Iphis is a baby who is born a girl but raised as a boy. When Iphis’s mother was pregnant with her, her father had threatened to kill the baby if it was a girl. With the help of a goddess, Iphis’s mother conceals Iphis’s gender and raises her as a boy. When Iphis falls in love with a girl and becomes engaged to her, she frets because she knows she won’t be able to be a true husband to her lover. Iphis’s mother, also distressed, again calls on Isis for help. Isis transforms Iphis into a boy, and Iphis marries his lover.
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Iphis Character Timeline in Metamorphoses
The timeline below shows where the character Iphis appears in Metamorphoses. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Book 9: Iphis
...conceals the baby’s gender from everyone, including her husband. The man names his supposed son Iphis, and the baby is raised as a boy.
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Thirteen years later, Iphis’s father arranges for Iphis to marry a girl named Ianthe. Ianthe looks forward happily to...
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Iphis’s mother is as distraught as Iphis. She delays the wedding as long as she can,...
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Book 10: Orpheus and Eurydice
Shortly after Iphis marries Ianthe, another marriage takes place in Thrace. Hymen, the god of marriage, attends, but...
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