Is that a banana in your pocket?
The Big Penis Book. Excerpt from the introduction by Dian Hanson
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Priapus was the John Holmes of ancient deities, always pictured with his enormous erection proudly on display. Images of the god were mounted over Roman doorways to frighten off thieves, who were to believe they'd be buggered by an equally large penis if they entered the house. I was initially suspicious of the claim that anal rape was a common punishment for burglary in ancient Rome, but in verse 35 of the Priapeia, a series of 86 Latin poems written in the voice of Priapus, the god boasts, "I'll bugger you, thief, for the first offense. The second time, into the mouth it goes. But if you commit a third theft, your ass will taste my vengeance - and then your mouth again." Promises, promises, some might say.
The Priapeia make it clear that a huge penis is as much a symbol of male dominance as of sex, an idea that predates ancient Rome. The phallus first acquired its power when early humans made the connection between sexual intercourse and childbirth, some time between 10,000 and 5,000 B. C. Before that, goddess worship predominated, but when men realized they were the key to procreation all the nurturing goddesses were replaced with swaggering male gods. The phallus was the patriarch's sword and scepter, a symbol of his natural dominance but also of the father's role as protector.When Abraham commands his servant to lay his hand "under my thigh" while swearing a solemn oath in the Book of Genesis, it is actually his penis the man must touch to show his fealty. Phalli nailed to the gates of Pompeii averted the evil eye, as they did in Welsh homes, Indian temples, and African villages. Phallic worship had the allure of a living embodiment, a physical counterpart to the mystical that every man and woman could appreciate. Perhaps that's why, as gods have come and gone, phallus worship has continued to the modern day. In Bhutan a thoughtful host will dip a wooden phallus in the cups before offering drinks to visitors; in the Sunda Islands of the Malay Archipelago life-size male figures with erect penises painted a gaudy red surround and protect the villages; in Bangkok a shrine featuring hundreds of phalli decorates the grounds of the five-star Swissotel; and in India, Shiva, the oldest continuously worshipped god - going on 5,000 years - is still represented by a phallus.
Page [1] [2] [3]
Page [1] [2] [3]
Priapus was the John Holmes of ancient deities, always pictured with his enormous erection proudly on display. Images of the god were mounted over Roman doorways to frighten off thieves, who were to believe they'd be buggered by an equally large penis if they entered the house. I was initially suspicious of the claim that anal rape was a common punishment for burglary in ancient Rome, but in verse 35 of the Priapeia, a series of 86 Latin poems written in the voice of Priapus, the god boasts, "I'll bugger you, thief, for the first offense. The second time, into the mouth it goes. But if you commit a third theft, your ass will taste my vengeance - and then your mouth again." Promises, promises, some might say.
The Priapeia make it clear that a huge penis is as much a symbol of male dominance as of sex, an idea that predates ancient Rome. The phallus first acquired its power when early humans made the connection between sexual intercourse and childbirth, some time between 10,000 and 5,000 B. C. Before that, goddess worship predominated, but when men realized they were the key to procreation all the nurturing goddesses were replaced with swaggering male gods. The phallus was the patriarch's sword and scepter, a symbol of his natural dominance but also of the father's role as protector.When Abraham commands his servant to lay his hand "under my thigh" while swearing a solemn oath in the Book of Genesis, it is actually his penis the man must touch to show his fealty. Phalli nailed to the gates of Pompeii averted the evil eye, as they did in Welsh homes, Indian temples, and African villages. Phallic worship had the allure of a living embodiment, a physical counterpart to the mystical that every man and woman could appreciate. Perhaps that's why, as gods have come and gone, phallus worship has continued to the modern day. In Bhutan a thoughtful host will dip a wooden phallus in the cups before offering drinks to visitors; in the Sunda Islands of the Malay Archipelago life-size male figures with erect penises painted a gaudy red surround and protect the villages; in Bangkok a shrine featuring hundreds of phalli decorates the grounds of the five-star Swissotel; and in India, Shiva, the oldest continuously worshipped god - going on 5,000 years - is still represented by a phallus.
Page [1] [2] [3]
The Big Penis Book
Hardcover, 30 x 30 cm (11.8 x 11.8 in.), 384 pages
$ 59.99
$ 59.99
The fascinating phallus: undressed to impress
