Difference between revisions of "Priapus" - New World Encyclopedia
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[[Image:Priapus Fresco.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Fresco of Priapus, House of the Vettii, [[Pompeii]].]] | [[Image:Priapus Fresco.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Fresco of Priapus, House of the Vettii, [[Pompeii]].]] | ||
| − | In [[Greek mythology]], '''Priapus''' (Greek: Πρίαπος) was a minor rustic fertility god of purely phallic character, protector of [[livestock]], fruit plants, gardens and male [[genitalia]]. ([[Roman mythology|Roman]] equivalent: Mutinus Mutunus.) He is most famous for this later attribute, which were clearly the focal point of his depictions, and the subsequent myth and literature which centred around his comically massive penis. His mother was [[Aphrodite]], though his fathers | + | In [[Greek mythology]], '''Priapus''' (Greek: Πρίαπος) was a minor rustic fertility god of purely phallic character, protector of [[livestock]], fruit plants, gardens and male [[genitalia]]. ([[Roman mythology|Roman]] equivalent: Mutinus Mutunus.) He is most famous for this later attribute, which were clearly the focal point of his depictions, and the subsequent myth and literature which centred around his comically massive penis. His mother was [[Aphrodite]], though his fathers varied from myth to myth and from region to region. |
==Mythology== | ==Mythology== | ||
| − | Priapus was said to be a son of [[Aphrodite]], the goddess of love, or in some cases, Chione. His father is variously given as [[Hermes]], [[Dionysus]], [[Pan]] or [[Adonis]]. In these latter three fathers, Priapus' inevitable connections with the lecherous, animalistic and the aesthetic is obvious. With Dionysus and Pan, Priapus inherits a tradition of unfettered ecstaticism and the instinctual, while with Adonis (and to some extent Hermes) Priapus comes to exist in contrast to an ideal of effeminate, adolescent masculine beauty which was popular among the Greeks | + | Priapus was said to be a son of [[Aphrodite]], the goddess of love, or in some cases, Chione, a snow nymph. His father is variously given as [[Hermes]], [[Dionysus]], [[Pan (mythology)|Pan]] or [[Adonis]]. In these latter three fathers, Priapus' inevitable connections with the lecherous, animalistic and the aesthetic is obvious. With Dionysus and Pan, Priapus inherits a tradition of unfettered ecstaticism and the instinctual, while with Adonis (and to some extent Hermes) Priapus comes to exist in contrast to an ideal of effeminate, adolescent masculine beauty which was popular among the Greeks. <ref>Wyly, 24.</ref> Hera, the frigid wife of Zeus, out of a mix of outrage and jealousy with Aphrodite's promiscuity cursed Priapus with enormous genitals. His mother promptly abandoned the child, and he was raised by shepherds. Priapus would go on to find favour with Hera later in his adult life, as the queen of the gods went on to appoint him as dancing instructor for [[Ares]], the god of war. |
| − | + | In [[Ovid]]'s ''[[Fasti]]'',<ref>Fasti, 6.319ff.</ref> the [[nymph]] [[Lotis]] fell into a drunk slumber along with the rest of the gods and goddesses after a great feast, and Priapus seized this opportunity to advance upon her. With stealth he approached, however, just before he could ensnare her in a loving embrace, [[Silenus]]'s donkey alerted the party of the transpiring events with "raucous braying". Lotis awoke and sent Priapus running away sheepishly, but her only true escape was to be transformed into the [[lotus]] flower. To repay the donkey for spoiling his opportunity, Priapus slaughtered him. Ovid's anecdote served to explain why donkeys were sacrificed to Priapus in the city of Lampsacus on the Hellespont, where he was worshipped among the offspring of [[Hermes]].<ref>[[Gaius Julius Hyginus|Hyginus]], ''Fabulae'', 160.</ref> In later versions of the story, Lotis is replaced with the virginal [[Hestia]], the goddess responsible for the hearth. This violation of Hestia, the personification of domesticity, perhaps hints towards disruptive potential of the dionysian and aphrodisiac natures upon family life when combined <ref>Wyly, 24.</ref> | |
| − | + | In another story involving a donkey, Priapus and the ass debate the sizes of their physical appendages relative to one another. Priapus lost the contest, as the donkey is well-noted by the Greeks to be erotically skillful, and so a bitter Priapus beat the victorious donkey to death with a stick. Dionysus eventually placed the dead ass in heaven as one of two stars referred to as "The Asses". <ref>Trip, The Meridian Handbook of Classical Mythology, 497.</ref> | |
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==Worship and Iconography== | ==Worship and Iconography== | ||
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At Mount Helicon in Boeotia, the travel-writer Pausanias pointed out a statue of Priapus that was "worth seeing".<ref>''Description of Greece'' IX.312.</ref> | At Mount Helicon in Boeotia, the travel-writer Pausanias pointed out a statue of Priapus that was "worth seeing".<ref>''Description of Greece'' IX.312.</ref> | ||
