Hermaphrodite; Myths and Rites of the Bisexual Figure in Classical Antiquity

by Marie Delcourt

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Genres: Nonfiction, Mythology

140 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1956

Reviews

[Tijana]

Odlična mala studija o srazmerno retkoj figuri u grčkoj mitologiji; oko dosta jednostavne teze - da je figura hermafrodita ili dvopolnog boga simbol ne samo stvaralačke energije i plodnosti nego i celovitosti - autorka je sagradila retko zanimljiv narativ koji uključuje gomilu manje poznatih mitova, izveštaja o retkim ritualima, i analogijama sa kasnijim gnostičkim i alhemičarskim tekstovima plus kratak ali beskrajno bizaran dodatak o srednjovekovnim legendama o bradatim sveticama (da, bilo ih je više od jedne).

[Rubén Sainz Jiménez · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Un andrógino primordial (Dios) simboliza entonces la unión de los complementarios y la unidad original a la que el mundo volverá tal vez un día". (pp. 103)

[Noah W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delcourt's discussion of "bisexuality" (also termed androgyny, more appropriately, though this is in reference to figures with both binary male and female attributes) in Greco-Roman antiquity is interesting, particularly the section on public and private rites. You can feel the publication date - 1961 - in the handling of the topic, however. Though Delcourt never descends into horror or bigotry, having read more recent texts on gender ambiguity in the ancient world it can feel as though at times she just cannot quite "get it". But she's thorough and well-informed in her handling of primary source materials. Some sections left me wondering what the point was; she comes to the approximate conclusion (a few proper concluding paragraphs would have done this book well) that "bisexual" figures possessed positive functions and were particularly involved in matters of marital and sexual union, as well as initiation and cosmic creation.

[eléna · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book I swear

[Préca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Étonnamment surpris par ce livre, je savais déjà que ça ne parlerait pas de "bisexualité" comme on l'entend aujourd'hui, mais bien d'"hermaphrodisme" comme l'indique le titre. Pour autant, même si la bisexualité est ici associée à une bisexuation, il n'y avait pas tant de références à la psychanalyse (fait rare), même si on remarque un fond présent et un certain attachement de l'autrice.

On pourrait parler aujourd'hui d'intersexuation, de personnes intersexes, mais c'est ici centré sur l'Antiquité classique et c'est effectivement plus a propos de parler d'hermaphrodisme. A ce niveau, le livre restait passionnant en nous faisant découvrir les rapports au genre de l'époque et les mythes, traditions, croyances, rites, pratiques qui entourent l'androgynie, l'hermaphrodisme.

[Vivian Zenari · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was doing this for the purpose of finding out if Hermaphodites means somehow "messenger + love." It turns out, according to this book, that Hermaphrodites is more like "male + female", the creative principle.