SYMBOLISM
As civilization advanced, the deification of sex was no longer frank and
open. It came to be carried on by means of symbolism. This symbolism was
an effort on the part of its originators to express the worship of the
generative attributes under disguise, often understood only by the
priests or by those initiated into the religious mysteries. The
mysteries so frequently referred to in the religions of antiquity are
often some expression of sex worship.
Sexual symbolism was very general at one time and remains of it are
found in most of the countries where any form of sex worship has
existed. Such remains have been found in Egypt, Greece, Italy, India,
China, Japan, and indeed in most countries the early history of which is
known to man.
One important kind of symbolism had to do with the _form_ of the object
deified. Thus, it appears that certain objects,--particularly upright
objects,--stones, mounds, poles, trees, etc., were erected, or used as
found in nature, as typifying the male generative organ. Likewise
certain round or oval objects, discs, certain fruits and certain natural
caves, were worshipped as representing the female generative organ. (The
yoni of India.)
We also find that certain _qualities of animal or vegetable_ nature were
equally venerated, not because of their form, but because they stood for
some quality desirable in the generation of mankind. Thus we find that
some animals--the bull because of its strength and aggressive nature,
the snake, perhaps because of its form or of its tenacity of life,--were
male representatives of phallic significance. Likewise the fish, the
dolphin, and a number of other aquatic creatures came to be female
representatives. This may be shown over and over again by reference to
the antique emblems, coins, and engravings of many nations.
Another later symbolism, which was adopted by certain philosophies, was
more obscure but was none the less of distinct sexual significance.
_Fire_ is made to represent the male principle, and _water_, and much
connected with it, the female. Thus we have Venus, born of the Sea, and
accompanied by numerous fish representations. Fire worship was secondary
to the universally found sun worship. The sun is everywhere the male
principle, standing for the generative power in nature. At one time the
symbolism is broad, and refers to generative nature in general. At
another time it refers solely to the human generative organs. Thus, the
Greek God Hermes, the God of Fecundity in nature, is at times
represented in unmistakable priapic attitudes.
Still another symbolism was often used in India. This was the addition
of a number of members to the deity, possibly a number of arms or heads.
This was in order to express a number of qualities. Thus the deity was
both generator and destroyer, one face showing benevolence and kindness,
the other violence and rage. In many of the deities both male and
female principles were represented in one,--an Androgyne deity--which
was an ideal frequently attempted. The idea that these grotesque deities
were merely the expression of eccentricity or caprice on the part of
their originator is not to be entertained. Richard Payne Knight has
pointed out that they occur almost entirely on national coins and
emblems, and so were the expression of an established belief.
We shall refer first to the simpler symbols, those in which an object
was deified because of its form.
It is perhaps not remarkable that _upright objects_ should be selected
because of their form as the simplest expression of phallic ideas. The
simple upright for purposes of sex worship is universally found. An
upright conical stone is frequently mentioned. Many of the stone idols
or pillars, the worship of which was forbidden by the Bible, come under
this group. Likewise, the obelisk, found not only in Egypt, but in
modified forms in many other countries as well, embodies the same
phallic principle. The usual explanation of the obelisk is that it
represented the rays of the sun striking the earth; when we speak of sun
worship later, we shall see that this substantiates rather than refutes
the phallic interpretation. The mounds of religious significance, found
in many countries, were associated with sex worship. The Chinese pagodas
are probably of phallic origin. Indeed, there is evidence to show that
the spires of our Churches owe their existence to the uprights or
obelisks outside the Temples of former ages. A large volume has been
written by O'Brien to show that the Round Towers of Ireland (upright
towers of prehistoric times) were erected as phallic emblems. Higgins,
in the Anacalipsis, has amassed a great wealth of material with similar
purport, and he shows that such "temples" as that of Stonehenge and
others were also phallic. The stone idols of Mexico and Peru, the
ancient pillar stones of Brittany, and in fact all similar upright
objects, erected for religious purposes the world over, are placed in
this same category. We shall presently give a number of references to
show that the May-pole was associated with phallic worship and that it
originated at a very remote period.
We shall now quote from some of the authors who have contributed to our
knowledge of this form of symbolism, as thereby a clear idea of their
meaning may be set forth. These interpretations are not generally
advanced, and therefore we have added considerable corroborative
evidence which we have been able to obtain from independent sources.
