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This is often thought to be the reason he was connected to Dionysus – he depicted one of the negative affects wine could have on a man who consumed too much. The phallus was also used in sympathetic magic. I already knew that there was a phallus engraved above a baker’s oven at Pompeii to encourage the bread to rise, but according to Alberto Angela until recently in parts of Southern Campania (and possibly still now in remote areas) they used to cover kneaded dough with men’s underpants for the same reason!
When Priapus was born, Aphrodite was disgusted by his appearance. The Greeks widely believed that physical appearance was a reflection of one’s morality and nobility, so the goddess of beauty knew from his features that Priapus was as morally corrupt as he was ugly. Before we attempt to answer ‘why’ the god Priapus is depicted weighing his penis on the Priapus fresco at the House of the Vettii, we must first understand ‘how’ he was worshiped. An elaboration on a scholium on Apollonius of Rhodes' Argonautica i. Kereny remarks of the jealousy of Hera in this case, "a cheap theme, and certainly not an ancient one" (Kerenyi 1951, p.176).Priapus became associated with the rustic gods of Greece such as Pan and the satyrs. While he shared their lustful nature and connection to agriculture, his origins were likely in Anatolia and he was never as widely recognized in Greece itself as the older rural deities. Fertility in Greece was often seen as a female domain. Goddesses like Demeter, Gaia, and even Aphrodite were linked to agriculture and growth. In ridiculing the literal aspects of pagan gods given human form, he mentions "the Hellespontian Priapus bearing about among the goddesses, virgin and matron, those parts ever prepared for encounter." (Arnobius, Seven Books against the Heathen III.10 ( on-line text). On her wedding night a bride would undergo several rituals to ensure fertility. These would include offering a prayer to Priapus, along with other gods who had responsibility in this area. She might also smear her hair with gladiator’s blood (a gladiator being an alpha male). Yves Bonnefoy, Roman and European Mythologies, pp. 139–142. University of Chicago Press, 1992. ISBN 0-226-06455-7
With such esteemed parents, it could be reasonably assumed that their son would be honored among the gods and goddesses of Olympus. This was not the case, however, all because Hera bore a grudge against his mother. Priapus is a minor fertility god in Greek and Roman mythology, usually depicted with a large, erect phallus. Given this rather prominent feature, it should be no surprise that he was a popular figure in art. He was the firstborn son of Lucius Aelius Caesar, Hadrian’s first adopted son and heir, and was born on December 15, 130. He was raised and schooled in Rome and served numerous political positions before ascending to the throne.
Media in category "Statues of Priapus"
Priapus was a protective god for farmers and rural residents but was treated as a source of humor by urban Greeks. Sailors also venerated him as a protector and navigator. The second image, from Schefold, Karl: Vergessenes Pompeji: Unveröffentlichte Bilder römischer Wanddekorationen in geschichtlicher Folge. München 1962., with its much more brilliant colors, has been used to retouch the younger, higher resolution image here. While his cult spread to Greece by the 4th century BC, there were no temples or major shrines in his honor. Individual homes had small shrines to him or phallic totems in his honor, but there was no centralized and codified form of worship. It is unclear whether the images on the walls were advertisements for the services offered or merely intended to heighten the pleasure of the visitors. As previously mentioned, some of the paintings and frescoes became immediately famous because they represented erotic, sometimes explicit, sexual scenes.
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