesses were trans-feminine eunuchs called [[Gallae]].
    * '''Cybele''', a goddess who was in some interpretations both male and female. Her priestesses were trans-feminine eunuchs called [[Gallae]].
    * '''Dionysus''', a male god of wine, who spent some time as a feminine eunuch priestess of Cybele, a ''galla'', and was called the Womanly One. In some origin stories, Dionysus was raised as a girl.
    * '''Dionysus''' is a deity of wine, madness, vegetation, pleasure, and frenzy. His tradition is broadly reaching, so accounts do not agree on aspects of his gender. However, some popular accounts agree on certain aspects of his gender. Dionysus, by most accounts, was raised by nymphs on Mt. Nysa. There, he was raised as a woman. <ref> [https://www.theoi.com/Olympios/DionysosMyths.html#Birth] <ref/> In most traditions, he is seen as effeminate, and sometimes is seen as changing gender. <ref> [https://www.theoi.com/Olympios/DionysosGod.html#Homosexuality] </ref>
    * '''Eros''', the god (daemon) of love, was usually male. In Apulian vase painting of the Hellenistic period (323 BC–30 BC), Eros was depicted as androgynous, with breasts and a penis. This Eros wore feminine figure and attire, the hair worn in a top-knot tied with ribbon, wearing earrings, necklaces, bangles and ankle bracelets. According to Cicero in his ''Nature of the Gods'', a Cupid was born of Mercury and Venus, thus an aspect of the deity Hermaphroditus.
    * '''Hermaphroditus''' was a Greek deity who was both male and female, who was shown in art as a beautiful woman with a penis. One version of this deity's origin was that Hermes (the messenger god) united with Aphrodite (the goddess of love) to become Hermaphroditus.<ref>Walker, A Woman’s Dictionary, p. 195.</ref> Another story said instead that Hermaphroditus was originally the beautiful male son of Hermes and Aphrodite. The lake nymph Salmacis raped him, wishing them to never separate again, so the gods made them one being. The gods also granted the victim's wish that anyone who bathed in that lake would lose their virility.<ref>Pierre Grimal and Stephen Kershaw, ''The Penguin Dictionary of Classical Mythology'', p. 197.</ref> This is the origin of the word "hermaphrodite.".
    * '''Hercules''' was a masculine male demigod who wore feminine clothing for three years as part of his servitude.
    * '''Pales''', a Roman shepherd deity seen as male, female, or multiple deities at different times.
    * '''Hermaphroditus''' was a Greek deity who was both male and female, who was shown in art as a beautiful woman with a penis. One version of this deity's origin was that Hermes (the messenger god) united with Aphrodite (the goddess of love) to become Hermaphroditus.<ref>Walker, A Woman’s Dictionary, p. 195.</ref> Another story said instead that Hermaphroditus was originally the beautiful male son of Hermes and Aphrodite. The lake nymph Salmacis raped him, wishing them to never separate again, so the gods made them one being. The gods also granted the victim's wish that anyone who bathed in that lake would lose their virility.<ref>Pierre Grimal and Stephen Kershaw, ''The Penguin Dictionary of Classical Mythology'', p. 197.</ref> This is the origin of the word "hermaphrodite."
    * '''Janus (Ianus, Jana).''' The month of January is named after Janus, the gatekeeper ("janitor") deity who oversees beginnings and endings. Janus has two faces, usually one old man and one young man, but originally these were depicted as one male and one female, the latter being "the Jana who was assimilated to Juno. […] Having accepted the all-male Janus as the New Year god, however, medieval writers continued to refer to him as the archetypal duality."<ref>Walker, ''A Woman’s Dictionary'', p. 208. </ref> Janus is the god of time, space, movement, gateways, bridges, growing up, aging, change, beginnings/endings. Janus represents transition and liminality between different places, phases, conditions, and concepts.
    * '''Leto''', a goddess who answered a plea to change a mortal girl into a boy. That was Leucippus, child of Galatea and Lamprus. Leto granted Galatea's prayers to change Leucippus from a girl to a boy in order for Lamprus to accept the child.
    * '''Pales''', a trickster god sometimes called male, sometimes called female, or both, and/or with the head of an ass.


    Other gender variant figures and myths:
    Other gender variant figures and myths:
    * '''Caeneus''' (also called Caenus, Caenis, or Kaineus) was a mighty warrior who had been divinely changed from a woman to a man. When Caeneus was female, the god Poseidon had raped him, and then offered a wish. Caeneus wished to become a man with the power of being impenetrable by anything, so that he could never be raped again in any way. As a result, Caenus also became supernaturally invulnerable to being penetrated by any weapon, such as swords and arrows. A centaur found out Caeneus's secrets, and so mocked him, and then defeated Caeneus by burying him under logs and boulders.<ref>Michael Hernandez, “Exploring FTM mythology, part 1: Raising Caeneus.” http://www.otherbear.com/Raising%20Caeneus.pdf</ref>
    * '''Caeneus''' (also called Caenus, Caenis, or Kaineus) was a mighty warrior who had been divinely changed from a woman to a man. When Caeneus was female, the god Poseidon had raped him, and then offered a wish. Caeneus wished to become a man with the power of being impenetrable by anything, so that he could never be raped again in any way. As a result, Caenus also became supernaturally invulnerable to being penetrated by any weapon, such as swords and arrows. A centaur found out Caeneus's secrets, and so mocked him, and then defeated Caeneus by burying him under logs and boulders.<ref>Michael Hernandez, “Exploring FTM mythology, part 1: Raising Caeneus.” http://www.otherbear.com/Raising%20Caeneus.pdf</ref>
    * '''Tiresias''' (Teiresias), a man who was changed to a woman for several years and back again. He settled a dispute between Zeus and Hera about whether men or women experience more pleasure during sex. He said women did, which angered Hera, so she blinded him. To make up for it, Zeus gave Tiresias the power of prophesy. Some consider Tiresias to have those powers because of having experienced life as a man and as a woman.<ref>Raven Kaldera, ''Hermaphrodeities'', p. 238-239.</ref>
    * '''Tiresias''' (Teiresias), a man who was changed to a woman for several years and back again. He settled a dispute between Zeus and Hera about whether men or women experience more pleasure during sex. He said women did, which angered Hera, so she blinded him. To make up for it, Zeus gave Tiresias the power of prophesy. Some consider Tiresias to have those powers because of having experienced life as a man and as a woman.<ref>Raven Kaldera, ''Hermaphrodeities'', p. 238-239.</ref>
    *'''Iphis''' is the son of Ligdus and Telethusa, a couple who was poor, and could not afford a dowry if they were to have a girl. If a girl was born, she was to be killed. The goddess Isis advised Telethusa to keep her child, regardless of the gender. Though born "female", Telethusa raised Iphis as a man. When Iphis became older and fell in love, he prayed to Isis for help, and was able to have a body that matched his gender perception. <ref>Ovid, Metamorphoses</ref>


    =====Art of Hermaphroditus, Aphroditus, or figures believed by historians to be them=====
    =====Art of Hermaphroditus, Aphroditus, or figures believed by historians to be them=====
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