Caeneus
By: Nick Iakovidis
Tags: Ancient History, Greek Mythology, Ancient Greece, History, Mythology

Caeneus

Caeneus (in the middle) fighting the Centaurs during the Centauromachy — the mythical battle between the Human race and the Centaurs (image source: Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Caeneus#/media/File:Bauer_-_Caeneus_Centaurs.jpg).

When it comes to ancient Greek heroes, we all know and love Achilles, Jason, Theseus, and of course the mythological equivalent of Superman, the man, the myth, the legend, Hercules. However, there were many other heroes in Greek mythology, whose names are forgotten and whose deeds are long lost in the sands of time. Today we will explore one of these unknown figures, who holds the title of the first-ever trans hero to be depicted in mythology. This is the epic story of Caeneus, his adventures, and his tragic death.

Trapped in a Girl’s Body

One time long ago, when pegasi roamed the skies, and the Gods ruled their subjects from the snow-covered peaks of Olympus, there was a beautiful young Nymph, named Caenis (“Καινίδα” in ancient Greek). She was the only daughter of Elatos, a forest spirit, and Hippea.

Since she was a little child Caenis was different from the other Nymphs. While the rest of them loved singing among the trees, wandering through the forests, and playing with the animals, or grooming their hair with all sorts of flowers, oils, and aromas, Caenis’ soul craved something different. She wanted to hunt, fight, and live the life of a man. Moreover, she wished to be a man and often thought that she was “trapped” in a foreign body, one entirely different from the desires of her soul. Alas, nothing could be done to transform her body. She was doomed to live the rest of her years as a woman, a perspective that she thought was extremely boring and unsuiting for her. Unfortunately, life was about to get much worse…

The rape of Caenis (image source: Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Rape_of_Caeneus#/media/File:Neptune_and_Caenis_MET_DP864221.jpg).

One fateful day the young maiden was spotted by Poseidon, the mighty God of the Sea, who happened to take a walk at a beach. He immediately fell in love with her. Using all his charm, he presented himself — divine and powerful — and declared his love. Caenis was not impressed. She repeatedly turned down the fishy Romeo. No matter how hard Poseidon tried, promising her gifts, palaces, and fame, she would not give in to his desires.

At this point the myth divides itself into two different versions: The “bad version” says that Poseidon, enraged by Caenis’ rejection, rapes the young Nymph, while the poor girl is screaming in agony and pain. After he pleases his sexual desires, he realizes that Caenis remains utterly disgusted with him. To fix the awkward situation between them, he decides to grant her a wish, some sort of a “sorry I rapped you” gift. So, he swears by the Gods of Olympus that he shall grant her whatever she desires the most.

In the “good version” Caenis manages to trick the god. She pretends to give up and states that if Poseidon grants her a specific present, she will finally surrender to his open arms. Poseidon, who at the moment has more blood running to his lower head than his upper, does not think through this twice and swears that he shall give the beautiful Nymph, whatever she wishes.

In both versions, Caenis asks what her heart desires the most: to change her gender and become a man. Poseidon is enraged by this wish and realizes that he has been tricked. But he is a god and cannot take back his oath. He grants Caenis her wish and transforms her into a man. Caenis the Nymph is officialy dead, and Caeneus the Warrior is born.

Caeneus the Centaur Slayer

Having a new body and gender Caeneus has every reason to be happy. But the best part is still to come. Caenis knew that Poseidon would not take kindly the fact that he had been tricked by a lesser Nymph. As soon as the transformation ended, he would surely kill the young man in a matter of seconds. For that reason, she added one tiny, little detail to the whole new gender thing. She also wished for her new body to be invulnerable to every weapon made by Gods, Monsters, and Men. In that way, Poseidon would be unable to hurt her ever again. The god fulfilled her wish and granted her unpenetrable skin. But as soon as Poseidon mumbled the last words of the spell that transformed Caenis, a devious smile appeared on his face. For Fate has always a plan to punish the ones who dare to distort the harmony of the Cosmos and trick the Gods…

