Caenis

Caenis, later known in Latin as Caeneus, is a figure from Greek mythology whose story centers on transformation and gender. In the most common version, Caenis is described as a young woman from Thessaly who, after fearing harm and seeking protection, requests to be transformed into a man. The gods grant the request, and she becomes Caeneus, a male-bodied and formidable warrior endowed with great strength and, in some tellings, invulnerability to weapons.

Caeneus’s tale is closely associated with the mythic conflicts of the Thessalian landscape, including battles with the centaurs. In many accounts, his invulnerability to steel makes him a fearsome combatant, but the story has a violent and fatal turn: the centaurs finally kill him, often by overpowering him and tearing him apart, though the exact details of his death vary across sources. Some later adaptations and commentators echo the theme of metamorphosis and note the tension between physical invulnerability and vulnerability in other, less consistent endings.

The Caenis/Caeneus story appears in Greek and Latin literature, with variations found in authors such as Ovid and later pseudo-classical writers. It is frequently cited in discussions of gender, transformation, and the treatment of violence in myth. The name Caenis itself is sometimes used for the female figure, while Caeneus refers to the male-form incarnation, reflecting the fluidity and complexity of gender in ancient mythic narratives.