June 14: Pride Month

When little Iphis came into the world, it should not have been for long, because her father had decided he didn’t have the means to raise a girl. But in a nightly vision, the mother had been encouraged by the goddess Isis, to disguise the baby as a boy and raise it as such. It had worked too. Iphis had managed to convince everyone, including themselves, that they could be both. But when the time came to marry, desperation set in. Iphis’ father had chosen pretty Ianthe as a bride, which should have made Iphis really happy, as they had been in love with her for as long as they could remember. But Ianthe, like everyone else, only knew Iphis as a boy. She was only too grateful for the strong connection between them, and had never put it into question. So Iphis’ mother turned to Isis again, and the goddess intervened quite drastically. She switched Iphis from a girl to a boy, and the marriage could go on as planned. We can only guess how Iphis felt about this, but the myths like to emphasise: Isis’ solution was “to everyone’s satisfaction”.

Isis, Roman statue, Capitoline Museums, Rome, Italy

Ianthe, John William Godward, Private Collection

Did you know...

• Crossdressing is a popular theme in Greek mythology: In the story of Leukippe for example, her father and sister are kept prisoner overseas and the oracle advises her to “travel the earth as Apollo’s priest” to look for them. When she does, her family doesn’t recognise her and she narrowly escapes execution.