Caeneus, eager to start his new life as a man, moved to Thessaly, to the land of the famous Lapiths. He quickly impressed them with his unnatural strength, bravery, and of course his unpenetrable skin, which made every weapon on earth smash into pieces. He soon became one of the finest warriors in Greece — a true master of the art of war. He hunted down terrible beasts, joined the Argonauts on their famous journey, and defended his new home against numerous invasions. The Lapiths, admiring both his war skills and his incredible leadership abilities, decided to make him prince. He also finally found the love that he desired with his new body. He married a woman and together had one son, named Coronus. According to another version, however (and in a surprising twist), Caeneus marries a man and he delivers the baby Coronus, which indicates that his male body had also female genitals!

Caeneus is finally living his best life. He has found a new home, where is accepted for what he is. He found love and started a family. He has all that he wished and even more! But soon clouds began to darken the horizon…

One day, while the Lapiths and their king, Perithus, were busy celebrating their king’s marriage, there was a report that strange beings came into the court and demanded an audition with the king. These beings were the savage Centaurs who dwelled in mount Pelio. These half-human and half-horse creatures were known murderers, rapers, and thieves, who enjoyed nothing more than spreading pain and disaster wherever they roamed. Surprisingly, their visit did not indicate any mean intention. The Centaurs had heard that Perithus was getting married and invited themselves to his marriage. The king was not keen on his sudden guests, but at this point rejecting them might cause far more troubles than allowing them to attend the wedding. So he accepted their visit, but at the same time ordered his most trusted warrior, Caeneus, to watch them closely.

The marriage was taken place under the slopes of Pelion and a large feast was soon followed, where both Men and Centaurs joint the same tables to celebrate. Soon the savage nature of the Centaurs started to appear. They drank large proportions of wine, cup after cup. They became drunk and started to offend both the guests and the married couple. Suddenly the leader of the Centaurs, being completely drunk, tried to kidnap the king’s wife. The young woman screamed terrified as the creature, being full of lust, grabbed her and started galloping away. But after taking just a few steps, Caeneus appeared and with the strength of five men managed to immobilize the beast. Enraged by the Centaur’s act, the Lapiths cut off his nose and ears. Seeing their leader humiliated, the rest Centaurs drew their weapons and in a matter of seconds, the marrying feast was turned into a blood bath. The Lapiths emerged victorious and drove the beasts away largely thanks to Caeneus, who single-handily slaughtered five of them!

The Death of a Warrior

The remaining Centaurs run back to mountain Pelion, where they started gathering their forces to revenge the Lapiths. But no matter how great their numbers were, they dared not to cross the Lapiths’ land, for they feared Caeneus’ wrath far too much.

After the feast, the young hero hunted down the remaining Centaurs and killed without mercy any creature, unlucky enough to stand in his path. He became a legend among his people, the “Bane of the Centaurs”. Seeing his unparallel war skills, and immense strength, many started worshiping him as a God. Caeneus himself did nothing to stop these acts. On the contrary, he fully embraced them! In an act of egoism and arrogance, he placed his spear — the weapon which had slaughtered many beasts, barbarians, and of course Centaurs — in the palace and asked his people to worship it as a holy relic.

This was a fatal mistake…

Deep in the abyss, Poseidon, Caeneus’ nemesis, watched with great interest what was happening over Thessaly. His hate towards the Nymph who fooled him had only grown larger within the years. He was unable to kill the hero. But he could do something far worse to him… And now, after Caeneus’ act of hubris, he had finally the reason to deliver some good, ol’ divine punishment.

On one dark night, Poseidon appeared on mountain Pelio, in front of the surprised Centaurs. He urged them to attack the Lapiths and not fear Caeneus. When the time was right he would reveal them how to bring down the champion of Thessaly.