| − | Priapus was thought to preside over crops as well as flocks of sheep, the raising of bees, vineyards, and fishing. The first fruits of the farm were often sacrificed to him. He is often depicted with a pruning knife, and is considered pruner of the pear-tree, a tree related to Hera. Sculptures of Priapus with large, erect genitalia were placed in gardens and fields to guarantee an abundant crop, as the large phallus undoubtedly stood as a symbol of generation and fecundity. For the [[Roman mythology|Romans]], his statue was used as a [[scarecrow]] and his erect [[penis]] was thought to frighten thieves. [[Epigram]]s collected in ''Priapeia'' ([[Priapus#In literature|treated below]]) show Priapus using [[sodomy]] as a threat toward transgressors of the boundaries he protected like a [[Herma|herm]]: | + | Priapus was thought to preside over crops as well as flocks of sheep, the raising of bees, vineyards, and fishing. The first fruits of the farm were often sacrificed to him. He is often depicted with a pruning knife, and is considered pruner of the pear-tree, a tree related to Hera. Sculptures of Priapus with large, erect genitalia were placed in gardens and fields to guarantee an abundant crop, as the large phallus undoubtedly stood as a symbol of generation and fecundity. For the [[Roman mythology|Romans]], his statue was used as a [[scarecrow]] or as a rack for a scythe and his erect [[penis]] was thought to frighten thieves. [[Epigram]]s collected in ''Priapeia'' ([[Priapus#In literature|treated below]]) show Priapus using [[sodomy]] as a threat toward transgressors of the boundaries he protected like a [[Herma|herm]]: |
:''"I warn you, my lad, you will be sodomised; you, my girl, I shall futter; for the thief who is bearded, a third punishment remains."'' | :''"I warn you, my lad, you will be sodomised; you, my girl, I shall futter; for the thief who is bearded, a third punishment remains."'' | ||
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:"''This god is worshipped where goats and sheep pasture or there are swarms of bees; but by the people of Lampsacus he is more revered than any other god, being called by them a son of Dionysus and Aphrodite."''<ref>Pausanias, ''Description of Greece'' IX.312.</ref> | :"''This god is worshipped where goats and sheep pasture or there are swarms of bees; but by the people of Lampsacus he is more revered than any other god, being called by them a son of Dionysus and Aphrodite."''<ref>Pausanias, ''Description of Greece'' IX.312.</ref> | ||
| − | + | In the city of Lampsacus on the Hellespont, where Priapus was worshipped among the offspring of Hermes, sacrifices of donkeys were made in his honour, probably because of the sexual prowess Greeks thought donkeys possessed. | |
| + | |||
| + | Generally statues of Priapus would be found guarding homes, fields, and crops. It was a quite literally a no tresspassing or you'll be raped violently sign ([[rape]] was a common punishment in the ancient world). | ||
| + | |||
| + | Masked phallic figures were prominent on many festive occasions, both in Greece and in the wider Roman world. Many were found attached to statues of the god | ||
| + | |||
| + | One of the most famous images of Priapus is that from the House of the Vettii in [[Pompeii]]; it is a wall fresco in which Priapus is weighing his phallus against a bag full of money and by all indications it appears that his phallus is heavier. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The Priapeia is a collection of epigrams of unknown authorship dedicated to Priapus in Latin. The Latin collection of ''Priapeia'' shows how poets invented comic and obscene situations for him, giving him more literary prominence than he enjoyed in rites or cult, though masked phallic figures were prominent on many festive occasions, both in Greece and in the wider Roman world. Many were found attached to statues of the god | ||
| − | + | ==Literature== | |
| − | + | The [[epigram]]s dedicated to Priapus were compiled in the ''Priapeia'', a collection of unknown authorship written in Latin. This collection illustrates the various ways in which poets invented comic and obscene situations for Priapus, including monologues in which the god congratulates himself for the size and virility of his prodigious member. This collection gave him more literary prominence than he enjoyed in rites or cult. Some scholars used the Priapeia as primary evidence toward the conclusion that in the ancient world, large penises were generally considered comical rather than attractive: Priapus' large penis ensured that no woman wanted to sleep with him, whilst his curious phallus warned potential burglars that their punitive rape would be extremely painful. | |
| − | + | However, this theory is not supported by all of the literary evidence available. For example, in the Satyricon of Petronius, when the heroes arrive in Croton in Sicily, they come across a youth who is exposed and found to be very well endowed. As a result the townspeople, including the women, hold him in reverence and literally trip over each other to touch his phallus for good luck. In this instance there does not seem to be any indication that the youth's unnaturally large phallus is regarded with disgust, but rather on the contrary. It cannot therefore be decidedly concluded what the classical view of penis size may have been. In the case of art and sculpture it seems likely that an average or smaller size was desirable, but this does not exclude the possibility that the public held different views. Thus, Priapus' large genitals were just as likely to have been an alluring symbol of fecundity as they were the subject of lighthearted scorn. | |
