Religion and Lust Part 2

The inao are peculiar, inasmuch as nothing exactly like them is known.

The feather prayer-plumes of some of the Western Indians are used for like purposes, but these are offered directly to the Great Spirit, and not to intermediaries. "Inao, briefly described, are pieces of whittled willow wood, having the shavings attached to the top."[35] Like the Aleutians, when these people kill a bear or other wild animal, they propitiate its spirit by bestowing upon it the most fulsome compliments, and, like the religion of these Indians, the religion of the Ainus has developed along natural lines, and shows certain phallic elements.

[35] Batchelor: _The Ainu of j.a.pan_, p. 87.

We see from the examples here given, that religious feeling had its origin in the idea of propitiation; in fact, that it was born in fear, and by fear was it fostered. We see, furthermore, that man was not created with religious feeling as a psychical trait, but that he acquired it later on. We see, finally, that religious feeling is based, primarily and fundamentally, on one of the chief laws of nature--self-protection. The evolution and growth of Ethics demonstrate this beyond peradventure.

It is not at all probable that man in the beginning, just after his evolution from his ape-like ancestor, had, at first, any belief whatever in supernatural agencies. In his struggle for existence, all of his powers were directed toward the procurement of his food and the preservation of life; the pithecoid man was only a degree higher than the beasts in the scale of animal life. His psychic being, as yet, remained, as it were, _in ovo_, and a long period of time must have elapsed before he began to formulate and to recognize a system of theogony. After years of experience, during which the laws of heredity and progressive evolution played prominent parts, he took precedence over other animals, and his struggle for existence became easier. He then had time to study the wonderful and, to him, mysterious phenomena of nature. His limited knowledge could not explain the various natural operations by which he was surrounded, therefore he looked upon them as being mysterious and supernatural. His psychical being became active and inquiring, to satisfy which he created a system of G.o.ds which was founded on natural phenomena. At first, the G.o.ds of primitive man were, probably, few in number, and the chief G.o.d of all was the sun. Man early recognized the sun's importance in the economy of nature; this beautiful star, rising in the east in the morning, marching through the heavens during the day, and sinking behind the western horizon in the evening, must have been, to the awakening soul of man, a source of endless conjecture and debate. What was more natural than his making the sun the greatest G.o.d in his system of theogony? Man recognized in him the source of all life, and, when he arrived at an age when he could use abstract ideation in formulating his religion, he deified the life-giving function as he noticed it in himself; he began to worship the generative principle. Solar worship and its direct descendant, phallic worship, at one time or another were the religions of almost every race on the face of the globe. Solar worship, owing to its material quality, has long since been abandoned by civilized man; but phallic worship, the first _abstract_ religion evolved by man, has taken deeper root; its fundamental principles are still present, though they have their seat in our subliminal consciousness, and we are, therefore, not actively conscious of their existence. But before entering on the discussion of this last point, let us turn for a time to a study of phallic worship.

CHAPTER II.

PHALLIC WORSHIP.

Phallic worship, in some form or other, has been practiced by almost every race under the sun. Indeed, among primitive peoples, those who do not practice this cult are so few in number that they have, practically, no weight whatever in a discussion of this subject. Moreover, those primitive peoples who do not worship the generative principle, either directly or indirectly, are without any religion whatsoever, and are the very lowest of all mankind in point of intelligence. I have only to cite the Tierra del Fuegians, the Bushmen, the Australians, and the Akka or Ticki-Ticki, the Pygmies of Central Africa, to prove the truthfulness of this a.s.sertion. There are other peoples who would serve as examples, but it would be a work of supererogation to enumerate them to even the casual reader.

D'Hancarville, in his magnificent work, has traced the progress of the worship of the generative principle over the entire world, while Knight, in his scholarly essay,[36] has brought out its psychological truths in a manner which cannot be surpa.s.sed. It is not my purpose to enter into a detailed account of this cult; I propose rather to discuss its probable origin in the beginning, and to give a brief outline of its history, as it is to be observed among living peoples. I wish to show, also, its connection with certain religious ceremonies and festivals of Christian peoples, which had their origin, _ab initio_, in the worship of Priapus.

