It will suffice merely to allude to the theory of the phallic origin of
the superstitious use of the horse-shoe, a branch of our subject capable
of much elaboration. The horse-shoe is still the conventional figure for
the _yoni_ (a phallic emblem) in modern Hindu temples. This theory is
discussed in “Ancient Faiths embodied in Ancient Names,” by Thomas Inman,
M. D., London, 1873; and in “A Discourse on the Worship of Priapus,” by
Richard Payne Knight, Esq., London, 1865.
Phallic ornaments are of great antiquity, and amulets of this character
have been found in the earliest Etruscan tombs. Specimens are also to be
seen in the various Italian museums.
The _yoni_ symbol guards the entrances of ancient temples in Mexico and
Peru, as well as in India.
Ornate Mexican sacred stones of the horse-shoe form, relics of the
ancient Maya tribes, are classed in the National Museum at Washington,
D. C., as representative of fecundity and nature-worship; and horse-shoe
symbols are found in Aztec manuscripts relating to agriculture as signs
of abundance.[215]
Phallic charms are seen above the entrances of houses and over tent-doors
in north Africa to avert the evil eye, and to bring health and good
fortune. Much information on this subject may be found in a chapter on
serpent and phallic worship in “Rivers of Life,” by Major-General J.
G. R. Forlong, London, 1883; and in an essay on “Phallism in Ancient
Religions,” by C. Staniford Wake, 1888.
On a curious tablet found near a prehistoric mound in the vicinity of the
village of Cahokia, Saint Clair County, Illinois, are portrayed human
faces with bird-like profiles, diamond-shaped eyes, and low foreheads
surmounted by ornamental crowns or head-dresses. The mouths are wide
open, and in front of them are represented symbols having a well-defined
horse-shoe form. These symbols, although probably of phallic origin, are
thought to signify the principle of life residing in the breath, just as
in India the horse-shoe is an emblem of the soul.[216]