| − | == | + | ==Legacy== |
| − | |||
| − | + | Although no longer worshipped Priapus has remained a recurrent subject of allusion in religion, literature, and science throughout history. Richard Payne Knight, ''An Account of the Remains of the Worship of Priapus'', 1786, identified priapus-worship as surviving in Catholic phallic votives offered in parts of Italy in the 18th century. Priapus is also recognized as a saint in Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica. The rare medical condition [[priapism]], which involves persistent erection of the penis even in the absence of sexual desire, gets its name from Priapus. | |
| − | The medical condition [[priapism]] gets its name from Priapus. | ||
==Notes== | ==Notes== | ||
| − | < | + | <references/> |
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 18:37, 9 July 2007
In Greek mythology, Priapus (Greek: Πρίαπος) was a minor rustic fertility god of purely phallic character, protector of livestock, fruit plants, gardens and male genitalia. (Roman equivalent: Mutinus Mutunus.) He is most famous for this later attribute, which were clearly the focal point of his depictions, and the subsequent myth and literature which centred around his comically massive penis. His mother was Aphrodite, though his fathers varied from myth to myth and from region to region.
Mythology
Priapus was said to be a son of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, or in some cases, Chione, a snow nymph. His father is variously given as Hermes, Dionysus, Pan or Adonis. In these latter three fathers, Priapus' inevitable connections with the lecherous, animalistic and the aesthetic is obvious. With Dionysus and Pan, Priapus inherits a tradition of unfettered ecstaticism and the instinctual, while with Adonis (and to some extent Hermes) Priapus comes to exist in contrast to an ideal of effeminate, adolescent masculine beauty which was popular among the Greeks. [1] Hera, the frigid wife of Zeus, out of a mix of outrage and jealousy with Aphrodite's promiscuity cursed Priapus with enormous genitals. His mother promptly abandoned the child, and he was raised by shepherds. Priapus would go on to find favour with Hera later in his adult life, as the queen of the gods went on to appoint him as dancing instructor for Ares, the god of war.
In Ovid's Fasti,[2] the nymph Lotis fell into a drunk slumber along with the rest of the gods and goddesses after a great feast, and Priapus seized this opportunity to advance upon her. With stealth he approached, however, just before he could ensnare her in a loving embrace, Silenus's donkey alerted the party of the transpiring events with "raucous braying". Lotis awoke and sent Priapus running away sheepishly, but her only true escape was to be transformed into the lotus flower. To repay the donkey for spoiling his opportunity, Priapus slaughtered him. Ovid's anecdote served to explain why donkeys were sacrificed to Priapus in the city of Lampsacus on the Hellespont, where he was worshipped among the offspring of Hermes.[3] In later versions of the story, Lotis is replaced with the virginal Hestia, the goddess responsible for the hearth. This violation of Hestia, the personification of domesticity, perhaps hints towards disruptive potential of the dionysian and aphrodisiac natures upon family life when combined [4]
In another story involving a donkey, Priapus and the ass debate the sizes of their physical appendages relative to one another. Priapus lost the contest, as the donkey is well-noted by the Greeks to be erotically skillful, and so a bitter Priapus beat the victorious donkey to death with a stick. Dionysus eventually placed the dead ass in heaven as one of two stars referred to as "The Asses". [5]
Worship and Iconography
At Mount Helicon in Boeotia, the travel-writer Pausanias pointed out a statue of Priapus that was "worth seeing".[6]
Priapus was thought to preside over crops as well as flocks of sheep, the raising of bees, vineyards, and fishing. The first fruits of the farm were often sacrificed to him. He is often depicted with a pruning knife, and is considered pruner of the pear-tree, a tree related to Hera. Sculptures of Priapus with large, erect genitalia were placed in gardens and fields to guarantee an abundant crop, as the large phallus undoubtedly stood as a symbol of generation and fecundity. For the Romans, his statue was used as a scarecrow or as a rack for a scythe and his erect penis was thought to frighten thieves. Epigrams collected in Priapeia (treated below) show Priapus using sodomy as a threat toward transgressors of the boundaries he protected like a herm:
- "I warn you, my lad, you will be sodomised; you, my girl, I shall futter; for the thief who is bearded, a third punishment remains."
