Hermaphroditus
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Hermaphroditis was the child of Hermes and Aphrodite. The name Hermaphroditus is a combination of the parents' names. He was born an exceptionally beautiful boy, and became even more attractive as he grew older. As a young teenager he grew bored of his surroundings and went off on a journey. Along the way he came upon a nymph, Salmacis, lounging in her pool. She was overcome with lust for the beautiful boy and tried to flirt with him but was rejected for he was still quite young. After she left, Hermaphradites undressed and entered the empty pool to swim and suddenly the nymph jumped out from behind a tree and wrapped herself around him and began to rape him. He naturally began to struggle but Salmacis called out to gods begging that the two of them should never be parted. The gods heard her prayers and granted her wish and their two bodies combined forming a two-sexed creature. Hermaphrodites is usually shown as a beautiful woman with male genitalia and is a common character in ancient Roman artwork. Sometimes they are accepted by a would be suitor while other times they elicit disgust and are shunned for their 'monstrous' appearance.
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