Hermaphroditism

> "*Well, that's how the theory goes. The Titans made us hermaphrodites so that we could be more efficient, to produce more children, so that all can both breed and be bred. But it's not more efficient, is it? It doesn't solve anything, does it? It staggers me that those ancient minds supposed to possess genius beyond mortal comprehension could be so damned short-sighted. What a ridiculous curse this is.*"
> ― Livia of Sonela, Nesarian Vampire
>
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*See Also: Hermaphrodite Question*

**Hermaphroditism**, the posession of both male and female sexual organs, is a biological trait present in several notable species endemic to Inecuria, including not only common animals (particularly arthropods) but also the Cisens and some races of Elfkin. Limkas are occasionally confused as being hermaphroditic, which is false, as they reproduce asexually.

Inecurian scholars distinguish two types of hermaphroditism within a species; full hermaphroditism (shortened to FH), where every member of a species (discounting abnormal mutations) is hermaphroditic; and partial hermaphroditism (shortened to PH), where hermaphrodites form a "third sex" and are a normal but not all-pervasive occurrence. There is some evidence that the Gold Elves may have been a PH species, but the only species with confirmed partial hermaphroditism is the Elves - specifically only the Saverian Elves - where hermaphrodites form between 1/5 and 1/4 of the population, varying by generation. All other hermaphroditic species, such as the Vampires, Dark Elves, Cisens and all ordinary animals who have this trait, are fully hermaphroditic.

Amongst the Saverian Elves, the historical record suggests that hermaphroditism is a relatively late occurrence amongst their species, almost certainly introduced through some kind of magical interference, presumably in an attempt to raise the notoriously slow growth rate of the Elvish population by introducing individuals who could both fertilise and be fertilised. The very first written mention of a hermaphroditic Elf dates to approximately 1000 BC, and hermaphrodites are not mentioned at all in any of the three main books of the Ticai Baca, the Elvetan holy scripture. Scholars suggest that hermaphroditism may not have become a common trait amongst the Saverian Elves until as late as 700 BC, the approximate date of when hermaphroditic skeletons start appearing at the expected frequency in Saverian burial sites. Hermaphroditism has never been recorded in the Eshérian Elves, nor has it been recorded in the offspring of Saverians and Eshérians, even when the Saverian parent is a hermaphrodite.

The hermaphrodites amongst both FH and PH species are incapable of self-fertilisation, as their bodies have mechanisms of rejecting and in most cases destroying their own sperm. Amongst the Cisens, sperm that is too genetically similar will be rejected, which also renders incest an impossibility - but amongst the hermaphroditic Elfkin, only an exact genetic match will be rejected, making incest possible. Theoretically, this means that mutated sperm with differing genetic code may potentially be able to fertilise an egg from the same person, but this has never been attempted.

## Name

The accepted academic term for individuals with fully functional male and female genitalia, who can produce both male and female gametes, is hermaphroditism. It is distinct from the label of intersex, which refers to an individual in a species with binary sexes who, as a result of their physical development going awry, have sex characteristics that do not conform to being either fully biologically male or female. Hermaphrodites reject the label of intersex not only because it is scientifically inaccurate, but because they believe it implies they are somehow mutated, abnormal or unnatural - labels which hermaphrodites have struggled to shake off for centuries.

Across Inecuria, hermaphrodites are frequently referred to with euphemisms, some of which are derogatory, but most of which are not taken as offensive or insulting. The most common euphemism refers to hermaphroditism as "peculiarity", and one who is a hermaphrodite is "peculiar". In Saveria specifically, a common joke euphemism refers to them as an "arsenal", since they are "fully equipped". Whilst not seen as offensive, this term is typically perceived as crude and vulgar.

Whilst most native Inecurian euphemisms or slang terms are not taken as offensive, hermaphrodites typically see most overseas slang terms for them as highly offensive, because almost all of them are crude and vulgar and derive from pornography that fetishises them. The term they see as the most insulting by far is "shemale", for this is a term usually restricted to transgender individuals.

## Opinions

Hermaphrodites are biologically alien to people from other intelligent races in a way that quite no other species is. In addition to the obvious physical differences, hermaphroditism leads to completely different social dynamics and organisation that individuals from races with binary sexes are incapable of relating to. This is particularly problematic for Elvish hermaphrodites, who had to somehow find a way to fit into a society and culture completely designed for binary sexes.