- "... If I do seize you . . . you shall be so stretched that you will think your anus never had any wrinkles."
Lucian (De saltatione) tells that in Bithynia Priapus was accounted a warlike god, a rustic tutor to the infant Ares. Arnobius is aware of the importance accorded Priapus in this region near the Hellespont.[7] Also, Pausanias notes:
- "This god is worshipped where goats and sheep pasture or there are swarms of bees; but by the people of Lampsacus he is more revered than any other god, being called by them a son of Dionysus and Aphrodite."[8]
In the city of Lampsacus on the Hellespont, where Priapus was worshipped among the offspring of Hermes, sacrifices of donkeys were made in his honour, probably because of the sexual prowess Greeks thought donkeys possessed.
Generally statues of Priapus would be found guarding homes, fields, and crops. It was a quite literally a no tresspassing or you'll be raped violently sign (rape was a common punishment in the ancient world).
Masked phallic figures were prominent on many festive occasions, both in Greece and in the wider Roman world. Many were found attached to statues of the god
One of the most famous images of Priapus is that from the House of the Vettii in Pompeii; it is a wall fresco in which Priapus is weighing his phallus against a bag full of money and by all indications it appears that his phallus is heavier.
The Priapeia is a collection of epigrams of unknown authorship dedicated to Priapus in Latin. The Latin collection of Priapeia shows how poets invented comic and obscene situations for him, giving him more literary prominence than he enjoyed in rites or cult, though masked phallic figures were prominent on many festive occasions, both in Greece and in the wider Roman world. Many were found attached to statues of the god
Literature
The epigrams dedicated to Priapus were compiled in the Priapeia, a collection of unknown authorship written in Latin. This collection illustrates the various ways in which poets invented comic and obscene situations for Priapus, including monologues in which the god congratulates himself for the size and virility of his prodigious member. This collection gave him more literary prominence than he enjoyed in rites or cult. Some scholars used the Priapeia as primary evidence toward the conclusion that in the ancient world, large penises were generally considered comical rather than attractive: Priapus' large penis ensured that no woman wanted to sleep with him, whilst his curious phallus warned potential burglars that their punitive rape would be extremely painful.
However, this theory is not supported by all of the literary evidence available. For example, in the Satyricon of Petronius, when the heroes arrive in Croton in Sicily, they come across a youth who is exposed and found to be very well endowed. As a result the townspeople, including the women, hold him in reverence and literally trip over each other to touch his phallus for good luck. In this instance there does not seem to be any indication that the youth's unnaturally large phallus is regarded with disgust, but rather on the contrary. It cannot therefore be decidedly concluded what the classical view of penis size may have been. In the case of art and sculpture it seems likely that an average or smaller size was desirable, but this does not exclude the possibility that the public held different views. Thus, Priapus' large genitals were just as likely to have been an alluring symbol of fecundity as they were the subject of lighthearted scorn.
Legacy
Although no longer worshipped Priapus has remained a recurrent subject of allusion in religion, literature, and science throughout history. Richard Payne Knight, An Account of the Remains of the Worship of Priapus, 1786, identified priapus-worship as surviving in Catholic phallic votives offered in parts of Italy in the 18th century. Priapus is also recognized as a saint in Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica. The rare medical condition priapism, which involves persistent erection of the penis even in the absence of sexual desire, gets its name from Priapus.
Notes
- ↑ Wyly, 24.
- ↑ Fasti, 6.319ff.
- ↑ Hyginus, Fabulae, 160.
- ↑ Wyly, 24.
- ↑ Trip, The Meridian Handbook of Classical Mythology, 497.
- ↑ Description of Greece IX.312.
- ↑ In ridiculing the literal aspects of pagan gods given human form, he mentions "the Hellespontian Priapus bearing about among the goddesses, virgin and matron, those parts ever prepared for encounter." (Arnobius, Seven Books against the Heathen III.10 (on-line text).
- ↑ Pausanias, Description of Greece IX.312.
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Kerenyi, Carl. The Gods of the Greeks. Trans. Norman Cameron. London: Thames & Hudson, 1951.
- Parker, W.H. trans. Priapeia: Poems for a Phallic God. London: Croon Helm, 1988.
- Trip, Edward. The Meridian Handbook of Classical Mythology. New York: Meridian, 1970.
- Wyly, James. The Phallic Quest: Priapus and Masculine Inflation. Toronto: Inner City Books, 1989. ISBN 0-919123-37-6
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