在古希腊哲学家柏拉图(Plato)的“会饮会”(Symposium，直译为“交际酒会”，古希腊的一种哲理讨论的交际聚会，其间还有饮酒、听音乐等活动。——译者注)中，其中的一位宾客就爱的起源问题提出过一种有趣的理论。这个理论以为人类的大多数起初都是男女同体的，也就是说，既具有女性特征也具有男性特征。提出这个理论的宾客就是著名的戏剧作家亚里斯多菲尼斯(Aristophanes，公元前448-385；其著名的戏剧如“The Birds”、“The Clouds”和“Lysistrata”)，他的神乎其神的吹牛人们并未当真。不过，数个世纪过去了，亚里斯多菲尼斯的神侃仍然使许多作家和艺术家痴迷，他们为着各自的需要引用了他的所谓理论。鉴于此，我们在此引述这段原文(略作删节)：  

亚里斯多菲尼斯说：“人类的本来面目并不是像现在这个样子……。人的性别原本不是两个，而是原初的三个：男性、女性和称作阴阳同体的(androgynous)男女两性的合胞体……。原始人类曾经是球形的，他的后背形成圆球；并且有四双手、四只腿和一个安放在圆形颈部的头以及朝向相反方向的两个精确相像的面孔；当然，也有四只眼睛、两套外生殖器，如此等等……。他能够象现在的人一样直立行走，前进和后退运动自如，他并且能够交替地运用四只手和四只腿以及八个肢体一起快速地滚动，能够象杂技演员一样用它的腿在空中四处走动；只要他想快速跑动，他就会这么做。就像我已经描述过一样，性别有三个；因为太阳、月亮和地球是三个；男人起初是太阳之子，女人是地球之女，阴阳人则是月亮所生，月亮则由太阳和地球所组成，并且象他们的双亲一样，阴阳人都是圆形的和一刻不停地旋转着移动。阴阳人的精力非常旺盛，野心狂妄，还想袭击众神……。然而，众神应该如何对此傲慢无礼的行为作出反应？它们是否应该用雷霆消灭人类？……。如果是这样，则意味着终止这些人向它们的献祭和供奉……。 终于，宙斯找到了解决方案。宙斯说：‘我有一个能贬抑他们的傲慢和让他们懂得礼貌的部署：人类会继续生存下来，不过我要把他们劈成两半并借此削弱他们的精力和增加他们的数量；这样处理他们将对我们会更加有利可图’。然后，就像切开一个苹果一样，或者就像你可能切开一个长毛的鸡蛋一样，宙斯把人类劈成了两半，当他一个接着一个把人劈开的时候，他要求阿波罗留下面孔和一半能够旋转的脖子，以让一个人能够凝视他的另一半并就此而学会谦卑。阿波罗也被要求治愈他们的伤口并给他们整形……。自从宙斯把完整的人劈成两半以后，每一半就渴望得到另一半。他们相聚一起，并且彼此张开臂膀拥抱着、缠绕着、渴望融成一体……。 所以，我们每一个人，当被分开的时候，总是盼望他的另一半。曾经一度被称作阴阳人(androgynous)的双性生物体的一部分的男人是女人的爱人……，而按照这种方式产生的女人则渴望着男人。原始女人(指上述呈球形体的女人——译者注)一部分的这个女人并不想男人，而是爱着女人。而原始男人(指上述呈球形体的男人——译者注)一部分的这个男人则追逐男性，当他们年轻的时候，四处寻觅男人，渴望着他们，他们就是他们自己的最理想的男孩和青年人，因为他们有着最男性化的本性……。他们就像他们一样，勇敢而富于热情。而且当他们成长起来时，就会成为我们的政治家”。 柏拉图(公元前427-347)是西方最有影响的思想家。“会饮会”为一种哲学讨论会，是他的主修功课之一。 Plato (427-347 BC) was one of the most influential Western thinkers. The “Symposium”, a philosophical discussion of love, is one of his major works.

Intersexuality - Introduction

Historical Footnotes - Mythology

The ancient Greek philosopher Plato, in his „Symposium“, has one of the guests propose an amusing theory about the origin of love. This theory assumes that, originally, a part of the human race was androgynous, i.e. had both female and male characteristics. The guest is Aristophanes (448-385 B.C.), the famous writer of comedies (“The Birds”, “The Clouds”, “Lysistrata”), and his tall tale is not meant to be taken seriously. Nevertheless, over the centuries, it has continued to fascinate many writers and artists who have used it for their own purposes. Therefore, we are providing here the (slightly abbreviated) original text:

Aristophanes said: “The original human nature was not as it is today... The sexes were not two, but originally three in number: Male, female, and a union of the two called androgynous… The primeval human being was round, his back and sides forming a circle; and he had four hands and four feet, one head with two faces, looking opposite ways, set on a round neck and precisely alike; also four ears, two private parts, and so on…... He could walk upright as men now do, backwards or forwards as he pleased, and he could also roll over and over at a great pace, turning on his four hands and four feet, eight in all, like tumblers going over and over with their legs in the air; this was when he wanted to run fast. The sexes were three as I have described them; because the sun, moon, and earth are three; The male was originally the child of the sun, the female of the earth, and the male-female of the moon, which is made up of sun and earth, and they were all round and moved round and round: like their parents. Their strength was great, and their ambitions were great, and they decided to attack the gods…. But how should the gods respond to this insolence? Should they kill the human race with thunderbolts? …But that would mean the end of the sacrifices and worship which these humans offered to them… At last, Zeus found the solution. He said: "I have a plan which will humble their pride and improve their manners: Humans shall continue to exist, but I will cut them in two and then they will diminish in strength and increase in numbers; this will have the advantage of making them more profitable to us. …." He then cut the humans in two, like an apple, or as you might divide an egg with a hair; and as he cut them one after another, he asked Apollo ... to heal their wounds and compose their forms…. After the division of the formerly complete human beings, each half desired the other half. They came together, and throwing their arms about one another, entwined in mutual embraces, longing to grow into one… Thus, each of us, when separated, is always looking for his other half. Men who are a section of that double nature which was once called androgynous are lovers of women…., and women of this breed lust after men. The women who are a section of the original female do not care for men, but love females. But those who are a section of the original male follow the male, and while they are young, they hang about men and embrace them, and they are themselves the best of boys and youths, because they have the most manly nature… They are valiant and embrace that which is like them. And when they grow up, they become our statesmen.”