In an Essay on the Assyrian "Grove" and other Emblems, Mr. John Newton
sums up the basis of this symbolism as follows: "As civilization
advanced, the gross symbols of creative power were cast aside, and
priestly ingenuity was taxed to the utmost in inventing a crowd of less
obvious emblems, which should represent the ancient ideas in a decorous
manner. The old belief was retained, but in a mysterious or sublimated
form. As symbols of the male, or active element in creation, the sun,
light, fire, a torch, the phallus or lingam, an erect serpent, a tall
straight tree, especially the palm or fir or pine, were adopted. Equally
useful for symbolism were a tall upright stone (menhir), a cone, a
pyramid, a thumb or finger pointed straight, a mask, a rod, a trident, a
narrow bottle or amphora, a bow, an arrow, a lance, a horse, a bull, a
lion, and many other animals conspicuous for masculine power. As symbols
of the female, the passive though fruitful element in creation, the
crescent moon, the earth, darkness, water, and its emblem, a triangle
with the apex downward, "the yoni"--the shallow vessel or cup for
pouring fluid into (cratera), a ring or oval, a lozenge, any narrow
cleft, either natural or artificial, an arch or doorway, were employed.
In the same category of symbols came a boat or ship, a female date palm
bearing fruit, a cow with her calf by her side, a fish, fruits having
many seeds, such as the pomegranate, a shell, (concha), a cavern, a
garden, a fountain, a bower, a rose, a fig, and other things of
suggestive form, etc.
"These two great classes of conventional symbols were often represented
_in conjunction_ with each other, and thus symbolized in the highest
degree the great source of life, ever originating, ever renewed.... A
similar emblem is the lingam standing in the centre of the yoni, the
adoration of which is to this day characteristic of the leading dogma of
Hindu religion. There is scarcely a temple in India which has not its
lingam, and in numerous instances this symbol is the only form under
which the god Siva is worshipped."
In _Ancient Sex Worship_ we read, "As the male genital organs were held
in early times to exemplify the actual male creative power, various
natural objects were seized upon to express the theistic idea and at the
same time point to those points of the human form. Hence, a similitude
is recognized in a pillar, a heap of stones, a tree between two rocks, a
club between two pine cones, a trident, a thyrsus tied around with two
ribbons with the end pendant, a thumb and two fingers. The caduceus
again the conspicuous part of the sacred Triad Ashur is symbolized by a
single stone placed upright,--the stump of a tree, a block, a tower, a
spire, minaret, pole, pine, poplar or pine tree."
Hargrave Jennings, the author of several books on some aspects of
religions of antiquity, among them one on phallicism, deals freely with
the phallic principles embodied in these religions. As do many other
writers, he identifies fire worship with sex worship, and the following
short paragraph shows his conception of their interrelationship, as well
as the significance of the upright of antiquity. In the Rosicrucians he
says: "Obelisks, spires, minarets, tall towers, upright stones,
(menhirs), and architectural perpendiculars of every description, and,
generally speaking, all erections conspicuous for height and slimness,
were representations of the Sworded or of the Pyramidal Fire. They
bespoke, wherever found and in whatever age, the idea of the First
Principle or the male generative emblem."
We might readily cite passages from the writings of a number of other
authors but the above paragraphs suffice to set forth the general
principle of this symbolism. As stated above, such interpretations have
not been generally advanced to explain such objects as sacred pillar
stones, obelisks, minarets, etc. It is readily seen how fully these
views are substantiated by observations from a number of independent
sources.
In a book of Travel[9] in India we are able from an independent source
to learn of the symbolism of that country. The traveller gives a
description of the caves of Elephanta, near Bombay. These are enormous
caves cut in the side of a mountain, for religious purposes to which
pilgrimages are made and where the usual festivities are held. The
worship of generative attributes is quite apparent. The numerous
sculptured female figures, as remarked by the traveller, are all
represented with greatly exaggerated breasts, a symbolism which is
frequent throughout oriental countries for expressing reproductive
attributes.
In an inner chamber is placed the symbol which is held in particular
veneration. Here is found an upright conical stone standing within a
circular one. The stone is sprinkled with water during the festival
season. The writer states that this stone, to the worshippers,
represents the male generative organ, and the worship of it is not
considered an impropriety. In this instance we feel that the symbolism
is very definite, and doubtless the stone pillars in the other temples
of India and elsewhere are of the same significance.