And, before beginning the discussion of this subject, I beg to remind the reader that a priest of Priapus regarded his sistrum as being just as sacred as a Catholic priest now considers any vessel or robe used in the service of ma.s.s, and that the priests of Brahma look on the Lingam with as much reverence and awe as did the Levites on the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy of Holies. Phallic worship is a religion, the oldest _abstract_ religion in existence. Fundamentally the Creator--the Life Giver--is the phallic worshiper's G.o.d. Is he very far wrong in all that is absolutely essential? "Men think they know because they are sure they feel, and are firmly convinced because strongly agitated. Hence proceed that haste and violence with which devout persons of all religions condemn the rites and doctrines of others, and the furious zeal and bigotry with which they maintain their own, while, perhaps, if both were equally understood, both would be found to have the same meaning, and only to differ in the modes of conveying it."[37]

[36] Knight: _The Worship of Priapus_.

[37] Knight: _The Worship of Priapus_, p. 14.

The Pueblo Indians of New Mexico are worshipers of the generative principle, and, like most religious sects, have evolved some very curious rites and ceremonies. The ancient temples of Venus or Aphrodite were filled with _hetarae_, who were necessary adjuncts for the proper performance of the mysteries of Priapus. These Indians, however, will not allow women to enter into their sacred ceremonies, but, on the contrary, emasculate men (by occasioning organic and functional degeneration of the s.e.xual organs), who serve as hetarae to the chiefs and shamans or priests.[I] These androgynes are called _mujerados_, a term which aptly describes their s.e.xual condition.

[I] The Aleutians, according to the testimony of unimpeachable witnesses, make their neophytes pa.s.s through like physical exercises in preparing them for their duties in celebrating Priapic Rites.

"In order to cultivate a mujerado, a very powerful man is chosen, and he is made to m.a.s.t.u.r.b.a.t.e excessively and ride constantly. Gradually such irritable weakness of the genital organs is engendered that, in riding, great loss of s.e.m.e.n is induced. This condition of irritability pa.s.ses into paralytic impotence. Then the t.e.s.t.i.c.l.es and p.e.n.i.s atrophy, the hair of the beard falls out, the voice loses its depth and compa.s.s, and physical strength and energy decrease. Inclinations and disposition become feminine. The mujerado loses his position in society as a man. He takes on feminine manners and customs, and a.s.sociates with women; yet, for religious reasons, he is held in high honor."[38] The phallic ceremonies of the Pueblos take place in the spring, when the life principle is exceedingly active throughout all nature.

[38] Krafft-Ebing: _Psychopathia s.e.xualis_, p. 201; see also Hammond: _Impotence in the Male_.

In all probability the "botes" of the Montana Indians and the "burdachs"

of the Washington tribes serve as masculine hetarae to the chiefs and medicine men, though this has not been definitely determined. Dr. Holder described a typical "bote" of the Absaroke tribe in the New York Medical Journal, 1889. This androgyne, in many respects, resembled the mujerados of the Pueblo Indians, and probably served a like purpose in his tribe.

According to Ross, a Konyaga woman, when she has a good-looking boy, dresses him in girl's clothes and brings him up as a female. When he arrives at a suitable age he is sent to wait on the priests of the tribe and is introduced by them into the sacred mysteries of their cult; in fact, he becomes a masculine hetara.

When we read of such things we feel pretty much as Herodotus felt when he saw the naked women of Mendes submitting themselves openly e?

ep?de???? a????p?? [Transliteration: es epideixin anthropon] to the embraces of the sacred goat.[J] To the Greek historian this act was simply horrible (te?a? [Transliteration: teras]); and yet these Egyptians experienced no repugnance whatever. To them it represented the incarnation of the deity, and was, therefore, a sacred and holy action, just as masculine hetarism is regarded as a holy profession among the Konyagas. Phallic hetarism is one of the sacraments of the Konyaga church, and, as such, it is held in all that reverence and awe with which the savage devotee endows the mysteries of his faith.[K]

[J] Herodotus: _Euterpe_, 46.

