Intersexuality - Introduction

Historical Footnotes - Mythology

The ancient Greek philosopher Plato, in his „Symposium“, has one of the guests propose an amusing theory about the origin of love. This theory assumes that, originally, the greater part of the human race was androgynous, i.e. had both female and male characteristics. The guest is Aristophanes (448-385 B.C.), the famous writer of comedies (“The Birds”, “The Clouds”, “Lysistrata”), and his tall tale is not meant to be taken seriously. Nevertheless, over the centuries, it has continued to fascinate many writers and artists who have used it for their own purposes. Therefore, we are providing here the (slightly abbreviated) original text:

Aristophanes said: “The original human nature was not as it is today... The sexes were not two, but originally three in number: Male, female, and a union of the two called androgynous… The primeval human being was round, his back and sides forming a circle; and he had four hands and four feet, one head with two faces, looking opposite ways, set on a round neck and precisely alike; also four ears, two private parts, and so on…... He could walk upright as men now do, backwards or forwards as he pleased, and he could also roll over and over at a great pace, turning on his four hands and four feet, eight in all, like tumblers going over and over with their legs in the air; this was when he wanted to run fast. The sexes were three as I have described them; because the sun, moon, and earth are three; The male was originally the child of the sun, the female of the earth, and the male-female of the moon, which is made up of sun and earth, and they were all round and moved round and round: like their parents. Their strength was great, and their ambitions were great, and they decided to attack the gods…. But how should the gods respond to this insolence? Should they kill the human race with thunderbolts? …But that would mean the end of the sacrifices and worship which these humans offered to them… At last, Zeus found the solution. He said: "I have a plan which will humble their pride and improve their manners: Humans shall continue to exist, but I will cut them in two and then they will diminish in strength and increase in numbers; this will have the advantage of making them more profitable to us. …." He then cut the humans in two, like an apple, or as you might divide an egg with a hair; and as he cut them one after another, he asked Apollo to give the face and the half of the neck a turn in order that the man might contemplate the other half of himself and thus learn a lesson of humility. Apollo was also asked to heal their wounds and compose their forms…. After the division of the formerly complete human beings, each half desired the other half. They came together, and throwing their arms about one another, entwined in mutual embraces, longing to grow into one… Thus, each of us, when separated, is always looking for his other half. Men who are a section of that double nature which was once called androgynous are lovers of women…., and women of this breed lust after men. The women who are a section of the original female do not care for men, but love females. But those who are a section of the original male follow the male, and while they are young, they hang about men and embrace them, and they are themselves the best of boys and youths, because they have the most manly nature… They are valiant and embrace that which is like them. And when they grow up, they become our statesmen.”