In Greek and Roman mythology, Iphis was the child of Ligdus and Telethusa near Phaestus in Crete — born female, raised as a son to spare her from exposure, betrothed to the maiden Ianthe, and transformed into a man by Isis on the eve of the wedding. The story is told at length in Ovid's Metamorphoses. Distinct from Argive king Iphis (iphis-anaxagoras) and from Ovid's Salaminian youth Iphis who hangs himself for Anaxarete (iphis-anaxarete).
Adapted from Wikipedia, "Iphis" · CC BY-SA 4.0
I.Raised as a son
Ligdus, too poor for a dowry, vowed to expose a daughter. Isis appeared to Telethusa in a dream with Egyptian companions and forbade the killing. When a girl was born, mother and nurse concealed her sex and named her Iphis after the grandfather — a name that worked for either gender.
At thirteen Ligdus betrothed Iphis to Ianthe, daughter of Telestes, famed for beauty among the women of Phaestus. The two had shared teachers and fell in love; Ianthe expected a husband, while Iphis despaired of a marriage that would expose the fraud.
II.Isis' metamorphosis
On the eve of the wedding Telethusa and Iphis prayed in Isis' temple. The altar moved and the doors shook; leaving, Iphis walked with a longer stride, sterner features, and short hair — a man. They dedicated a tablet; the next day Juno, Hymenaeus, and Venus attended the marriage of Iphis and Ianthe.
Scholars note the tale as the principal Graeco-Roman myth of female same-sex desire before the change, and compare the local Cretan story of Leucippus of Phaestus. Atlas ids keep the Cretan Iphis separate from the Argive king and from Anaxarete's scorned lover.