On Hermaphroditos: Let's Not Erase Intersex History
It has been over year since this interaction took place and I'm finally in a spot where the words of the other person do not matter to me now; context at the end. I have seen a rise in some intersexism recently in 2026 so I want my original reblog's information, and some of the information from my deleted response posts, to be available which is why I am posting this. Any direct quotes from OP are in blue, but I'm not linking the original post so they won't be alerted.
🟡 Learn About Intersexism 🟡
Intersexism exists in queer spaces, it exists is neo-pagan/polytheist spaces as well. Learn to recognize intersexism, and when you see it say something against it — be an ally. Also called interphobia, intersexphobia, endosexism
"What is Intersexphobia, or Interphobia?" Intersex Campaign for Equality - Link
"Key Issues Facing People With Intersex Traits" Center for American Progress - Link
"IDAHOBIT Day 2023" Interaction for Health And Human Rights - Link
"On Intersex Awareness Day, we celebrate trans and intersex solidarity" Advocates for Trans Equality - Link
"LGBTQ+ Equality Means Intersex People, Too" Human Rights Campaign - Link
🟡 Purpose: Queer Community's Indifference 🟡
The individual complained: "good god u r all so stupid just looking to argue"
The reason I wanted to point all this out or "argue" is because intersexism is very rampant in the Queer community and no one ever seems to care, no one ever stands up for intersex people, no one ever responds to it, it goes completely unchecked.
It just so happens in this case it was reblogged heavily in Hellenic Polytheist spaces due to it being Hemaphroditos; even if it was not originally written in the helpol community. Since it was shared heavily in a religious community I am apart of I wanted to point out the intersexism, even if it was unintended (though I'm not sure if it was unintended based on the doubling down; but thats irrelevant now).
The individual also said: "arguing that the average intersex person in ur neighborhood looks like the praxiteles venus but w a dick isnt. the pro-intersex sentiment u think it is"
So let me be clear the actual argument of this post is about not erasing intersex history and not erasing modern intersex people. It is not claiming all intersex people look like Hermaphroditos.
🟡 Intended Or Not Its Still Erasure 🟡
The post immediately dismisses intersex people from the conversation by jumping to:
"bc [Hermaphroditos] in our modern mind thats a trans women's body"
In fact the post explicitly denies that we should see Hermaphroditos as intersex.
"to them [Hermaphroditos] was not a trans woman's body, it was an intersex body"
This is intersexist. Saying it's a trans body to us modern people but an intersex body to ancient people is literally erasing modern intersex people.
Before people yell that well Hemphroditos was born male and "transitioned" by a nymph therefore they must be trans. In some cases Hermaphroditos was seen as child of Hermes & Aphrodite born that way. In others it was a mythical combination of them and a nymph. — Link
Born: "Hermaphroditos (Hermaphroditus), as he has been called, who was born of Hermes and Aphrodite and received a name which is a combination of those of both his parents." Diodorus Siculus, Library of History 4. 6. 5 (trans. Oldfather) (Greek historian C1st B.C.) :
Joined: "Atlantiades [Hermaphroditos] fought back, denied the Nympha her joy; she strained the more; her clinging body seemed fixed fast to his. ‘Fool, fight me as you will,’ she cried, ‘You'll not escape! Ye Gods ordain no day shall ever dawn to part us twain!’ Her prayer found gods to hear; both bodies merged in one, both blended in one form and face. As when a gardener sets a graft and sees growth seal the join and both mature together, thus, when in the fast embrace their limbs were knit, they two were two no more, nor man, nor woman--one body then that neither seemed and both" Ovid, Metamorphoses 4. 28 ff (trans. Melville) (Roman epic C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.)
Sure some people see Hermaphroditos and immediately jump to 'thats a trans women's body' .... alternatively some people jump to it being an intersex body of someone who could have any number of sex or gender identities— because those people exist. Either interpretation makes sense and is probably influenced by the person's individual life. But erasing intersex people by saying ancient people could "only conceptualize her [Hermaphroditos] as an otherworldly mythical figure" is not a good take and also historically inaccurate. Especially labeling this erasure of intersex history as "amazing".
🟡 Intersex Was Known in History 🟡
Trigger warning for some views of intersex people are very negative here.
The above dismisses intersex conditions that we have proof existed in ancient humans, like XXY link, or conditions that just undoubtedly existed, like partial androgen insensitivity, significant gynecomastia that can have various causes, and genital ambiguities. Ancient Greeks, ancient Romans, ancient and medieval Christians, ancient and medieval Jews, all made note of non-mythical "hermaphrodites."