A clergyman in the Chinese Review of 1876, under the title _Phallic
Worship in China_, gives an account of the phallicism as he observed it
at that time. He states that the male sexual organ is symbolized by a
simple mound of earth and is so worshipped. Similarly, the female organ
is represented by a mound of different form and is worshipped as the
former. The writer states that at times these mounds are built in
conjunction. He states this worship is similar to that of Baal of
Chaldea, etc., and that probably all have a common origin. It appears to
be a fundamental part of the Chinese religion and the symbolism of the
Chinese pagoda expresses the same idea. He says that Kheen or Shang-te,
the Chinese deities of sex, are also worshipped in the form of serpents,
of which the dragon of the Chinese is a modification. This furnishes a
concrete instance in which the mound of earth is of phallic
significance, and substantiates an interpretation of serpent worship to
which we shall presently refer.
Hodder M. Westropp has given us an excellent account of phallic worship
and includes in his description the observations of a traveller in Japan
at as late periods as 1864 and 1869.
A temple near the ancient capital of Japan was visited by a traveller.
In this temple the main object of worship was a large upright, standing
alone, and the resemblance to the male generative organ was so striking
as to leave no doubt as to what it represented. This upright was
worshipped especially by women, who left votive offerings, among them
small phalli, elaborately wrought out of wood or other material. The
traveller remarked that the worship was most earnest and sincere.
The same traveller observed that in some of the public roads of Japan
are small hedged recesses where similar stone pillars are found. These
large pillars unquestionably represent the male organ. The writer has
observed priests in procession carrying similar huge phalli, painted in
color as well. This procession called forth no particular comment and so
was probably not unusual. It is stated that this is a part of the
ancient "Shinto" religion of Japan and China.
There are frequent references to certain of the gods of the Ancients
being represented in priapic attitudes, the phallus being the prominent
and most important attribute. Thus Hermes, in Greece, was placed at
cross-roads, with phallus prominent. This was comparable to the phallus
on Japanese highways. In the festivals of Bacchus high phalli were
carried, the male organ being represented about the size of the rest of
the body. The Egyptians carried a gilt phallus, 150 cubits high, at the
festivals of Osiris. In Syria, at the entrance of the temple at
Hieropolis, was placed a human figure with a phallus 120 cubits high. A
man mounted this upright twice a year and remained seven days, offering
prayers, etc.
In Peru in the Temple of the Sun an upright pillar has been described
covered with gold leaf, very similar to those existing elsewhere and to
which has been ascribed similar significance.
A number of writers have expressed the belief that the May-pole is an
emblem of ancient phallic worship. We know that May-day festivals are of
the most remote antiquity. We are indebted to R. P. Knight for a
description of what May-day was like about four centuries ago in
England. The festival started the evening before. Men and women went out
into the woods in search of a tree and brought it back to the village in
the early morning. The night was spent in sexual excesses comparable to
those of the Roman Bacchanalia. A procession was formed, garlands were
added to the May-pole, which was set up in the village square. The
Puritans referred to it as an idol, and they did not approve of the
festivities. Until comparatively recent years there was a May-pole in
one of the squares of London, and Samuel Pepys,[10] writing of his time,
speaks of seeing May-poles in the front yards of the prominent citizens
of Holland. A festival much the same as this was held in Ancient Rome
and also in India. The May-pole properly pierces a disc and thus
conforms with the lingam-yoni of India. We also know that the first of
May was a favorite time for all nature worship with the ancients. For a
number of interesting suggestions the reader is referred to R. P.
Knight, _Worship of Priapus_ and Hargrave Jennings, _Indian Religions_
(Page 66).
Tree worship is frequently mentioned in the religions of antiquity. We
are told that the mystic power of the mistletoe comes from the fact that
it grows on the oak, a once sacred tree. The pine of the North, the palm
and the fig tree of the South, were sacred trees at one time. John
Newton made a study of tree worship, especially the Ancient Grove
Worship of Assyria. He shows that the object of veneration was a male
date palm, which represented the Assyrian god Baal. Sex was worshipped
under this deity, and it is shown that the tree of the Assyrian grove
was a phallic symbol. Palm Sunday appears to be a relic of this worship.
In France, until comparatively recent times, there was a festival, "La
Fete des Pinnes," in which palms were carried in procession, and with
the palms were carried phalli of bread which had been blessed by the
priests.
