One sees in the religions of antiquity, especially those of India, Assyria,
Greece and Egypt, a great number of sacred animal representations. The Bull
was sacred to Osiris in Egypt, and one special animal was attended with all
the pomp of a god. At one time in Assyria the god was always associated with
a sacred animal, often the goat, which was supposed to possess the qualities
for which the god was worshipped. Out of this developed the ideal animal
creations, of which the animal body and the human head and the winged bulls
of Nineveh are examples. The mystic centaurs and satyrs originated from this
source. At a later time the whole was humanized, merely the horns, ears or
hoofs remaining as relics of the animal form.
We learn that in these religions the animal was not merely worshipped as
such. It was a certain quality which was deified. The Assyrian goat
attendant upon the deity, was in some bas-reliefs, not only represented in
priapic attitudes, but a female sexual symbol was so placed as to signify
sexual union. We shall show later that certain male and female symbolic
animals were so placed on coins as to symbolically indicate sexual union.
An animal symbol which has probably been of universal use is that of the
snake or serpent. Serpent worship has been described in almost every
country of which we have records or legends. In Egypt, we find the serpent
on the headdress of many of the Gods. In Africa the snake is still sacred
with many tribes. The worship of the hooded snake was probably carried from
India to Egypt. The dragon on the flag and porcelain of China is also a
serpent symbol. In Central America were found enormous stone serpents
carved in various forms. In Scandinavia divine honors were paid to serpents,
and the druids of Britain carried on a similar worship.
Serpent worship has been shown by many writers to be a form of sex worship.
It is often phallic, and we are told by Hargrave Jennings that the serpent
possibly was added to the male and female symbols to represent desire. Thus,
the Hindu women carried the lingam in procession between two serpents; and
in the sacred procession of Bacchus the Greeks carried in a sacred casket
the phallus, the egg, and a serpent.
The Greeks also had a composite or ideal figure. Rays were added to the
head of a serpent thereby bringing it into relation with the sun god Apollo;
or the crest or comb of a cock was added with similar meaning.
Many reasons have been offered to explain why the serpent has been used to
represent the male generative attribute. Some have called attention to its
tenacity of life; others have spoken of its supposed mystic power of
regeneration by casting its skin. Again, it seems probable that the form is
of symbolic significance. However this may be, we find that this universal
serpent worship of primitive man was a form of phallicism so prevalent in
former times.
Many other animals may be mentioned. The sacred bull, so frequently met
with in Egypt, Assyria and Greece, was a form under which Bacchus was
worshipped. R. P. Knight speaks as follows; "The mystic Bacchus, or
generative power was represented under this form, not only upon coins but
upon the temples of the Greeks; sometimes simply as a bull; at other times
as a human face; and at others entirely human except the horns and ears."
We would probably be in error to interpret all these animal symbols as
exclusively phallic although many were definitely so. Thus, while Hermes was
a priapic deity, he was also a deity of the fields and the harvests; so the
bull may have been chosen for its strength as well as its sexual attributes.
There are many animals which were symbolic of the female generative power.
The cow is frequently so employed. The Hindus have the image of a cow in
nearly every temple, the deity corresponding to the Grecian Venus. In the
temple of Philae in Egypt, Isis is represented with the horns and ears of a
cow joined to a beautiful woman. The cow is still sacred in many parts of
Africa. The fish symbol was a very frequent representative of woman, the
goddess of the Phoenicians being represented by the head and body of a woman
terminating below in a fish. The head of Proserpine is frequently surrounded
by dolphins. Indeed, the female principle is regularly shown by some
representative of water; fire and water respectively being regarded as male
and female principles.
Male and female attributes are often combined on coins for purposes of
sexual symbolism. R. P. Knight explains these symbols as follows; "It
appears therefore that the asterisk, bull, or minotaur, in the centre of a
square or labyrinth equally mean the same as the Indian lingam,--that is the
male personification of the productive attribute placed in the female, or
heat acting upon humidity. Sometimes the bull is placed between two
dolphins, and sometimes upon a dolphin or another fish; and in other
instances the goat or the ram occupy the same situation. Which are all
different modes of expressing different modifications of the same meaning in
symbolical or mystical writings. The female personifications frequently
occupy the same place; in which case the male personification is always upon
the reverse of the coin, of which numerous instances occur in those of
Syracuse, Naples, Tarentum, and other cities." By the asterisk above
mentioned the writer refers to a circle surrounded by rays, a sun symbol of
male significance. The square or labyrinth is the lozenge shaped symbol or
yoni of India.
The above interpretations throw much light on the obscurity of the animal
worship of antiquity. This explains the partly humanized types, and the
final appearance of a human deity with only animal horns remaining, as
representing the form under which the deity was once worshipped. The satyrs,
centaurs, and other animal forms are all part of these same representations
and are similarly explained.
Our main object in giving the above account of these various symbols has
been to illustrate the wide prevalence of sex worship among primitive races.
Another end as well has been served; our study gives us a certain insight
into the type of mind which evolves symbolism, and so a few remarks on the
use of symbolism as here illustrated are not inappropriate.
We feel that while this symbolism may indicate a high degree of mechanical
skill in execution, it does not follow that it expresses either deep or
complicated intellectual processes. In fact, we are inclined to regard such
symbolism as the indication of a comparatively simple intellect. It appears
obscure and involved to us, because we do not understand the symbols. From
those which we do understand, the meaning is graphically but simply
expressed.
On coins, bas-reliefs and monuments; we find the majority of these simple
emblems. If the desire is to express the union of male and female
principles, a male symbolic animal is simply placed upon the corresponding
female symbol. Thus, a goat or bull may be placed upon the back of a
dolphin or other fish. This is a graphic presentation but certainly one of a
most simple nature. Sometimes the male symbol is on one side of the coin
and then the female is always on the reverse. Unions are made which do not
occur in nature, and the representation is not a subtle one.
In India, if there was a desire to express a number of attributes of the
deity, another head or face is added or additional arms are added to hold up
additional symbols. In Greece, when the desire was to express the androgyne
qualities of the deity, a beard was added to the female face, or one half of
the statuette represented the male form, the other the female. Such
representations do not indicate great ingenuity, however skillfully they may
be executed.