In Greek mythology, Siproites ( /sɪprˈɔɪtɪs/; sip-ROY-teez; Greek: Σιπροίτης, translit. Siproítēs), also romanized as Siproetes or Siproeta, 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. ^{[1] [2]}

Mythology

Siproites, while hunting, saw Artemis bathing naked; in response to the offence, the virgin goddess turned him into a woman. ^[3] 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. ^{[4] [5]}

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. ^{[6] [7]}

Symbolism

This sex-change tale shares similarities with the myth of Athena blinding Tiresias for seeing her naked, ^[8] as well as the story of Actaeon, who saw Artemis naked and was transformed into a stag that was hunted down and devoured by his own hunting dogs; it has been noted that in comparison to Actaeon, Artemis was rather lenient toward Siproites for what was the same offence. ^[9] 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. ^[10] In Greek mythology female-to-male transformation is treated as a positive outcome and solution to a problem, whereas the opposite situation where a man is transformed into a woman (which is the case for Siproites and Tiresias) is a negative experience and synonymous with punishment. ^[11]

See also

• Caeneus
• Leucippus
• Iphis
• Tiresias

Notes

References

• Antoninus Liberalis, The Metamorphoses of Antoninus Liberalis, translated by Francis Celoria (Routledge 1992). Online version at topos text.
• Celoria, Francis (1992). The Metamorphoses of Antoninus Liberalis: A Translation with a Commentary. Canada, USA: Routledge. ISBN  0-415-06896-7.
• Fontenrose, Joseph Eddy (1981). Orion: The Myth of the Hunter and the Huntress. Berkeley, Los Angeles: University of California Press. ISBN  0-520-09632-0.
• Forbes Irving, Paul M. C. (1990). Metamorphosis in Greek Myths. Oxford Classical Monographs. Oxford, New York, Toronto: Oxford University Press, Clarendon Press. ISBN  0-19-814730-9.
• Hard, Robin (2004). The Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology: Based on H.J. Rose's "Handbook of Greek Mythology". Psychology Press. ISBN  9780415186360.
• Patsi-Garin, Emmy (1969). Επίτομο λεξικό Ελληνικής Μυθολογίας [Epitomic Dictionary of Greek Mythology] (in Greek). Athens: Χάρη Πάτση publications.
• Roscher, Wilhelm Heinrich (1909). Ausführliches Lexikon der griechischen und römischen Mythologie [Detailed dictionary of Greek and Roman mythology] (in German). Vol. IV. Leipzig: Teubner-Verlag.