In Greek mythology, Hermaphroditus (or Hermaphroditos) was a child of Aphrodite and Hermes. He was born a remarkably handsome boy but was transformed into a hermaphrodite (one of only two found in Greek mythology, along with Tiresias), by the nymph Salmacis. His only attestation is in Book IV of Ovid's Metamorphoses.

Hermaphroditus' name is derived from those of his parents, Aphrodite and Hermes. All three of these gods figure largely into the Greek tradition of fertility gods and all possess distinctly sexual overtones. Sometimes, Hermaphroditus is referred to as Aphroditus. Half-siblings of Hermaphroditus include the phallic god Priapus and the youthful god of desire Eros.

Story

Hermaphroditus was raised by nymphs on Mount Ida, a sacred mountain in Phrygia. At the age of fifteen, he grew bored of his surroundings and traveled the cities of Lycia and Caria. It was in the woods of Caria that he encountered Salmacis the Naiad in her pool. She is overcome by lust for the boy, and tries to seduce him, but is rejected. When he thinks her to be gone, Hermaphroditus undresses and enters the waters of the empty pool. Salmacis springs out from behind a tree and jumps into the pool. She wraps herself around the boy, forcibly kissing him and touching his breast. While he struggles, she calls out to the gods in prayer that they should never part. Her wish is granted, and their bodies blend into one intersexual form. Hermaphroditus, in his grief, makes his own prayer: cursing the pool so that any other who bathes within it shall be transformed as well.

Another version is that Hermaphroditus was born a hermaphrodite, one of several children that Aphrodite bore after "one night stands" with various gods.

Additional Information

• Hermaphroditus (1425) was the name of a collection of 81 epigrams written by the Italian poet Antonio Beccadelli.

• The myth of Hermaphroditus and Salmacis was the basis for the early Genesis song, "The Fountain of Salmacis," the final track from the Nursery Cryme album, which explains the myth in some detail.

Greek mythological people

Хермафродит | Hermaphroditos | Hermaphrodite | Ermafrodito | הרמפרודיטוס | Hermafroditas (mitologija) | Hermaphroditosz | Hermaphroditus | Hermafrodyta | Hermafrodito | Гермафродит (міфологія)