Thyrsoan, or Thyrsogender, is a gender in the Dionysian Gender System named after the thyrsos, a staff associated with Dionysos and his cult. Refers to a neutral, mixed, fluid, or otherwise androgynous or agender experience. Specifically, anyone who falls outside the gender binary, is non-cis but feels their relation to their AGAB affects their gender, or who bends gender roles and presentation. This gender is also associated with revelry, devotion, power, and love (of any kind towards anything).
What is a Thyrsos?
The thyrsos is a common symbol of Dionysus and his cult. It's associated with winemaking and fertility. The staff is a fennel stalk wrapped in ivy and tipped with a pinecone.
Flag and History
The Dionysian Gender System, its symbols, and its flags were all created by Tumblr user koraki-pharmakis on June 18, 2021.[1]
The thyrsoan flag meaning is as follows:
- Olive green for forests
- Shades of green for life, viticulture, and the spectrum of masculinity
- White for community and trans, nonbinary, and intersex people
- Brown for wild nature, mixing of gender and presentations, nonconformity, and the thrysos staff
- Shades of red for power, wine, and the spectrum of femininity
Note
On October 24, 2021, the coiner koraki-pharmakis posted a statement to faer Tumblr blog stating that fae no longer wanted faer terms on the LGBTA+ wiki due to members disrespecting closed religious terms and the wiki’s lack of adequate moderation and respect for coiners. Fae allowed that the Dionysian Gender System, including Maedic, Thyrsoan, and Satyrian, remain on the site with the requirement that this message be attached and that no flags or symbols created by individuals who were not Hellenist Dionysos worshippers be added to the page.[2]