Hermaphrodites have long been viewed with suspicion, disgust and hatred. In the best cases, they are often seen as at least very strange - however, they have frequently been labelled as unnatural mutants, and historically it was common for Saverian Elves to believe that hermaphrodites were somehow cursed. Within Saveria, negative opinions of hermaphrodites were inflamed during the Hermaphrodite Question, the only civil war a unified Saveria has ever faced, when anti-hermaphrodite rhetoric was used for political purposes to discredit the incumbent monarch, High Queen Areia I, who was a hermaphrodite.

Anti-hermaphrodite beliefs amongst the Elves in particular has a strong element of paranoia; the rhetoric sometimes regards hermaphrodites as a threat to women, claiming that hermaphrodites disguise themselves as women to get close to their "prey"; in this line of thinking, hermaphrodites are viewed as sexually aggressive and as deviants who corrupt the moral purity of the Saverian nation. Whilst certain individual hermaphrodites - both Elves and Vampires - were infamous for their libertine and lecherous behaviour, such as Admiral Safera the Huntress, marriage records across multiple countries show that the trend was (and still is) consistently and overwhelmingly for Elvish hermaphrodites to almost exclusively marry with each other - likely as a result of being ostracised by the male and female populations. Whilst it was (and, again, still is) more common for hermaphrodites to marry females than males, both are a tiny proportion of the total marriages. They are even rarer amongst Vampires, barely making up 1% of all total recorded marriages, because Vampires cannot breed with any other race - and, by extension, cannot breed with either males or females.

### Modern Age

Whereas hermaphrodites have long suffered discrimination from other Inecurians, which still exists in a less extreme form in modern times, hermaphrodites have found themselves suffering the opposite problem in the modern age of the internet. Rather than being hated as unnatural, hermaphrodites have frequently found themselves becoming the object of sexual fetishisation from foreigners, and are increasingly targeted by sexual harassment both in person and online. The vast majority of overseas depictions of hermaphrodites are pornographic - or at least somewhat erotic - in nature.

Hermaphrodites generally object to being sexualised in principle, for Inecurians as a whole are generally a morally conservative people; they see it as degrading, insulting and offensive. However, many hermaphrodites have reported being unable to use social media or play online games without concealing their biology, as revealing that they are hermaphroditic often causes overt sexualisation and sometimes harassment. Discussion on this topic is frequently associated with issues women face on the internet generally, but hermaphrodites insist that their problem is far more extreme and psychologically taxing.

Particularly amongst the younger generations, who have more direct exposure to the internet, the backlash against this has been extreme. Those who fight against the increasing sexualisation of their kind tend to refer to themselves as Purists. There are several online Purist groups dedicated to retaliating against sexual harassment of hermaphrodites by exposing the behaviour of harassers to their families and employers, and publishing their personal information. Whilst most such groups are strictly retaliatory, some go on the offensive against creators of pornographic content that features their kind, exposing their personal details, performing DDoS attacks against their websites, and sometimes successfully hacking into their social media.

Hermaphrodites who decide to go into the pornography industry usually have to leave the Empire for their own safety, usually making their way to the United States of America; hermaphroditic porn actresses frequently receive death threats from Purists and are referred to as traitors, believed to be selling out their identity for the perverse gratification of foreigners. Whilst none have actually been killed by Purists, there are several cases of injuries and of improvised explosives or poisons being delivered to their homes.

The same cannot be said for creators of pornographic content featuring hermaphrodites, whether that be real-life content or drawn or animated. In 2012, Purist extremists tracked an American pornography director known for specialising in hermaphrodites who was visiting Avamorica, and proceeded to kidnap him. They filmed a video of themselves cutting off his "degenerate hands" before beheading him, and published it on several websites. Whilst the Purists in the video were identified and were subject to trial, they were all found not guilty on the charge of murder as the court found that they were "enraged beyond reason" and therefore unable to control themselves, despite clear evidence of the attack being premeditated and planned well in advance. They were then tried on the lesser charge of manslaughter, where the jury refused to find them guilty. The absence of any kind of punishment was harshly criticised by government officials from several western countries, particularly the United States.

## Gender and Orientation

In the light of modern western views on sex and gender, the distinction must be drawn between non-binary, intersex and hermaphroditic individuals. Non-binary individuals are those who consider themselves to not be men or women (they may consider themselves to not have a gender at all), intersex individuals are those from a species with binary sexes who do not biologically fit into either sex because of a mutation, and hermaphroditic individuals are those who "naturally" possess male and female sexual organs because they are of a partially or fully hermaphroditic species.

