Gender variance in spirituality: Difference between revisions
→Greco-Roman religions: separated venus and aphrodite, as they are distinctly different deities. Deleted the section on Athena, given her being a warrior is not gender variance. Deleted Hermathena as "Herms" are a statue and do notate a deity. Deleted Phanes, as no evidence of gender variance exists.Deleted "Zeus Arrhenothelus" as my research suggested the epithet is of modern gnostic origin, not greek.
imported>MorningSparrow (→Greco-Roman religions: deleted adonis, any references to femininity are referring to beauty, seen as a feminine trait.Edited aphrodite section) |
imported>MorningSparrow (→Greco-Roman religions: separated venus and aphrodite, as they are distinctly different deities. Deleted the section on Athena, given her being a warrior is not gender variance. Deleted Hermathena as "Herms" are a statue and do notate a deity. Deleted Phanes, as no evidence of gender variance exists.Deleted "Zeus Arrhenothelus" as my research suggested the epithet is of modern gnostic origin, not greek.) |
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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 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. | ||
* '''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 | * '''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. | |||
* '''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''', 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. | ||
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* '''Hercules''' was a masculine male demigod who wore feminine clothing for three years as part of his servitude. | * '''Hercules''' was a masculine male demigod who wore feminine clothing for three years as part of his servitude. | ||
* '''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." | * '''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. | * '''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. | * '''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. | * '''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: | ||