The Centaurs obeyed the god and prepared for battle. Thousands of them plundered the plain of Thessaly, burning villages, raping, and killing. The Lapiths gathered their army and set out to meet them in one decisive battle. One morning the beasty hordes finally met the armies of Men and a terrible fight broke out. Caeneus was fighting in the front ranks, his spear — made of fir that his father had gifted to him — was bathed in Centaur blood. In the midst of battle, a group of Centaurs, guided by Poseidon himself, managed to spot the hero and isolate him from his men. Then they put the God’s plan into action. They brought with them large clubs, made from branches and tree trunks and started clubbing the hero without mercy. Of course, due to his super-skin, Caeneus was unable to die. But he felt the terrible pain from the beating. He raised his shield to defend himself. Within seconds the monstrous swings of the clubs broke it into pieces. Unable to protect from the multiple strikes, Caeneus raised his hands. It was then that he realized what was happening:

The Centaurs were hammering him to the ground!

Strike after strike Caeneus was sinking deeper into the mud. He was unable to move, he cried for help, but no one heard him… Helpless, unable to protect himself, unable to resist, he was buried alive and left his last breath, choking in the dirt… The hero of Thessaly, the “Bane of the Centaurs” was dead and Poseidon had his revenge…

The death of Caeneus (image source: Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Caeneus?uselang=it#/media/File:Piero_di_cosimo,_lotta_tra_lapiti_e_centauri,_1500-15_ca._18.jpg).

Who was Caeneus? A modern analysis

Caeneus is one of Greek mythology’s most interesting and unique heroes. His incredible life and tragic death have seen many different variations, which of course I am not able to present here. First of all, we have his unique sexual orientation, a human being who is not straight, neither gay, nor bisexual, but instead is transgender, a woman who became man, not because she wanted to live a man’s life, but because she thought of herself as a man in a woman’s body. What’s even more interesting is that after his transformation (which of course was divine since gender surgery was not a thing) no one questions his choice, neither his worth as a warrior and a man. The Lapiths not only embraced Caeneus as their companion, but they awarded him for his worth by making him a prince or king according to other adaptations of the myth. Caeneus also found a love interest and had a son, as I have already stated.

It is quite interesting to see how people of the past viewed modern-day taboos. Caeneus was a highly respected hero in ancient Greece. In Homer’s “Iliad”, king Nestor states that he knew Caeneus in his youth and that he was one of the most worthy men he knew, far greater than Agamemnon or even Achilles! No one in the ancient texts, questions the choice of Caenis, or if she was worthy as a man. No one seems to view her transformation as wrong, blasphemous, or weird. It is worth noting that even the story’s main antagonist, Poseidon, hates Caeneus because he managed to trick him, not because of the nature of his wish. When he finally punishes him, he does that because he has surpassed the natural order of the Cosmos and wants to be worshiped as a god. His punishment is due to his hubris, not his gender choice.

Regarding the worship of Caeneus, it is possible that is based on real historical elements. Modern historians believe that Caeneus was either a Mycenean hero, around whom a cult was formed, or a much older, native deity — probably a god of war — which had some association with the forests and nature and was later overshadowed by the more prominent Olympian gods. This might also explain his punishment for wanting to be worshipped together with the Olympians.

In the end, Caeneus’ story teaches us to always be proud of who we are and about our life choices. To always follow our dreams and never let anyone stop us from fulfilling our desires. Oh, and never try to fool Poseidon…

Bibliography

Greek Legends and Myths.com, Caeneus in Greek Mythology, available at https://www.greeklegendsandmyths.com/caeneus.html, (last access: 03/09/2021)

Greek Language.gr, (2012), Caeneus, available at https://www.greek-language.gr/digitalResources/ancient_greek/mythology/lexicon/metamorfoseis/page_115.html, (last access: 03/09/2021)

Ovid, Humphries., R., (1983), Ovid Metamorphoses, Indiana University Press, USA