The academic community and the hermaphrodites themselves reject the label of intersex, instead using this term solely for people from species with binary sexes. The overwhelming majority of hermaphrodites also reject the label of non-binary and would probably be insulted at this label; Inecurians are a notoriously conservative and reactionary people and do not consider sex and gender to be separate concepts, regarding any gender identity separate from one's biological sex to be a mental disorder.

Hermaphroditic Elfkin are for the most part outwardly female, and so both ancient and modern societies have typically raised them as women and referred to them as women. In fully hermaphroditic societies, such as the Vampires and the now-extinct Dark Elves, they still maintained some degree of gender distinction; one section of society adhered to more masculine traits and societal roles and were typically the "givers" (i.e. fathers) of children, and the other section of society adhered to more feminine traits and societal roles and were typically the "bearers" (i.e. mothers) of children. However, because these were arbitrary and voluntary distinctions, the line between these two groups was muddled and it was often difficult to find an individual who fit fully into either group.

Partially hermaphroditic societies are significantly more complex due to the fact that the hermaphrodites coexist amongst biological males and females, and these societies have to deal with a question that has been asked more since the Bloodless Revolution of 1980 and the subsequent influx of western liberal ideas; what is the sexual orientation of a hermaphrodite and those who partner with them, and is a union between a hermaphrodite and a non-hermaphrodite valid under the Gods (or God)?

Historically, and to some extent in modern times, it was considered improper for a male to marry a hermaphrodite, and such a man was considered effeminate and verging on homosexual due to the various implications of a man marrying a person who possesses a penis. Females and hermaphrodites were considered to be a more fitting biological match for one another, but questions were raised concerning the validity of a marriage between what was, essentially, two women. Due to the confusion and discomfort over hermaphrodites marrying both males and females, historically it was most common for hermaphrodites to only marry each other, especially in the case of interspecies marriages.

Ever since the Bloodless Revolution of 1980, a steadily growing number of hermaphrodites have voiced their frustration at the politicisation of their existence and the sexualisation of their kind. The modern LGBT movement commonly refers to hermaphrodites as an example of how "cisgendered" heterosexuality is not the default existence for hominids, and one can occasionally find transsexual and transgender individuals expressing admiration and/or jealousy towards hermaphrodites, considering them to be some kind of ideal. As mentioned, Inecurians are a stubbornly conservative people, and the reaction from hermaphrodites towards this is typically one of revulsion.

### Orientation Surveys

The traditional terms for sexual orientation (heterosexual, homosexual, etc) simply cannot apply to hermaphrodites, so different terms must be used for them. Standard academic practice is to use the terms androphilia (attraction to males), gynophilia (attraction to females) and hermophilia (attraction to hermaphrodites, in other words homosexuality). Very few hermaphrodites exclusively fit into any one of these categories.

According to surveys of the population of hermaphroditic Saverian Elves, approximately 90-95% of them are hermophilic, 60% are gynophilic, and 40-50% are androphilic. Hermophilia was more prevalent amongst those who reported as gynophilic and not androphilic than amongst those who reported as androphilic and not gynophilic.

According to surveys of Vampires, the only extant fully hermaphroditic species of Elfkin, 98-99% reported as hermophilic. Since all surveys on this race noted that all responders who did not identify as hermophilic also identified as asexual - that is, lacking any sexual attraction at all - it can therefore be deduced that 100% of sexually active/interested Vampires are hermophilic. 50-60% of Vampires are gynophilic, but results for androphilia vary significantly between surveys, with the maximum reported result being 35% and the minimum being just 5%.

This huge range in reported androphilia can potentially be explained by one survey which was conducted in 2019, which distinguished androphilia between "true androphilia" and "quasi-androphilia". True androphilia was defined by the researchers as attraction to masculine appearance and behaviour - that is, standard masculine men - and quasi-androphilia was defined as attraction to androgynous, effeminate or otherwise not strongly masculine males. This survey reported that 10% of Vampires are truly androphilic, whereas 30% of them are quasi-androphilic.

