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Blogs > JohninTracy > The Lunatic is on the Grass!

Erotic Art From The Ancient World  

JohninTracy 59M
10 posts
4/8/2020 9:33 am
Erotic Art From The Ancient World


To describe something as ithyphallic is to say it has an<b> erect </font></b>penis. If you know anything about the Egyptian god Min it is that he is ithyphallic – his statues will not let you forget that fact.
Min, an early god known as ‘the maker of gods and men,’ was among the first Egyptian deities to have large statues raised to them. Those statues did not attempt to hide his anatomy. He is often shown holding his penis in his left hand. At his cultic sites his sacred animal was usually a bull – animals known for their virility. When Min was linked to the constellation Orion the three famous stars in Orion’s midriff were definitely not representing a belt.



The penis was a lucky charm for the Romans but so were bells. It, therefore, made sense for them to hang bells from a phallus to increase the power of these charms. Called tintinnabula these wind chimes were hung from doorways and in gardens to ward off evil spirits. But simply mixing two charms together was not enough for the Romans.
Some tintinnabula are a complex mix of imagery. The central figure might be an<b> erect </font></b>phallus with wings and a lion’s tail. This flying phallus might also be sporting an<b> erect </font></b>phallus of its own. Hanging from these conjoined penises could be bells or even other phalluses, with yet more bells attached.



So what is are sheela-na-gigs? They are statues with exaggerated vulvas that they are gleefully opening up to the world. They are often found on churches, which seems like the last place you would find an exhibitionist female statue. Most commonly found in Ireland and Britain sheela na gig-like sculptures can also be found in mainland Europe. When they appear on churches they are usually positioned over doorways or windows. It is as if the portal being opened by the statue is mirrored in the one below.
No one knows exactly why these sculptures began appearing in the 11th century or what their purpose was. The best guess is that like other erotic figures they were used to ward off evil spirits and to keep them from entering the church, perhaps by offering a more tempting place for spirits to enter.

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