Pagan Paths
Hellenismos, otherwise known as Greek Reconstructionist Paganism, is the traditional, polytheistic religion of ancient Greece, reconstructed in and adapted to the modern world. It's a vibrant religion which can draw on a surprising amount of ancient sources. Baring the Aegis blogger Elani Temperance blogs about her experiences within this Tradition.
Why do male statues made in ancient Hellas have such small packages?
Oh guys, you know I love you, right? Yesterday I got not one but two e-mail from readers. One was a very sweet note abut the quality of the blog and how much they like reading it, the other was a very simple question, and I really appreciate that the reader (who has opted to remain anonymous) was comfortable enough with me to ask it. The message reads:
It's a very good question, and I don't feel it is inappropriate at all. I will, however, not use the most common word for the male genitalia, because that attracts a lot of weird attention to the blog. That is why I have changed the word to 'package' above. I assume we all know what we're talking about here. One more thing: I'm a lesbian, so besides the random reveal here and there, I have not seen a male member--relaxed or enticed--in my life. If one of my male readers or well-informed female readers wants to contribute to this discussion, I welcome their input.
Before we start on the 'why', I first want to nuance the question a bit. Yes, many classical sculptures feature relatively small genitalia, but there are many examples of huge penises as well. The herms, placed on the threshold between the yard and the street of ancient Hellenic homes, often sported erect members of impressive size. The temple of Dionysos on the island of Dolos sports very impressive erect statues--shown on the right here--which unfortunately have been broken off throughout the years. These statues, and the herms dedicated to Hermes, especially, were apotropaic, meaning they warded off evil. There was nothing sexual about erect members, generally speaking.
In the case of Dionysos, Pan, and other fertility Gods, or those known for chasing nymphs around, a big package was absolutely normal on statues. It showed that they were wild Gods, speaking to an untamed part of men that lusted, and literally walked after whatever their members were pointing at. As such, big members were associated with unrestrained, barbaric, men who were only interested in chasing tail. It was also seen as comical, or even grotesque. This stood in direct contrast to the ideal man, who showed restrained, led with his (big) head, and showed sophistication and class. A big member was thus associated with barbarism, where a small member became associated with sophistication.
Secondly, the ideal beauty was young and chiseled, and young men, it seems, still need to grow into their size and pubic hair. Aristophanes, in 'The Clouds', describes this ideal beauty in a male with great detail:
Image source: temple of Dionysos
Comments
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Saturday, 08 June 2013
You are absolutely right. I must have had Dionysos in my head, still, when I wrote that paragraph. I stand corrected. hank you for pointing this out.
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Tuesday, 04 June 2013But, he himself tends not to be shown in an exaggerated or priapic fashion...that gets left to Priapus, Orthanes, Konisalos, Phales, Tychon, Pan, and others (often satyrs) for the most part.
I've certainly noticed this, just from observation of ancient art. I really have no idea where the notion of a boneriffic Dionysos, Himself as depicted in art, came from. The anatomy of His processions, as you state, was often disembodied.· Elani Temperance likes this comment. -
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Monday, 03 June 2013
An important foot note here; "It's not the size that matters, it's the motion in the ocean".
· Elani Temperance likes this comment. -
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Thursday, 06 June 2013That was a really good insight on how the Greeks valued Intellect over Instinct. Also, though, it's a physical fact that when you're exerting yourself in work or exercise (not sex-oriented), blood is pumping all through your body everyplace EXCEPT there. Nature wouldn't want an engorged phallus getting in the way at those times.
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Saturday, 08 June 2013
Sounds practical, thank you for the addition!
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While I agree with most of the information you've given here, Elani, there is a small (if you'll excuse the term) exaggeration that is often mistaken for fact in what you've said. The majority of Dionysos statues and paintings do not show him with an erection, contrary to popular belief. Yes, giant phallic images do accompany his processions, but they're usually disembodied, or are in the shape of other things (e.g. birds, fish, horses, etc.). But, he himself tends not to be shown in an exaggerated or priapic fashion...that gets left to Priapus, Orthanes, Konisalos, Phales, Tychon, Pan, and others (often satyrs) for the most part.