The story of Lena and Megilla, a transsexual relationship in ancient Greece
An article by Ana Flores* published on the website Homosensual (Mexico) On February 15, 2022, freely translated by Alessandra Vessera
An event of antiquity now forgotten is the story of Lena and Megilla, the first documented transsexual relationship.
The dialogues of the courtesansIt is a work dating back to antiquity who tells of Lena and Megilla, or the one that seems to be the first documented transsexual report.
The paternity of this relic is attributed toLuciano di Samosata, writer, lawyer and Syrian sculptor who wrote in Greek.
Luciano spent his childhood in a family with many economic difficulties. Once he reached the age of majority, he became a traveling sophist. During his life he wrote important works.
Among these, we remember how to write the story, the parasite and the tragedy of the Gotta. Among the satirical and moral works we find dialogues of the gods, dialogues of the dead, Caronte, Prometheus,The assembly of the godsisCortigian dialogues.
It is in the latter work that a conversation is reported betweenClonetisLena, where lenaHe says he met Megilla in Corinth, an important city of the Peloponnese in Greece. Then meetsDemonass, who will then become his wife.
WhenClonetask questions relating to the meeting,Lena repeats a piece of music and dance. Once this moment of celebration is finished, Megilla and Demonassa invite her to drink wine and lie on the bed. According to Lena, during an exchange of kisses Megilla tells them they are a man.
What else to know about this story?
Thererelationship between megilla, lena and clonette is one of the most complexof antiquity. This is due to the fact that it is documented only on the basis of the satirical interpretation ofDialogues. Also, it is even said that Lena is "A pseudo -driver figure".
One thing you are sure is that it was onecompany lady; For this it is known under the name of'Hetaira'(ἑταῖρα). According to scholars, his name was one of the most common among these groups of women.
About Megilla (which is usually calledMegill), it is believed that it was very wealthy. In the conversation reported in the dialogue, Clonetta reveals that Megilla lived on the island ofLesbosFor a certain period of time. Hence the theory that describes Sappho of Mytilene as a fundamental part in the relationship he had with Lena.
Another detail that cannot be omitted is thatSome specialists consider megilla a non -binary person. Regarding Clonetta, it is known that he was one of the faithful in love with Lena.
* 🦋 (Ana) Rircha Latinameric (Ana) 🦋 you/them. Vampire Host 🦇🌈 affrontation the themes of sexual diversity, reproductive justice, social movements and the policies of feelings 💚 I speak/I write about many series - Mostly LGBT+ - and Dark/Grave/Minimal Wave band. Bisexual, Obviously.
Original text: Leaena y Megilla: Primera Relación Trans de la Antigüedad
