- I am lust. I am life well lived. I am the union of opposites.
- — Atlantiades src
One of the Demigods[2] of Love called the Erotes, Atlantiades, known to mortals as Hermaphroditus, is the God of Androgyny and Unions, Lust and Desire, among several other things.
History
Atlantiades is the eldest child of Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, by Hermes;[3] she made them from her body, something not even Zeus could match, for her own pride, and Atlantiades grew resentful of their mother because of it.[1]
Meeting Wonder Woman
As the dimension of the Olympians collapsed after Ares took his own life while imprisoned in Themyscira, Atlantiades found themselves in the city of Summergrove, Connecticut where they decided to establish a cult based upon free desire. Soon, Wonder Woman and Atlantiades' mother, Aphrodite, were led there by the sword of Antiope and tried to contrast their cult, being that people were acting immorally because of desire.[4] Atlantiades explained than that it was all because of how Aphrodite used him in the past, leading to them deciding this was a second chance to become a true god of love.
After Diana made Atlantiades realize that this way was not a sane and happy one for their followers, Atlantiades talked to them about the fact sometimes desire must be sacrificed for the people you care about. This led Atlantiades to grow fonder of Diana, with them trying to seduce her multiple times. Diana resisted though, thanks to her true love for Steve Trevor.[5] Then, Atlantiades decided to follow Diana into a portal in his temple, as they were unbeknownst about his presence. Even if their mother tried to talk them out of traversing it, they did it nonetheless, helping Maggie retrieve her sword and then getting inside Dimension Chi together with her and Diana.[6]
After finding out that several Amazons were refugees inside Dimension Chi[7] because Grail, after the collapse and reconstitution of Themyscira, took the throne for herself, Atlantiades was given a suit of armor from Diana and helped her sedate the spirit of Grail's army to conclude the battle in their favor.[8] After Grail was defeated, Atlantiades came back with Diana to Earth from Themyscira, and reconciled with their mother Aphrodite. They also met Steve Trevor, with Atlantiades unimpressed by the man Diana loves.
After the death of their mother Aphrodite[3] and the consequent loss of love in the world,[9] Atlantiades felt desolate and lost, but when Diana of Themyscira needed her friends even though she could not count on their love, the Erote abdicated their former love for her in favor of Steve Trevor, and for that sacrifice the eternal spheres allowed them to ascend to godhood, and Atlantiades inherited the throne of love from Aphrodite, becoming the new God of Love.[10]
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Godly Physiology: Atlantiades belongs to a race of ancient and inconceivably powerful beings known as the Old Gods. Because of this heritage Atlantiades possesses almost unlimited power.[11]
- Cosmic Awareness: Atlantiades, like all Old Gods, is aware of the multiverse and the realms that lie beyond. This knowledge gives them an understanding of the universe and all life that transcends the capabilities of normal mortals.[11]
- Emotion Manipulation: Atlantiades has the power to manipulate and enhance the emotions of people, particularly lust. They can rip down a person's moral boundaries which allows them to act on any desire they choose.[4]
- Immortality: As an Old God Atlantiades has been worshipped by the ancient Greeks and Romans, this makes them at least a few millennia old.[1]
- Mind Control: Atlantiades commands complete mental dominion over Cupids. Their control of these winged babies is strong enough that even Aphrodite herself cannot wrestle control of the Cupids from her child.[4]
- Power Distribution: As the new God of Love, Atlantiades can bestow favors on their protégés, such as the powerful armor endowed with the strength of the Erotes that they temporarily gave to Diana.[10]
- Seduction[1]
- Mind Reading[1]
- Wings: Atlantiades has wings sprouting from their back, which is consistent with classical representation of several children of Aphrodite, such as Eros, and the Roman cherubic version Cupid, as well as some Greek artistic renderings of them.[4]
Abilities
Notes
- This character or object is an adaptation of Hermaphroditus, a character or object in traditional stories. These include, but may not be limited to religious texts, myth, and/or folk lore. More information on the original can be found at Wikipedia.org.
Trivia
- Hermaphroditus is called Atlantiades by the gods after Aphrodite's grandfather Atlas,[12] although in Greek mythology Hermaphroditus is actually called Atlantiades because their father Hermes is grandson of Atlas by his mother Maia. (See Aphrodite's Trivia for more)
- Because the God is a junction of a male and a female being (half of their body is male and the other half is female), Atlantiades uses gender neutral pronouns (singular they/them).
Related
- 16 Appearances of Atlantiades (Prime Earth)
- 4 Images featuring Atlantiades (Prime Earth)
- 2 Quotations by or about Atlantiades (Prime Earth)
- Character Gallery: Atlantiades (Prime Earth)
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Wonder Woman (Volume 5) #70
- ↑ Wonder Woman (Volume 5) #79
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Wonder Woman (Volume 5) #76
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Wonder Woman (Volume 5) #69
- ↑ Wonder Woman (Volume 5) #71
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Wonder Woman (Volume 5) #72
- ↑ Wonder Woman (Volume 5) #74
- ↑ Wonder Woman (Volume 5) #75
- ↑ Wonder Woman (Volume 5) #77
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Wonder Woman (Volume 5) #81
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 DC's explanation of the New 52 Multiverse
- ↑ Wonder Woman (Volume 5) #65