While transgender activism is forcing modern definitions of gender to slowly shift away from biologically essentialist viewpoints, the notion that gender isn’t set in stone is not new. In fact, some myths and legends from older pre-Christian cultures include characters who either “changed genders” in some way or who defied typical gendered expectations. Metamorphoses, the magnum opus left behind by the ancient Roman poet Ovid, may contain a transgender character whose struggles matched those of some trans people today.
Gender and Transformation in the Story of Iphis
Ovid’s lengthy work incorporated several tales centered around themes of physical transformation, including the story of a young person named Iphis. In A.S. Kline’s English translation, Iphis’ father Ligdus says to his then-pregnant wife Telethusa, “There are two things I wish for: that you are delivered with the least pain, and that you produce a male child.” He then mandated that any female infant birthed by Telethusa should be put to death, as the couple would not be able to afford her dowry. One night, the horrified woman was visited by the goddess Isis, who promised to aid her. Upon discovering that the child was a girl, as Ovid narrates, Telethusa deliberately chose the name Iphis after Ligdus’ grandfather. Ovid further comments that “The mother was delighted with the name, since it was appropriate for either gender, and no one was cheated by it.”
Iphis’ Predicament and Help from a Goddess
Ovid’s story later reveals that Iphis was betrothed to Ianthe, the beautiful daughter of a man named Telestes. Over the years, Iphis fell hopelessly in love with her and lamented that the two could not marry, exclaiming that “not one female is attacked by lust for a female…I wish I were not one!” Telethusa travels to the altar of Isis and begs for help, and in response, Isis changes Iphis’ body to match that of a cisgender male. According to Ovid, he is now free to wed his beloved Ianthe, and as the saying goes, the two live “happily ever after.”
Gender, Orientation and Critiquing Ovid’s Narrative
Multiple writers and scholars have addressed the issue of how Christianity is partially responsible for heteronormativity in modern Western culture. However, Ovid’s version of the Iphis and Ianthe story still contains what Out Magazine writer Jacob Ogles calls a “heterosexual ending.” Ancient Roman society was based on a patriarchal social structure, and while male-female marriages were considered the norm, there is still a great deal of evidence that same-sex desire existed within that culture. It seems that Ovid, however, considered the idea of two women marrying to be “unnatural,” and this viewpoint may have influenced his decision to have Iphis’ body transformed.
Might Ovid’s plot twist be considered a negation of same-sex love between women? That is one possible interpretation. However, transgender and disability studies scholar Gabrielle M.W. Bychowski raises a couple of crucial points. In her 2016 article appearing in Accessus: A Journal of Premodern Literature and New Media, she analyzes John Gower’s version of the narrative. Written in the late 1300s, it removes Iphis’ sentiments altogether and suggests that Eros intervenes, not Isis. Moreover, Bychowski comments about how Gower handles the transformation of Iphis’ body to match cisgender-influenced ideas that base manhood upon possessing what’s typically seen as “male” genitalia.
Modern Conclusions About an Ancient Legend
Was Iphis a transgender man? It’s hard to say, considering that the lament in Ovid’s story could be understood as distress over not possessing what’s typically seen as a “man’s body” or angst over falling in love with another woman. Either way, the tale has strong LGBTQ themes. Along with other stories from before Christianity’s rise, it can also potentially disprove claims that same-gender desire, queerness or transgender individuals themselves are newer phenomena.