Siproites

In Greek mythology, Siproites (/sɪprˈɔɪtɪs/; sip-ROY-teez; Greek: Σιπροίτης Siproítēs) or Siproetes is the name of a Cretan hero, who saw the goddess Artemis naked while she was bathing and was then transformed into a woman, paralleling the story of the hunter Actaeon.

Mythology

Siproites, while hunting, saw Artemis bathing naked; in response to the offence, the virgin goddess turned him into a woman. The myth is narrated in a single line:

The Cretan, Siproites, had also been turned into a woman for having seen Artemis bathing when out hunting.

The full story of Siproites has been lost to time; the above passage is all that remains, as Antoninus Liberalis alone preserves the tale in a brief mention within the context of a different myth, in which a Cretan woman named Galatea lists various occasions of gods changing the gender of mortals while begging the goddess Leto to change her daughter Leucippus into a boy, so that the girl's father Lamprus who wished for a son will not kill her.

Symbolism

This sex-change tale shares similarities with the myth of Athena blinding Tiresias for seeing her naked. The sex-reversal story brings its hero Siproites into line with several other male hunters and soldiers who were emasculated by a goddess, both literally and metaphorically, such as Attis and Orion. In Greek mythology female-to-male transformation is treated as a positive outcome and solution to a problem, whereas the opposite situation, which is the case for Siproites and Tiresias, is a negative experience and synonymous with punishment.

See also

• Caeneus
• Leucippus
• Iphis
• Tiresias

References

• Antoninus Liberalis, The Metamorphoses of Antoninus Liberalis, translated by Francis Celoria (Routledge 1992). Online version at topos text.