[K] Masculine hetarism is still in vogue among many primitive peoples, and is distinctly a religious rite. "The Kanats of New Caledonia frequently a.s.semble at night in a cabin to give themselves up to this kind of debauchery.... In the whole of America, from north to south, similar customs have existed or still exist." Letourneau: _The Evolution of Marriage_, p. 62. The same author says: "It was also a widely spread custom throughout Polynesia, and even a special deity presided over it. The Southern Californians did the same, and the Spanish missionaries, on their arrival in the country, found men dressed as women and a.s.suming their part. They were trained to this from youth, and often publicly married to the chiefs. Nero was evidently a mere plagiarist. The existence of a.n.a.logous customs has been proved against the Guyacurus of La Plata, the natives of the Isthmus of Darien, the tribes of Louisiana, and the ancient Illinois."

The ancient Hebrews, ancestors of one of the most ancient of the civilized races of the earth, held it in high honor. Even wise King Solomon, in the days of his old age, turned from the abstractedly pure religion of his father "to Astoreth, the G.o.ddess of the Zidonians, and to Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites."[39] He was guilty of constructing a "high place" for Chemosh, "the abomination of Moab."[40]

Any good modern biblical encyclopedia will tell the reader about Astoreth and her worship, and what the "high places" and the "groves"

were.

[39] _I Kings_: chap xi, verse 5.

[40] _Ibid._, verse 7.

Even the "good kings," such as Asa, Amaziah, _et al._, did not remove the high places and the groves, for we read that, notwithstanding the fact that these kings did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, they did not remove the high places. In the case of Amaziah, it is written:

"And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, yet not like David, his father; he did according to all things as Joash, his father, did.

"Howbeit, the high places were not taken away: as yet the people did sacrifice and burnt incense on the high places."[41] All of the so-called "wicked kings" were phallic worshipers, and both male and female hetarism flourished during their reigns. We read of Josiah, a "good king," "And he broke down the houses of the sodomites (_kedescheim_) that were by the house of the Lord."[42] Here, in unmistakable terms (_kedescheim_), the phallic act of the hetara is specified.

[41] _II Kings_: chap. xiv, verses 3, 4.

[42] _Ibid._, chap. xxiii, verse 7.

Herodotus wrote: "Almost all mankind consort with women in their sacred temples, except in Greece and Egypt."[43] This is a queer mistake for a Greek to make, yet this historian is noted for his unreliability, and we should not feel surprised at this gross error. Concerning the Aphrodite of Abydos, what she was and what took place in her temples, is a matter of history. Indeed, this G.o.ddess was surnamed _p.o.r.ne_! In Corinth, delubral hetarism was openly practiced; also at Bubastis and Naucratis in Egypt. Royal princesses were pallacides in the temple of Ammon; in fact, they took pride in the t.i.tle of _pallakis_![L] "It is known what excessive debauchery took place in the 'groves' and 'high places' of the 'Great G.o.ddess.' The custom was so deeply rooted that in the grotto of Bethlehem what was done formerly in the name of Adonis is to-day in the name of the Virgin Mary by Christian pilgrims; and the Mussulman _hadjis_ do likewise in the sanctuaries of Mecca!"[44][M]

[43] Herodotus: _Euterpe_, 64.

[L] Strabo, when writing of the Armenians, who were phallic worshipers, says: "It is the custom of the most ill.u.s.trious personages to consecrate their virgin daughters to this G.o.ddess (Anatis). This in no way prevents them from finding husbands, even after they have prost.i.tuted themselves for a long time in the temples of Anatis. No man feels on this account any repugnance to take them as wives." Strabo: vol. xi., 14; quoted also by Letourneau: _The Evolution of Marriage_, p. 46.

[44] Reclus: _Primitive Folk_, p. 69; Sepp: _Heidenthum u.

Christenthum_.

[M] Brugsch Bey is of this same opinion.

But let us return to primitive peoples, from whose customs and beliefs we can learn what our own ancestors must have believed before the besom of civilization swept aside the crudities of savagery.