However, there are many stories referring to these types of changes-mainly from female to male. Some ancient historians even go so far as to state that such stories are explicitly nonfictional. The Roman author Pliny the Elder [23-79 CE] gives a few real-life examples in his Natural History. Some of his examples are pulled from the Annals of the Pontiffs, an ancient record by the priests of Rome, that no longer is extant. This text would have been seen as inherently factual, especially by Pliny. — Link
.▪️.
"The traditional Hippocratic/Galenic under- standing of sexual difference-popularized by the late antique physician Galen and the ascendant model for much of the Middle Ages-viewed sex as a spectrum that encompassed masculine men, feminine women, and many shades in between, including hermaphrodites-a perfect balance of male and female." —p 21 Erecting Sex: Hermaphrodites and the Medieval Science of Surgery by Leah De Vun, Link
"When ancient texts by Aristotle became available to European readers in the thirteenth century. The Aristotelian model argued that hermaphrodites were not an intermediate sex but a case of doubled or superluous genitals individual's underlying sex could be determined by carefully examining the complexion, which always indicated underlying male or female sex —p 21 Same link as above.
The surgeon Lanfranco da Milano in 1296 CE wrote about "treating" hermaphroditism:
"hermaphrodite is one who has each perfect sex in such a way that the hermaphrodite is able to be active and passive. Some of these have one [sex] that is fully formed, the other not fully formed, and some have neither fully formed. On the contrary, they have in the oriice of the vulva some added lesh, which is sometimes soft, leshy, of a small and weak character, other times of a strong and sinewy character," [it goes on to explain what surgical procedures should be done to "fix it" redacted for triggers; its on page 22]". — Same link as above
That entire above paper is about identifying and preforming surgery on intersex people in the 12th and 13th Centuries CE.
Jewish scripture & literature explains people born ambiguous, born with both characteristics, born female but then developing male characteristics naturally or by human actions, born male but then developing female characteristics naturally or by human actions.
"The classic Rabbis did not understand sex and gender to be separate phenomenons, but rather understood a single concept best described using today's language as gender-sex. That's not to say it was at all binary though. While it's true that the classical Jewish texts understood gender-sex to exist within a binary axis, they understood very well that not everyone fit into these categories or within the axis at all". — Ayn Kol Chadash Tachat HaShemesh - Nothing New Under the Sun: A Guide to Intersex Justice Through a Jewish Lens Link
Intersex—that is, non-endosex — bodies have always been here. Not just that, but Judaism knows it and shows it loudly and proudly. — Same as above.
Matthew 19:12, written some point in 1st or 2nd century CE, mentions eunuchs "born that way" Jesus doesn't explain a physical description of what he is referring to, (probably because his audience would have known) regardless its something that diverges from binary sex and is present at birth, some translations mention "from the womb." — Link
Monk Otto of Freising in the 12 Century CE:
"For Otto, it was crucial that individuals be reunited with the sexed bodies that they possessed in life; that is, they would 'without a doubt return to the original substance that they had when they lived in the world Not so, however, for 'hermaphrodites [...] whom a mistake of nature has badly joined or badly divided'. While bodies forged in the resurrection would arise 'free from every defect and spot', hermaphroditism was a 'deformity' resulting from a deviation in the regular course of nature, which Otto grouped together with other supposed defects of the body..." p 138 Heavenly Hermaphrodites: Sexual Difference at the Beginning and End of Time by Leah DeVun Link
🟡 Harmful Rhetoric 🟡
it was so rare, they never even heard of anyone who looks like [Hermaphroditos statue] this irl. so rare and unexplained, so "unnatural" to the way they see the world, that it might as well be mythological. a figure that exists due to cosmic events, not bc of the inherent diversity of human biology
The above was surface level research that shows it more than likely wasn't seen as something so rare, so unexplained, so "unnatural" that it just had to be mythologically created by cosmic events not inherent within the population.
Intersex people did not suddenly appear with modern medical science, they have always been here and are still here. Hermaphroditos body can be seen as a perisex trans person, but they can also be seen as an intersex person. This is not a "modern people see trans body" vs "ancient people see intersex body," situation. Hermaphroditos can be seen either way in modern times— just as many mythical and literary figures can be seen in different ways by different people.
The ancients were well aware of the diversity of human biology. Do not erase intersex history like this, it is harmful.
I want people to be allies to intersex people in pagan/polytheist and queer spaces, rendering Hermaphroditos, Aphroditos, Inana, and Nanaya as all "perisex trans/enby people" and rejecting the idea that they can be seen as intersex—which showcases the history of intersex people—is not being an ally.
Please be an ally to our Intersex siblings.
-Dyslexic, not audio proof read-
Cut because this is contextual and not necessary for post.
