Pride Month: Trans People in World History #22
It's Pride Month! Let's talk about trans history!
June 22: The Enaree of Ancient Scythia. Originating from what is now Eastern Iran in the 8th century BC, the Scythians were an equestrian nomadic people who lived in the Pontic-Caspian Steppe and the Kazakh Steppe, which includes parts of modern-day Ukraine, southern Russia, and Kazakhstan, from roughly the 7th to the 3rd centuries BCE. The Scythians' influence spread through migration and raising as far as the Middle East, deep into Eastern Europe, and beyond. The ancient Greeks were quite familiar with them; they appear in the work of many different Greek writers.
The Enaree (sometimes referred to as the Anarya) were Scythian priestesses and shamans who were assigned male at birth and lived as women. They wore women's clothing, spoke as women, and were considered to have become women by divine transformation. They held positions of great power, honor, and respect in Scythian society.
The words "Enaree" and "Anarya" are Greek interpretations; the Scythians left behind no written records. The Enaree were dedicated to the goddesses Artimpasa and the Snake-legged Goddess, whom some scholars believe may have been the same goddess. Artimpasa ruled over fertility, warfare, kingship, vegetation, shamanism, and the priesthood; the Snake-legged Goddess (a modern name due to her appearance) ruled over fertility and vegetation, the underworld, ancestors, and the life cycle. Images of her are often found in Scythian tombs. She is said to be the fore-mother of all Scythians.
Enaree had huge power and influence among the Scythians, particularly with the ruling class. They led religious rituals, including funerary rites. After mummification and funeral rites, they cleansed themselves with cannabis smoke. The Greek historian and geographer Herodotus of Halicarnassus wrote that these cleansing rituals, which basically involved the Enaree smoking out a tent using cannabis on coal braziers, would cause the Enaree to "howl with laughter." Cannabis residue remains on the braziers, tripods, and coal uncovered by archaeologists.
Enaree were considered seers, and would braid the inner bark of linden trees as part of their divination rituals. Linden became a symbol for trans women in Scythian Russia. They used ornate scepters as symbols of their authority, many of which have been found.
Trans people have always existed and will always exist.