The Khonds of India are phallic worshipers, and, in the practice of their religion, Priapus saves many a girl who would be, otherwise, offered up on the b.l.o.o.d.y altars of their divinities. The pregnant woman is sacred, hence, religious prost.i.tution is exceedingly prevalent. But it frequently happens that some unfortunate creature, who is not pleasing to the shamans, is seized, tied to the stake and butchered.[45]

As the blood flows down and deluges the ground, "the divine spirit enters into the priest and inspires him."[46] This sacrifice is of itself a phallic rite; the blood-offering is supposed to be exceedingly acceptable to Earth, the mother of all things. Blood is the essence of the life-giving principle; hence, the essence is returned to the great Giver, as a propitiatory offering.[N]

[45] Sherwill: _The Rajmahal Hills_.

[46] Reclus: _Primitive Folk_, p. 317.

[N] Among certain peoples the blood and the s.e.m.e.n bore a close relationship; by certain races they were considered a.n.a.logous. The Old Testament, the Vedas, the Sagas, and many references of Greek, Latin, Egyptian, Hindu, and Persian mythology point to this as being conclusive.

In point of fact, the worship of the generative principle is everywhere prevalent in India.[O] In the Lingam, or holy altar of the Brahmins, we see a conjunction of the male and female s.e.xual organs, while religious prost.i.tution, in the shape of hetarism, crowds the inner courts and corridors of almost every temple in the land with hierodules and bayaderes. The Vedas abound in references, either direct or indirect, to phallic worship. Indeed, according to some authorities, the Hindu Brahma is the same as the Greek Pan,[P] "who is the creative spirit of the deity transfused through matter."[47]

[O] Speaking of the ceremony of priestly prelibation as it was practiced in the Kingdom of Malabar, Forbes writes as follows: "The ecclesiastic power took precedence of the civil on this particular point, and the sovereign himself pa.s.sed under the yoke. Like the other women, the queen had to submit to the right of prelibation exercised by the high priest, who had a right to the first three nights, and who was paid fifty pieces of gold besides for his trouble." Forbes: _Oriental Memoirs_, vol. i, p. 446; quoted also by Letourneau: _The Evolution of Marriage_, p. 48. De Remusat says that, in Cambodia, the daughters of poor parents retain their virginity longer than their richer sisters simply because they have not the money with which to pay the priest for defloration!

[P] "The people have put the idol named _Coppal_ in a neighboring house; there she is served by priests and _Devadichi_, or slaves of the G.o.ds. These are prost.i.tute girls, whose employment is to dance and to ring little bells in cadence while singing infamous songs, either in the paG.o.da or in the streets when the idol is carried out in state," writes Letourneau in _The Evolution of Marriage_, quoting from _Letters edifiantes_. _Coppal_ was and is a Brahminical Venus, and her worship is wholly phallic in character.

The ancient Indo-Iranians worshiped a similar deity. The worship of Coppal, both in ritual and in significance, is identical with that of the Greek Aphrodite.

[47] Brugsch, Knight, Muller, _et al._

Hundreds of pages have been written on snake-worship, in which a wonderful amount of metaphysical lore has been expended. Mr. Herbert Spencer devotes several pages to the snake, and the reason for its appearance in the religion of primitive peoples. He ascribes to savages a psychical acuteness that I am by no means willing to allow them, inasmuch as he makes them give a psychical causation for their adoption of the serpent as a deity, such as no ignorant and uncultivated savage could have possibly evolved. I am inclined to believe that, like all great students and thinkers, Mr. Spencer has a hobby, and that this hobby is animism or ancestor-worship. When he gives out, as a reason for the snake's almost universal appearance in the religions of primitive peoples, that the latter consider it an animal which has a.s.sumed the returning ghost, double, or soul of an ancestor,[48] I think that he is very much in error. There are very few primitive folk, comparatively speaking, who believe in metempsychosis. In all probability, when a race, like the ancient Egyptians, for instance, had reached a high degree of civilization, they idealized many of their religious beliefs and customs; hence, the serpent probably lost its initial and simple symbolical meaning, and stood for something higher and more ethical during the reign of the great Pharaohs, and the Golden Age of the Greeks and Latins. I am positive, however, that the snake's original significance was wholly phallic in character, and that its adoption as a symbol was simple and material, as I explain elsewhere in this essay.[Q]

[48] Spencer: _Principles of Sociology_, vol. i, p. 798.

[Q] The appearance of the erect male organ of generation is quite sufficient to explain why the snake should be chosen as a symbol in phallic rites.