- Creation, transformation, the quest for self-knowledge.
These are universal themes
that appear across world mythology.
But there's another common thread within these tales:
gender fluidity.
- It's not only commonplace in many mythologies,
but an essential aspect of some important mythical figures:
from androgynous creators and fertility deities
to warriors and prophets that defy the gender binary.
(mysterious music)
- These figures challenge the belief
that sex and gender are split into male and female.
Since ancient times, societies have recognized
the existence of more than two genders.
While the language used
to refer to these different identities
and experiences varies hugely,
transgender, intersex, and nonbinary people
have always existed
and played a crucial role in world mythology.
So why was the ability to bend and transcend gender sacred,
and what do these figures tell us about gender in society?
- When it comes to creation myths,
many primordial deities cannot be understood
as solely male or female.
For instance, a Babylonian creation myth sees Tiamat,
or salt water, mingle with Abzu, or fresh water,
to create the rest of the gods.
The Babylonian source, called the Enuma Elish,
refers to the primordial Tiamat as both he and she.
However, 19th century European scholars
revised the original myths
to fit their own standards of gender,
referring to Tiamat as female
and often characterizing them as a monstrous sea goddess.
Similarly, the Aztec creator deity Tlaltecuhtli
was described as an earth lord and a reptilian monster
with feminine and masculine attributes.
When they waded into the sea looking for flesh to eat,
the other gods ripped Tlaltecuhtli in half
to form the earth and the sky.
Much later, European colonizers recast Tlaltecuhtli
as a motherly earth goddess,
simplifying their complex role as a formidable protector
who is also a flesh-eating destroyer.
Another Aztec god, Ometeotl,
was also a genderless agent of creation.
Ometeotl created themself, the universe, and the other gods,
and resided in the 13th and highest heaven alone.
While some sources have framed Ometeotl
as a husband and wife pairing within one god,
others have argued
that this is an overly simplistic understanding
of their gender.
Colonial retellings often simplified these creator deities,
using gendered tropes
like the fearsome lord or gentle mother.
But the original myths don't conform to cliches.
Instead, nonbinary primordial deities
embody the duality of creation,
distilling the twinned energies of birth and destruction,
wonder and dread.
- In the Tagalog mythology of the Philippines for instance,
Lakapati was worshiped
as a goddess of the fields and fertility
who was represented with reproductive organs
traditionally labeled male and female.
This representation of Lakapati's gender
may have associated her with balance and abundance.
Similarly, certain androgynous deities
were associated with fertile land in Ancient Egypt.
As the annual flooding of the Nile approached,
the Egyptians appealed to Hapi for rich soil.
Hapi was seen as a fatherly figure
who sported the false beard of the Pharaoh,
full breasts, and a pregnant belly.
Intersex children, who were believed to be sacred,
sometimes served at Hapi's temple.
Another Egyptian icon, Wadj-Wer,
was depicted as a blue-green pregnant deity
who protected lakes and lagoons.
In both these figures, fertility is not understood
as a purely masculine or feminine attribute.
Because the Ancient Egyptians believed
that men carried the fetus
before transferring them to women,
the idea of the pregnant man was not uncommon.
The concept is making a comeback today
as advocates push for more inclusive language
in traditionally feminine spaces.
When an Ancient Egyptian woman died,
priests temporarily transformed her corpse into a man,
just long enough for her to create a fetus,
thus ensuring rebirth in the afterlife.
They did this by reciting spells
and changing the corpse's pronouns in prayer,
as well as painting its skin red.
The corpse then returned to female form,
ready to rebirth herself.
This ritual is one way in which gender transformation
was commonplace, and desirable,
in Ancient Egyptian life and afterlife.
- While gender transformation was an accepted part of life
in some mythologies and cultures,
other traditions reflect a more ambivalent approach.
Classical myth is full of gods and humans
turning into plants and animals,
but there are lesser-known figures who change their genders.
In Ancient Greek mythology, at the hands of various gods,
Tiresias' gender was changed up to six times,
depending on the source.
Tiresias served as a male prophet of Apollo,
but also married and had children in female form.
They were known for settling disputes between the gods,
like the time Zeus and Hera asked them
to compare the sexual experiences of men and women,
and to advise famous warriors like Odysseus.
Tiresias' transformations
have traditionally been depicted as godly punishments,
but there's another way to read their gender fluidity.
Tiresias was adept at absorbing new experiences
and inhabiting different roles,
skills that also make them a wise prophet
and skilled mediator.
Classical myths
offer a range of gender identities, with figures
like the gender-bending god of pleasure Dionysus
and the androgynous love deity Hermaphroditus
celebrated in art and literature.
One moonlit tribute to Hermaphroditus
involved men and women swapping their clothes.
Other sacred rites involving dance, drinking,
and mind-bending substances invited marginalized figures
like women and non-Greek citizens to express themselves.
Scholars have noted the existence of the galli,
priests who were assigned male at birth but lived as women,
as a recognized group in society
who determined their own gender presentation.
But they were a small and privileged group,
and it is likely that many more gender non-conforming people
have slipped through the cracks of classical history.
- Still, across world mythology,
myths of gender fluidity testify to the material existence
of many gender identities throughout history.
Gender fluidity often acts as a powerful symbol
for heroism and self-determination.
In Philippine Suludnon lore for instance,
maidens known as binukots
could transform into male warriors in an emergency,
rescuing their friends, searching for their husbands,
and engaging in righteous combat.
In Hindu mythology, Shikhandi is assigned female at birth
but later transforms into a man
with the help of a Yaksha or benevolent spirit.
Known as Shikhandi, he becomes a great warrior
and works to overthrow Bhishma,
a king who had abducted and humiliated him.
These myths depict gender transformation
as a powerful model for adaptation and spiritual growth.
Beyond the story of Shikhandi,
Hindu cosmology offers some of the richest understandings
of the gender spectrum.
In the Ramayana, the god Rama retreated into exile,
only for his devotees to follow him out of love.
He ordered all men and women to return to their homes
so he could be alone,
but when he finally emerged from exile,
he found that those who did not identify as male or female
had waited for him.
Rama blessed these apparent outcasts
and gave them permission to bless newborns in ritual,
thus testifying to the importance of inclusion.
Commonly called Hijras,
these blessed individuals have historically been aligned
with fertility, music, and liminality,
testifying to their spiritual significance
in Hindu scripture.
But even the divinely blessed aren't guaranteed happy lives.
While Hijra are an integral part of the culture,
they often face discrimination and abuse.
This shift from acceptance to discrimination
was heavily influenced by British colonialism in India.
In the 1860s and 70's for instance,
British settlers compiled registers of Hijras
that used derogatory language
and stripped them of their rights.
This is just one instance of how colonial policies and texts
have attacked gender diversity across the world.
From revising ancient myths to conform to binary gender,
to dismantling human rights,
Western colonialism has sadly imposed the gender binary
on mythologies and material realities alike.
- Today, efforts to recognize and celebrate gender fluidity,
in ancient myths and modern times, continue.
Ancient gender fluid deities
show us that trans and nonbinary identities are nothing new,
and queer and gender nonconforming people
continue to find community through these mythical figures.
For instance, thousands of trans and nonbinary people
partake in the Chamayavilakku festival in Kollam each year,
celebrating their protector goddess Bhagavati-devi.
Contemporary artists and writers
have also used ancient deities to explore gender expression.
- Whether reclaiming the gender queerness
of mythical creatures and deities.
- Or subverting gender roles in ancient myth.
- Or decolonizing world mythology.
- These efforts emphasize the importance
of representation and expression for all genders.
(gentle music)