Netflix’s Kaos is a modern adaptation of Greek mythology with darkly comic undertones. The show offers a fresh perspective to the age old Greek myths while giving the character of Caeneus a brilliant arc. Yes, Caeneus is a transgender in Kaos and how their story has been told has impressed both critics and viewers alike.
Kaos focuses on three mortal characters who have the ability to take away the powers of Zeus. It is evident from the show that creator Charlie Covel has put in a lot of effort to get the Greek mythology parts right while giving it a fresh spin.
Moreover, the makers have also tried to fix the problematic aspects of Greek mythology and the one that stands out is how Kaos shows Caeneus’s origin story.
Disclaimer: The following article contains spoilers and transphobic elements.
Who is Caeneus in Kaos?
Caeneus is a transgender character in Kaos. While staying true to its Greek Mythological roots, the show has given Caeneus’ character a delightful spin that has changed his origin story.
In Kaos, Caeneus is a boy trapped in a girl’s body. He struggles with his identity and his being part of the Amazonian tribe he was born in, makes it difficult for him to come out. The fictional tribe that Caeneus is born into outcasts every male once they are 11 and in case they come back, this all women’s tribe kill them.
Caeneus stays with his tribe until 15 and when he leaves, his mother prays for his safety and wellbeing as she had always known how Caeneus identified as a man. However, the tribe people find Caeneus and bring about his tragic end.
What is Caenues' origin story in Kaos?
In Kaos, Caeneus is born to the Amazon tribe and is raised as a girl until 15. Caeneus kept his identity hidden from the tribe as coming out would mean losing everything.
Eventually when Caeneus’ mother realized that her child was trans, Caeneus ran away from home and worked as a bartender. However, people of the tribe found Caeneus and after killing them, buried them without the burial coin. This meant, Caeneus could not be reborn and would remain trapped in the underworld.
In the underworld, Caeneus worked as a dog handler, where he took care of cerberus, trained to detect people buried without the burial coin. He then got reassigned as a driver where he needed to help the dead swim through the Lethe river to go towards the Frame and reincarnation.
While working as a driver, Caeneus meets Euridice who is known as Riddy and they become close quickly. In their attempt to help Nax, they discover that Renewal is not true and no human soul is actually reborn.
However, the sudden arrival of Orpheus, Riddy’s husband, disrupts their plan. Despite confessing love to each other, they agree that Riddy needs to go back to life so that she can tell the living about the lie that Renewal is. Once alone, Caeneus tries to stop the dead from crossing the Frame as, unlike what everyone believes, it leads to nothingness, instead of a new life.
Again, Caeneus’ plan is disrupted as his mother appears among the deceased, informing that she committed suicide so that she can tak to him. She tells him that it’s all a part of greater plans and drags him through the Frame. Once they cross the Frame, Caeneus is turned into husk just like everyone else who crossed the Frame and reached the Nothing.
However, after a while, Caeneus’ soul is restored and he starts restoring other souls. When he finally restores his mother, she calls him Kaos.
What is Caenues' story in Greek Mythology?
The most popular origin story of Caeneus comes from Ovid’s Metamorphosis. However, writers like Apollodorus, Acusilaus, and Plutarch have also recounted Caeneus’ origin story.
In Greek Mythology, Caeneus’ transformation into a man comes after being r*ped by Poseidon. According to the myths, Caeneus was a female at birth. She was very beautiful and attractive and numerous men approached her. However, she rejected their advances.
However, when Poseidon saw Caeneus, he become so enamoured that he r*ped her. After this, Poseidon felt so content that he decided to grant him a wish. To this, Caeneus wished to be turned into a man so that he never be r*ped again. Poseidon granted his wish and also gave him impenetrable skin.
After his physical transformation, Caeneus embraced his new found masculinity and went on to become a Greek Hero and the King of Lapiths. In his last battle, however, the centaurs taunted him about his previous identity as a female, implying that he is not really a man.
However, since they failed to kill him because of his impenetrable skin, Caeneus was buried alive under the weight of a huge number of trees.
Who plays Caenues in Kaos?
Kaos stars Misia Butler as Caeneus. The trans actor mentioned that he had read about Caeneus in school and was
“obsessed”.
He also mentioned,
“To just experience such incredible writing that really allows for a trans masculine character to have such, well, 'character' outside of their identity is really special.”
Before Kaos, Misia Butler had appeared in projects like The School for Good and Evil, The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself etc.
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All episodes of Kaos can be streamed on Netflix.
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