Oops, Thought DeVun was Done

This chapter explores the use of hermaphroditic symbolism (mostly in the mythic “half-and-half” version) in alchemy and in religious symbolism around the figures of Christ and of Adam and Eve. The texts under consideration belong primarily to the 14th and 15th centuries. I’m going to skim this material a bit as it stands aside from the treatment of actual persons.

Alchemy dealt with transformations, both physical and spiritual, by manipulating competing binary properties (similar to humoral theory). This included assigning gendered properties to physical matter. One of the goals was to achieve a perfect balance and fusion of properties. Symbolically, this harkens back to theories of pre-lapsarian man as a non-binary (non-gendered) state, equivalent to the angels. This perfect non-binary substance was symbolized by Christ. Within this context (as opposed to when actual people were involved) non-binary sex he had an entirely positive connotation.

The book’s coverage ends before a major shift in interest about “hermaphrodites” “that included increasing hostility toward intersexuality in medical and legal discourse. [Note: one aspect of the shift was a rise in anxiety about various types of gender-crossing, such as clothing fashions. DeVun doesn’t get into this aspect.]

Conclusion: Tension and Tenses

There is a very short conclusion section that reiterates the book’s main themes and places them in the context of modern academic thought.