ANDROGYNY: HISTORY AND CHARACTERISTICS OF ANDROGYNES - SCIENCE - 2024

The androginia is a characteristic possessed by organisms having both male and female features. In the case of humans, it would be people who either do not have a defined sex, or do not clearly appear to belong to the gender with which they were born.

The term first appeared in Plato's "The Banquet." In this work, the philosopher spoke of the myth of androgynous beings, beings that had bodies half a woman and half a man. From this moment on, and throughout history, androgyny has been present in most cultures.

Today, in Western civilization, the term androgyny has been largely replaced by others such as "transgender," "queer," or "non-binary." People with these characteristics are usually included within the LGBT + community. This is because their identity does not correspond to the most common socially.

History

First manifestations

Androgyny has been present throughout history in all human cultures. In ancient Sumeria, androgynous and hermaphrodite men were directly related to the cult of the goddess Inanna. They were a species of priests known as "gala."

These Gala, despite being men, used female names and spoke in a dialect normally used only by women. In addition, according to some historical records, they had homosexual relationships with each other. Their job was to lead the worship of the goddess, and they enjoyed a certain respect among the population.

In Mesopotamia, for her part, the goddess Ishtar (equivalent to Inanna) also had androgynous people among her priests. In this case, they were men who dressed as women and performed dances in honor of the deity.

Again, it is believed that they had homosexual relationships; In popular culture at the time, Ishtar was said to be capable of transforming men into women.

Ancient Greece

But the concept of androgyny did not emerge as such until the arrival of the Hellenic civilization. There are several myths that speak of this phenomenon in ancient Greece.

Thus, for example, we can find the story of Hermaphroditus, a mythological being that had both male and female characteristics.

Hermaphroditus was the illegitimate son of Hermes and Aphrodite (hence his name, which mixes those of these two divinities). His mother, feeling guilty, abandoned him to the care of the nymphs of Mount Ida, where the boy grew into a handsome young man.

While touring the Greek lands, one day he decided to bathe in a lake to cool off its heat. However, the naiad (a water spirit) who lived in the lake fell in love with her, and asked the gods to join their bodies into one so that they could never be separated.

According to myth, the gods granted the naiad's wish, and fused their bodies. Thus, Hermaphroditus became a being that united the male and female sexes.

Upset, the young man asked his parents that any man who bathed in the lake should suffer the same fate. According to the story, the place was cursed, and was capable of stealing the virility of anyone who got into the water.

Plato's "The Banquet"

On the other hand, Plato coined the term "androgynous" in his work The Banquet. In this myth, he described people with characteristics of both sexes as the most powerful and complete among all humans.

Middle Ages and Modernity

After the Ancient Age, many disciplines were concerned with the concept of androgyny. Thus, the existence of people with characteristics of both sexes interested thinkers of such different currents as alchemy, Christianity or astrology.

In many of these disciplines, androgynous people were viewed as complete beings. This is because, in most of them, nature is understood as the opposition of two poles: Sun and Moon, light and dark, day and night, male and female.

Androgynous people, therefore, would be people capable of harboring the two poles of nature inside them, turning them into complete beings. For some theologians, even, androgyny would have been the natural state of the human being before the expulsion from Paradise.

Nowadays

Today, the term androgyny has been replaced by others such as "intersex" or "non-binary sex." These words are sometimes used to describe people who were born with characteristics of both sexes due to a genetic disorder.

Sometimes, however, they can also be used to refer to individuals who are not comfortable with the sex of their birth and wish to make a gender change.

In this case, we would be talking about transsexual, "gender - queer" or "non-binary" people. In recent years, the visibility of this phenomenon has increased enormously.

Myth of the androgyne

The myth of the androgyne first appeared in "The Banquet", a work by Plato in which the philosopher collected several different myths and teachings. History tells that, thousands of years ago, the world was inhabited by beings whom he called androgynous.

These androgynous were made up of two joined parts, so they had four legs, four arms, and two heads. Some of them came from the union of two men; others, of two women. But the most powerful of them were those that united in one body a man and a woman.

These beings were above the rest. However, their power went to their heads; therefore they tried to conquer Mount Olympus, home of the gods. As punishment, Zeus divided all the inhabitants of the planet in two, condemning them to wander their entire lives in search of their other half.

This myth is also the basis for what has become known later as "Platonic love." In it, the philosopher explained that we all have a "better half"; the other half of which the gods separated us.

Interestingly, for Plato not everyone has a better half of the opposite sex. In their myth, some of the original androgynous had two parts of male or female. Thus, with this legend, the philosopher tried to explain homosexuality as something normal.

Plato, therefore, believed that we all have one half within us, and that we need to complement it with the other to be complete.

This squares with some other theories, which consider that relationships are formed due to an attraction of opposite energies.

Characteristics of androgynous people

Next we will see some of the most common characteristics of androgynous people. However, it is important to remember that it is not a homogeneous group.

Therefore, not all androgynous people will have all the characteristics; and those that do, not to the same degree.

Appearance

In general, the appearance of an androgynous person is not typical of someone of their gender. Thus, an androgynous man will appear much more feminine than usual, and vice versa.

This can happen naturally, or be a conscious effort on the part of the person. Thus, some individuals believe that the characteristic image of their sex does not represent them. In these cases, we would be talking about a "gender queer" person.

Rejection of gender stereotypes

In the modern world, people who consider themselves androgynous (such as non-binaries or gender queers) reject gender stereotypes outright.

Thus, they consider that there should be no differences in behavior between men and women based only on their sex.

Therefore, these people tend to present behaviors characteristic of both genders at the same time. This can translate into ways of dressing, behaviors, hobbies, ways of thinking, or ways of relating.

Adaptability

In general, male people display a series of traits that fall within the term "competence." Thus, they tend to be more assertive, independent, dominant, competitive, ambitious and capable of making decisions easily.

Feminine people, on the other hand, have characteristics that could be summarized as "expressiveness." These individuals tend to express their feelings more easily, are more emotional, better in their interpersonal relationships and better able to live in the present.

Androgynous individuals would be halfway between both types of characteristics. Thus, they usually present a mixture of competence and expressiveness traits.

On the other hand, they are usually able to adapt to each situation, so their capabilities tend to be more versatile.

Biological problems

Finally, in some cases androgyny is caused by genetic or biological problems. On these occasions, the person with characteristics of both sexes usually requires medical intervention.

We must learn to differentiate, then, between the cases in which androgyny is a personal choice, and those in which it is a symptom of a biological or genetic disorder. The way to act in each of these situations must be totally different.

References

1. "Androgyny" in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: June 24, 2018 from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org.
2. "Hermaphroditus" in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: June 24, 2018 from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org.
3. "Intersexuality" in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: June 24, 2018 from Wikipedia: es.wikipedia.org.
4. "Androgyny: Masculine & Feminine" in: A Line on Life. Retrieved on: June 24, 2018 from A Line on Life: virgil.azwestern.edu.
5. "Androgyny" in: Good Therapy. Retrieved on: June 24, 2018 from Good Therapy: goodtherapy.com.