Richard Payne Knight tells us that Pan was worshipped by the Shepherds
under the form of the tall fir, and Bacchus "by sticking up the rude
trunk of a tree." It is shown throughout these pages that sexual
attributes were worshipped under both these deities. In reference to
other symbols, the writer continues;[11] "The spires and pinnacles with
which our churches are decorated come from these ancient symbols; and
the weather cocks, with which they are surmounted, though now only
employed to show the direction of the wind, were originally emblems of
the sun; for the cock is the natural herald of the day, and therefore
sacred to the fountain of light. In the symbolical writings of the
Chinese the sun is still represented by a cock in the circle; and a
modern Parsee would suffer death rather than be guilty of the crime of
killing one. It appears on many ancient coins, with some symbol of the
passive productive power on the reverse; and in other instances it is
united with priapic and other emblems and devices, signifying other
attributes combined."
Dr. Thomas Inman has made a study to show how this phallic symbolism
found its way into ancient art, and even into some designs of modern
times. Thus, many formal designs are studied in which the upright plays
a part; likewise, the oval and the circle receive a similar explanation.
The architectural ornaments spoken of as eggs and anchors, eggs and
spear heads, the so-called honeysuckle ornament of antiquity, and the
origin of some church windows and ornaments, are all studied by this
writer, and his text is accompanied by illustrations. Hargrave Jennings
has also traced the origin of the symbols of Heraldry, the emblems of
Royalty and of some church orders with similar explanations.
We may add that the crux ansata of the Egyptians, the oval standing upon
the upright, or letter Tau, may be shown to be a sex symbol, the union
of the oval with the upright being of symbolic significance. The crux
ansata is found in the hand of most of the Egyptian deities. It is found
in the Assyrian temples and throughout the temples of India as well.
Prehistoric monuments of Ireland have the same design. Priests are
portrayed in adoration of the crux ansata before phallic monuments. This
symbol, from which our modern cross is doubtless derived, originated
with the religions of antiquity. Much additional evidence could readily
be given to illustrate this prehistoric origin. The present Christian
symbol affords another example of the adoption by a new religion of the
symbols of the old.
Some reflection will show that the origin of many church customs and
symbols, and indeed of a great number of obscure customs and usages, may
quite properly be traced to the religions and practices of primitive
races. Lafcadio Hearn has insisted upon this in the interpretation of
the art and customs of the Japanese. He says,[12] "Art in Japan is so
intimately associated with religion that any attempt to study it without
extensive knowledge of the beliefs which it reflects were mere waste of
time. By art I do not mean painting and sculpture but every kind of
decoration, and most kinds of pictorial representation--the image of a
boy's kite or a girl's battledore not less than the design upon a
lacquered casquet or enameled vase,--the figure upon a work-man's trowel
not less than the pattern of the girdle of a princess,--the shape of the
paper doll or wooden rattle bought for a baby, not less than the forms
of those colossal Ni-O, who guard the gateways of the Buddha's
temples," etc.
In the above pages, we have given an account of the views of a number of
writers upon certain forms and symbols, and at the same time we have
offered considerable evidence in substantiation from independent
sources. These origins, found associated especially in art and religious
usages, have not been generally understood. Yet when we reflect upon the
fact that many religious customs are of great antiquity; that when once
a certain form or custom becomes established, it is well nigh
ineffaceable, although subject to great change or disguise throughout
the centuries; when we reflect upon these conditions, and realize the
fact that sex worship with its accompanying symbolism is found
throughout primitive religions, we may then more readily appreciate the
entire significance of the above interpretations.
It must, of course, be borne in mind that no one now gives these
interpretations to spires, minarets, and to the various monumental
symbols of which we have been speaking. We are here dealing exclusively
with pre-historic origins, not with present day meanings. The antiquity
of certain symbols is truly remarkable. The star and crescent, for
example, a well known conventionalized symbol, is found on Assyrian
cylinders, doubtless devised many centuries before Christ.
The full force and meaning of these various symbols may be very readily
grasped by reference to a number of designs, ancient coins, bas-reliefs,
monuments, etc., which have been reproduced in plates and drawings by
C. W. King, Thomas Inman, R. P. Knight and others. To these we refer the
reader.
* * * * *
A number of _plant and flower symbols_ have a different significance
from that which is generally given to them. We are all quite familiar
with the grape vine of Bacchus and the association of that deity with
grapes. According to R. P. Knight, this too, symbolizes a sexual
attribute. Speaking of Bacchus, he writes, "The vine was a favorite
symbol of the deity, which seems to have been generally employed to
signify the generative or preserving attribute; intoxicating liquors
were stimulative, and therefore held to be aphrodisiac. The vase is
often employed in its stead to express the same idea and is often
accompanied by the same accessory symbol."
