Something that is very beautiful that not a lot of people understand is that Aphrodite has actually been depicted as a male god before in ancient times. Additionally, I would even say that she's been recognized as gender-fluid religiously, and possibly trans / intersex (though I tend to see Hermaphroditus as the intersex Greek deity and I'd need to look more into those ideas in regards to Aphrodite with a closer lens to make a post about them). There's a lot of symbolism and meaning for this, but I really wanted to just introduce you guys to the idea visually:
Table of Contents:
Aphroditus (Aphroditos)
Herm of Aphroditos
The Bearded Aphrodite / Venus
Resources to Learn More
Disclaimer
Aphroditus (Aphroditos):
Aphroditus is the male and / or androgynous variation of Aphrodite.
Origin: Cyprus
Also worshipped in: Athens (later on, in 4th century BC)
Herm of Aphroditus:
Herms were typically used for protection when going outdoors, and were placed in front of homes as well as other places such as personal gardens. Herms typically are of a male deity with a large and / or erect penis. (I might make another post on herms later so I won't go too far into detail haha, but they are usually deities like Hermes or his son Priapus so this is a super interesting statue of Aphroditos to find)
The Bearded Aphrodite / Venus:
Yup! This variation of Aphrodite even survived into Rome. This version of her / him / them is known as Bearded Aphrodite or even Venus Barbata (Bearded Venus). Sometimes, she / he is (or they are) depicted with a scepter, bald(? hard to confirm this one), or with other traits -- but she he is (or they are) always, well, bearded!
Resources to Learn More:
*Please note: Any actual book listed below I haven't read in-full, and these are just sources if you're curious, please still research further on your own. Thank you!!
An article on Aphrodite through a Queer Theory lens (according to a Classicist): IMAGINING TRANS APHRODITE
Check out this book by archaeologist Marie-Louise Winbladh: The Bearded Goddess | San Francisco Public Library | BiblioCommons (ebook) The Bearded Goddess: Androgynes, goddesses and monsters in ancient Cyprus: Winbladh, Marie-Louise: 9789963706310: Amazon.com: Books (paperback)
A paper on androgynous beings (including Aphroditus; written by an independent scholar): Tresi-Nonno-2018-Images-of-androgynous-beings-of-Jomon-epoch-Cultural-Anthropology-and-Ethnosemiotics-Vol-4-N-4-pp-49-62.pdf
A book on Aphroditos becoming "submerged" with Hermaphroditus to form their view of Aphrodite: The Salmakis Inscription and Hellenistic Halikarnassos - Google Books
Some brief excerpts about Beaded Aphrodite and Aphroditos) (Aphrodite and Hermaphroditus becoming confused as each other due to Aphroditos: Sexual Ambivalence: Androgyny and Hermaphroditism in Graeco-Roman Antiquity - Luc Brisson - Google Books
An article about Aphrodite's cult in Cyprus: CYPRUS: Myth and Cult of Aphrodite on Cyprus
This is an article about Aphritodus but I was only able to use google translate so I'm not sure how good it is but it seems okay: Αφρόδιτος: Η Transgender θεότητα της Αρχαίας Ελλάδας
A folklorist's work on the Bearded Venus: The Bearded Venus on JSTOR
Some modern interpretations by a 2019 fine arts plastic artist: (PDF) Bearded Venus of Cyprus
This miscellaneous and quick article I found on Aphrodite and marriage: Bearded Aphrodite | Samizdat again not sure how accurate this one is but I still found it to be a fun read and I will likely look further into its claims later
"Aphrodite Beyond Binaries" which has some digestible insights and some sources linked as well: Aphrodite Beyond Binaries - by Sophie Strand
A book that also highlighted Bearded Aphrodite: Scythians and Greeks: Cultural Interactions in Scythia, Athens and the Early ... - Google Books
Disclaimers:
Please look further into these subjects before taking my word about the artifact details. It was difficult to research personally because most of my resources about them I came across long ago and never saved, including some texts. Thank you!
