Hermaphroditus was the son of Hermes and Aphrodite in Greek mythology. He was born as a boy, and was raised by naiad nymph on Mount Ida. When he reached the age of fifteen, he decided to explore further from his surroundings and eventually reached the forest of Caria near Halicarnassus. There, he met the nymph Salmacis in a pool, who was overcome with desire for the boy. However, she was rejected by him, who after thinking the nymph had left, undressed and entered the pool. Salmacis then suddenly appeared and wrapped herself around him. While he was trying to evade her, she asked the gods to be forever united with Hermaphroditus, and the gods listened to her wish. As a result, their bodies were blended into one and became a creature of two sexes.
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For MLA style citation use: GreekMythology.com, The Editors of Website. "Hermaphroditus". GreekMythology.com Website, 29 Mar. 2015, https://www.greekmythology.com/Other_Gods/Minor_Gods/Hermaphroditus/hermaphroditus.html. Accessed 23 March 2023.