The researchers speculated that true androphilia is so rare amongst Vampires because they are not naturally inclined to be attracted to masculinity or a masculine appearance, since their race has no males within it, and they are therefore not "supposed" to breed with males. Since androgynous or effeminate males bear a closer resemblance to hermaphrodites, it would make sense that the prevalence of attraction towards them is higher. The researchers went on to further speculate that if the same survey was conducted on hermaphroditic Elves, the proportion of true androphiles would be much higher than what is seen in Vampires.

## Marriage

Hermaphrodites are, under Imperial law, guaranteed the right to marry males, females and hermaphrodites, a right which no lower institution is capable of denying - with the exception of Cisenila, which prohibits marriage between Cisens and non-Cisens within its borders, *de facto* preventing the marriage of a hermaphrodite to a female or male, as all Cisens are hermaphrodites. However, this does not mean that all religions and their institutions agree with this law.

### Nakkalism

Several Nakkalite councils have been held on the topic of hermaphrodites over the centuries, which have established a clear set of rules determining the marriage of hermaphrodites. Both Amekizites and Shurites will bless unions between two hermaphrodites, and both will permit marriages between hermaphrodites and either males or females - however the Amekizites discourage marriages between hermaphrodites and females, and Shurites discourage marriages between hermaphrodites and males. Shurites additionally discourage marriages between Vampire hermaphrodites and either males or females - as they generally discourage interspecies marriages completely - but the Amekizites consider this perfectly acceptable.

### Christianity

The Patriarchate of Inecuria (the Orthodox church of the Nesarian Empire) considers unions between hermaphrodites and males, females or other hermaphrodites to be valid. The Pan-Protestant Council of Inecuria has the same opinion. The Archbishopric of Inecuria (the Catholic church) does not recognise unions between hermaphrodites and males as valid, believing that a male should not marry an individual who also possesses a penis, but permits them between hermaphrodites and females or other hermaphrodites.

### Islam

The Islamic Council of Inecuria considers marriages between hermaphrodites and females or other hermaphrodites to be *halal* (permissible), and marriages between hermaphrodites and males to be *makruh* (permissible, but disliked) - though it should be noted that a large dissenting minority contests this judgement, and consider marriages between hermaphrodites and males to be simply *halal*. Polygamy is forbidden by Imperial law, but the Council also decreed that if polygamy were possible, a polygamous marriage involving a hermaphrodite is forbidden (*haram*); if any of the partners is a hermaphrodite, the marriage can only be between two people. The Council particularly denounced a polygamous marriage involving a male, female(s) and one or more hermaphrodites, warning of the possibility of the hermaphrodite(s) "undermining the masculinity and patriarchal authority" of the man. The implication of this euphemism is fairly obvious to the average reader.

This conclusion is contested by Islamic scholars (both Sunni and Shia) from the rest of the Muslim world, who insist upon only viewing biological sex in binary terms and do not recognise hermaphrodites as a distinct sex. They base this conclusion on the fact that the first people and the first married couple, Aadam (Adam) and Hawwa (Eve), only came in male and female, and they also look to the precedent of earlier judgements surrounding intersex individuals, which require them to conform to either male or female. Since hermaphrodites overwhelmingly resemble females and are often predominantly feminine in their behaviour, most Islamic scholars from the Middle East conclude that they must be treated as women - which would render a marriage between a hermaphrodite and a male far from *makruh*, but instead the same as a normal marriage, which is *sunnah*. This would also mean that marriages between two hermaphrodites or between a hermaphrodite and a female cannot be recognised as valid. However, the general consensus even amongst Islamic scholars who hold this opinion is that when it comes to Vampires, it is fully permissible for two hermaphrodites to marry one another, as they literally have no other option if they wish to bear children.

Inecurian Islamic scholars agree that, when it comes to Humans, intersex individuals should conform to either being male or female, but they argue that Human standards should not be applied to non-Humans and they have described applying Human biology to Elves as "incoherent". The Inecurian scholars do concede that hermaphrodites are predominantly feminine, and a marriage between two feminine individuals may present issues, but hermaphrodites also possess some behaviours which are typically described as masculine and they are capable of acting in a masculine manner, so the scholars concluded that they are capable of fulfilling the role of a father and husband. They also classify a marriage between a male and a hermaphrodite as *makruh* (though, again, this is contested) due to concerns over a male marrying a person who possesses a penis, which could lead to additional relationship issues beyond the obvious potential for unnatural sexual acts (which are themselves *makruh* or *haram*) to occur.