The Split Human in Greek Thought

In Plato’s Symposium, Aristophanes offers a myth about the first humans. Once, people were whole beings—round, with four arms, four legs, and two faces. Some were male, some female, and some a blend of both. Fearing their power, Zeus split them in two. Ever since, each half longs for its missing other, and love is the desire to be made whole again. This tale parallels rabbinic speculations in Genesis Rabbah 8:1 which also imagine the first human as dual—either androgynous or double-faced—and later divided. Both traditions reflect ancient efforts to explain gender and desire, though the rabbis recast the theme within the framework of Torah.