In Greek mythology, what was the name of Hermes and Aphrodite’s child?

Hermaphroditus was the child of Hermes and Aphrodite in Greek mythology.

His name combines the names of his parents, Hermes and Aphrodite. Ancient sources and later artworks portray him as having both traditionally masculine and feminine physical characteristics. The figure became especially important in Hellenistic and Roman art, where statues of Hermaphroditus often explore bodily transformation and duality.

A famous myth tells how the water nymph Salmacis became permanently united with Hermaphroditus after he rejected her advances. Their merged form gave rise to the mythological explanation for Hermaphroditus’ body. This story is associated particularly with Ovid’s Metamorphoses.

Hermaphroditus is not the same figure as Eros, Aphrodite’s better-known son in many traditions. Nor should the name be treated as a general ancient Greek word for every person with intersex traits; it is specifically the name of a mythological character, later used in historical medical terminology.