from trans-inclusive religious groups.

Similarly, in Egypt, the creator god Hapi, who personified the annual flooding of the Nile, was depicted with both a beard and female breasts. This physical duality symbolized the fertility and life-giving properties of the river, suggesting that true creation requires the presence of both masculine and feminine energies within a single vessel. The Hindu Tradition: Ardhanarishvara

The earliest recorded civilizations did not view the blending of genders as a defect, but as a sign of supreme power. In ancient Mesopotamia, the goddess Ishtar (Inanna) held the power to "turn a man into a woman and a woman into a man." Her cult included the kurgarru and assinnu, individuals who lived between genders and performed sacred rites. Ishtar herself was often depicted with a beard or masculine attributes to signify her absolute authority over all aspects of existence.