Zentos, a demigod born of the Greek god of love and procreation Eros, was not birthed in the way one would expect. Eros came to Zentos’ father Jiron in the form of a beautiful woman from a foreign land. Eros and Jiron spent five years together before conceiving a child, prompting Eros to tell Jiron the truth about his deception, leaving Jiron in shock. Eros left Jiron to birth the baby himself, who he named Zentos. Jiron raised Zentos as if the child were genderless, confused as to what gender he should raise a child with male and female genitalia as. Once Zentos became an age Jiron deemed appropriate, Jiron told Zentos of their father Eros’ grand deception. Zentos, too young and naive to understand the struggle of their father, blamed him for the torture that they endured by other children as a genderless being. Zentos went on to pursue a higher education in college, where he met Injiro. Injiro was the daughter of Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty. Similar to Zentos, Injiro had not met her goddess mother. Although each was unaware of the other’s parentage, they felt connected to one another, almost as if there were magnets within their chests drawing them closer together as each day passed. When the two were together, they emitted an aura that others around them could feel. This aura prompted expressions of love from those around them, whether the love expressed was romantic, platonic, or sexual. It allowed those around them to feel comfortable in expressing their true identities which were previously hidden, providing a direct path to happiness for those who were in hiding. Zentos and Injiro’s auras complemented one another like the sun and the moon. Eros’ presence in Zentos created an aura of love and procreation, while Aphrodite’s presence in Injiro created an aura of beauty and desire. While one’s aura was within the other’s vicinity, the internal presence of their parents influences those who encountered either Injiro or Zentos. The effect was strongest in people who had come into physical contact with either Zentos or Injiro while their auras were within close proximity to one another, but grew even stronger on Valentine’s Day. On this day, those affected by the combined auras could extend their power to whoever came into physical contact with them.
This is an original myth written to explain how the phenomenon of sexual orientation came to be. Sexual orientation can be defined as how an individual is romantically or sexually attracted to another individual (HLBC 2020). The setting of this myth takes place in a time where the concept of sexual orientation had not yet been as prevalent as it is today. In this myth, sexual orientation is described to have come from the interaction between two demi-gods. These two demi-gods were named Zentos and Injiro. Zentos is a hermaphrodite born of Eros and a mortal man. Due to being a hermaphrodite, Zentos grew up as an individual who was non-binary. Injiro’s biological sex was female and grew up unsure of her sexual orientation.
In Zentos’ childhood, he never met the god side of his parentage. Eros was not very present in Zentos’ life. When Jiron thought it was the right time, he told Zentos about their second father. Who was the god of love and procreation (Hesiod, Theogony). Injiro, however, was never informed of her connection to Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty (Homer, The Iliad). After high-school, Zentos pursued further education and attended college. During their time in college, they met Injiro. When the two met, they instantly felt connected to one another. This is because of the connection between their ancient Greek heritage. In myths written by different authors, Eros was portrayed to be the assistant of Aphrodite or even as the child of Aphrodite and Ares, the god of war (Cartwright, 2019). The close link between Aphrodite and Eros led to the natural connection of the offspring that Aphrodite and Eros would later have with other mortals.
Eros and Aphrodite were chosen as the references to ancient sources to explain sexual orientation because of how closely related Eros and Aphrodite are to sexual orientation. Sexual orientation can be defined as how an individual is romantically or sexually attracted to another individual (HLBC 2020). Eros is described to be the god of love and procreation (Hesiod, Theogony). This is related to sexual orientation because Eros is one of the gods or goddesses that is involved with sexual orientation. Eros interacts with the hearts of others whether they are mortal or immortal and stimulate strong feelings of desire (Cartwright, 2019). Aphrodite was chosen because she is the goddess of beauty (Hesiod, Theogony). Beauty is something that attracts people to one another and attraction, whether romantic or sexual, is what the concept of sexual orientation discusses.
When Zentos and Injiro are together, they emit an aura that helps people feel more comfortable in expressing their true identities that they have been hiding leading them to be happier with who they are. Zentos and Injiro were written to have this power because of their Greek god and goddess heritage. Zentos’ father was Eros and Injiro’s mother was Aphrodite. Giving them this power is a way of showing their relation to their parents of which they have not met. Zentos and Injiro were written to not have met their parents because of how busy they are with their respective responsibilities. Eros and Aphrodite were written to not be in the lives of their offspring as a way of making Injiro not aware of why she emits an aura when she is with Zentos. Zentos on the other hand, knows about Eros being his father but just does not know he has a bit of Eros’ power within him. This aura is what sparked the prevalence of sexual orientation. When Zentos and Injiro come into contact with each other, they emit an aura that makes those around them more comfortable with expressing their true feelings. This allows them to be able to seek out the partners they truly want to be with. However, those who encounter Zentos and Injiro on Valentine’s day, have a stronger effect placed on them. Those who were affected on Valentine’s day can affect those who have not yet been affected by Zentos and Injiro. This makes the frequency of people being open about their sexual orientation even higher.
I made it so that the effect is stronger on Valentine’s day because Valentine’s day is typically when individuals express their affection for one another (TEEB, 2021). This heightens the effect Zentos and Injiro have because of their ancient Greek parentage. They cause people around them to be more comfortable with expressing their true feelings. The aura they emit then combines with the cultural beliefs of Valentine’s day to strengthen the already powerful ability Zentos and Injiro have. This is also how sexual orientation came to be. Zentos and Injiro already make the people around them more expressive of how they feel. The people affected by Zentos and Injiro then increase the influence of their comforting effect. This allows even more people to be comfortable with expressing themselves. With the help of Zentos and Injiro, more and more people get to seek the love they really deserve. When more people are expressing themselves, and the people around them realize they are letting out their true feelings, it may lead them to do the same simply because they see other people already doing so.
Hesiod, Theogony
Homer, The Iliad
Cartwright, Mark. “Eros.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, Ancient History Encyclopedia, 14 Mar. 2021, www.ancient.eu/Eros/.
HealthLinkBc. “Sexual Orientation.” HealthLink BC, 20 July 2020, www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-topics/abj9152.
“Valentine's Day.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 12 Feb. 2021, www.britannica.com/topic/Valentines-Day.
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