# Salmacis and Hermaphroditus [View the canonical artwork record]() ## Artwork - Artist: [CARNOVALI, Giovanni]() - Date: 1801-1850 - Technique: Oil on canvas ## Commentary In Greek mythology, Hermaphroditus or Hermaphroditos was the child of Aphrodite and Hermes. He was a minor deity of bisexuality and effeminacy. According to the legend, he grew up to become an incredibly beautiful and masculine man. One day while he was in the woods, a nymph named Salmacis saw him and became so infatuated with him that she grabbed hold of him and refused to let go. She made a prayer to the gods to make them never part. It was the Greek way of explaining why one out of every fifty people was a hermaphrodite. Hermaphroditus later became friends with Dionysius and the two gods are considered to be the patron gods of all hermaphrodites. ## Attribution [Web Gallery of Art]()