Why I Doubt the Standard Story of Sporus: Nero's Final Wife

Companion Doc can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l...
Warning: It's a little wild, even for me

The story of Sporus is usually a tragedy. A poor slave from Greece, unlucky enough to fall into Emperor Nero's line of sight. Neutered and forced to play the role of wife, Sporus' life would be spent as a plaything. After Nero's death, still nothing but a trophy passed between imperial claimants until one decided on a horrific public execution. But, in perhaps a final act of rebellion, Sporus would make sure no one would get to see the show the emperor had planned, being found dead before the morning.

Good story right?

Okay, but here's the thing, Sporus explicitly wasn't a slave. And one of the ancient sources claims Sporus was actually responsible for Nero's death. To top it all off, later emperors who hated Nero seemed to love Sporus, and the one to order the execution was known to be a huge fan of Nero.

So how do we square this? What do the ancient sources really say, and what do they show?

Join me, as I look at a whopping 25 sentences and extrapolate a story I guarantee you've never heard before. One of a shrewd politician, a loveable mascot, and a questionable gender identity. Oh yeah, strap in.

00:00 Intro
02:00 Roman Cultural Attitudes Towards Castration
08:07 Sporus' Gender Identity
11:34 Sporus' Gift and Nero's Death
14:33 Nymphidius Sabinus: Ruler of Rome (and Sporus)
17:20 Galba (or his Freedmen's) Reign and Purges
18:56 Otho: Sporus' Second Imperial Bang Buddy
21:12 Vitellus: Nero's Avenger and Sporus' Ender
24:40 Analys(por)is (Do you get it because ‘analysis’ but it’s ‘analys(por)is’ because I used the s to make the two words one do you get the joke because there’s no other joke btw 'y' means 'and' in Spanish)
33:10 A Theory Far Crazier Than Anything I Could Come Up With: David Woods and Sporus' Julio-Claudian Ancestry