Wikipedia erected a page to explain Ancient Rome’s fascination with the phallus
This week’s entry: Fascinus
What it’s about: The ancient Romans had a slew of gods and goddesses—212 by Wikipedia’s count—and there was a deity on hand for just about every occasion. One of the lesser-known gods was Fascinus, who represented sacred “masculine generative power,” and whose symbol was a phallus. (Latin distinguishes between a phallus—a representation of a penis—and the male organ itself.) Fascinus was worshipped by wearing or carrying a phallic amulet or charm, also called a fascinus. (Thanks to reader Evel Kareebel for this week’s subject suggestion.)
Strangest fact: The charms were believed to ward off evil, specifically the Evil Eye, especially to protect young boys and soldiers. However, that wasn’t the only use of the fascinus’ power. During the annual Festival Of Liber (a Romanized version of Dionysus, who as a god of wine, fertility, and freedom, was closely associated with Fascinus) a gigantic fascinus was carried around the countryside on a cart to ensure crop fertility.
Biggest controversy: Because Christians later wiped out any parts of the Roman religion deemed too sexual, not that much is known about the god Fascinus. In fact, the Wikipedia page is about the fascinus amulets and only mentions their namesake in passing. Christians also wiped out most references to a related minor god, the wonderfully named Mutunus Tutunus, most likely because of a marriage tradition in which Roman brides supposedly “straddled the phallus of Mutunus to prepare themselves for intercourse.”