# Caeneus — Metamorphoses character guide

> Caeneus in Metamorphoses by Ovid.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Already Caeneus, not Caeneus

**First appearance:** 0120-story-of-caeneus

## Snapshot

Born a woman named Caenis, she is transformed by Neptune into an invulnerable man who becomes a Lapith warrior.

## Who they are

Caeneus begins as Caenis, a Thessalian girl whom Neptune rapes and then grants a wish: to become a man, so that she can never be violated again. As Caeneus he becomes a formidable fighter, invulnerable to weapons, and fights at the Lapith wedding where the Centaurs riot. His story, told by Nestor at the poem's center, makes gender, consent, and bodily inviolability into a mythic problem rather than a footnote.

## In the story

### [Book XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/metamorphoses_se/chapters/book-xii)

Originally the maiden Caenis, transformed into a man by Neptune; participates in the Lapith-Centaur battle.

### [Story of Caeneus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/metamorphoses_se/chapters/story-of-caeneus)

Originally the nymph Caenis, transformed into an invulnerable man by Neptune after being raped.

### [Story of Cyllarus and Hylonome](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/metamorphoses_se/chapters/story-of-cyllarus-and-hylonome)

Narrator of the story, recounting the deaths of Cyllarus and Hylonome and his own past exploits.

### [Caeneus Transformed to an Eagle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/metamorphoses_se/chapters/caeneus-transformed-to-an-eagle)

The hero, once a nymph named Caenis, now a male warrior who fights and is ultimately transformed into an eagle.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/metamorphoses_se/characters/caeneus
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/metamorphoses_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/metamorphoses_se/characters