We have often seen in sculptures and paintings, heads of barley
associated with the God of the Harvest. This symbol would appear to be
self explanatory; yet we are told by more than one writer that it
contains another symbolic meaning as well. H. M. Westropp, speaking of
this says, "The kites or female organ, as the symbol of the passive or
productive power of nature, generally occurs on ancient Roman Monuments
as the Concha Veneris, a fig, barley corn, and the letter Delta." We are
told that the grain of barley, because of its form, was a symbol of the
vulva.
A great many other female symbols might be mentioned. The pomegranate is
constantly seen in the hands of Proserpine. The fir-cone is carried by
the Assyrian Baal, and the fig in numerous processions has a similar
significance. When we add to these the various forms of tree worship
described above, we see to what an extent the products of nature were
used as symbols in the worship of sex.
Among flower symbols there is one which recurs constantly throughout the
art and mythology of India, Egypt, China, and many other Eastern
countries. This is the lotus, of which the Easter lily is the modern
representative. The lotus appears in a number of forms in the records of
antiquity. We have symbolic pictures of the lion carrying the lotus in
its mouth, doubtless a male and female symbol. The deities of India are
depicted standing on the lotus, or are spoken of as being "born of the
Lotus." "The Chinese,"[13] says the author of Rites and Ceremonies,
"worship a Goddess whom they call Puzza, and of whom their priests give
the following account;--they say that 'three nymphs came down from
heaven to wash themselves in the river, but scarce had they gotten in
the water before the herb lotus appeared on one of their garments, with
its coral fruit upon it. They were surprised to think whence it could
proceed; and the nymph upon whose garment it was could not resist the
temptation of indulging herself in tasting it. But by thus eating some
of it she became pregnant, and was delivered of a boy, whom she brought
up, and then returned to heaven. He afterwards became a great man, a
conqueror and legislator, and the nymph was afterwards worshipped under
the name of Puzza.'" Puzza corresponds to the Indian Buddha.
In Egyptian architecture the lotus is a fundamental form, and indeed it
is said to be the main motive of the architecture of that civilization.
The capitals of the column are modelled after one form or other of this
plant. That of the Doric column is the seed vessel pressed flat. Earlier
capitals are simple copies of the bell or seed vessel. The columns
consisted of stalks of the plant grouped together. In other cases the
leaves are used as ornaments. These orders were copied by the Greeks,
and subsequently by western countries.
We may ask ourselves, what is the meaning of this mystic lotus which was
held in sufficient veneration to be incorporated in all the temples of
religion, as well as in myths of the deity. This, too, refers to the
deification of sex. O'Brien, in the _Round Towers of Ireland_ states:
"The lotus was the most sacred plant of the Ancients, and typified the
two principles of the earth fecundation,--the germ standing for the
lingam; the filaments and petals for the yoni."
R. P. Knight states, "We find it (the lotus) employed in every part of
the Northern Hemisphere where symbolical worship does or ever did
prevail. The sacred images of the Tartars, Japanese or Indians, are all
placed upon it and it is still sacred in Tibet and China. The upper part
of the base of the lingam also consists of the flower of it blended with
the most distinctive characteristics of the female sex; in which that of
the male is placed, in order to complete this mystic symbol of the
ancient religion of the Brahmans; who, in their sacred writings, speak
of Brahma sitting upon his lotus throne."
Alexander Wilder,[14] states that the term "Nymphe" and its derivations
were used to designate young women, brides, the marriage chamber, the
lotus flower, oracular temples and the labiae minores of the human
female.
The lotus then, which is found throughout antiquity, in art as well as
in religion, was a sexual symbol, representing to the ancients the
combination of male and female sexual organs. It is another expression
of the sex worship of that period.
Our present conventional symbols of art are very easily traced to
ancient symbols of religion. We may expect these to be phallic in their
meaning, to just the extent that phallicism was fundamental in the
religions where these symbols originated. From the designs of some of
the ornamental friezes of Nineveh, we find these principles illustrated.
On those bas-reliefs is found the earliest form of art, really the dawn
of art upon early civilization. Here is the beginning of certain designs
which were destined to be carried to the later civilizations of Greece,
Rome and probably of Egypt. These friezes show the pine cone alternating
with a modified form of the lotus; the significance of which symbols we
have explained. There are also shown animal representations before the
sacred tree or grove, a phallic symbol. From these forms and others were
designed a number of conventional symbols which were used throughout a
much later civilization. (See _Nineveh and Its Remains_. A. Layard.)
* * * * *
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 procession of Bacchus the Greeks
carried in a 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.