Phallic Worship / A description of the mysteries of the sex worship of the ancients, with the history of the masculine cross. An account of primitive symbolism, Hebrew phallicism, bacchic festivals, sexual rites, and the mysteries of the ancient faiths.

by Hargrave Jennings

THE ARK AND GOOD FRIDAY

The ark of the covenant was a most sacred symbol in the worship of the Jews, and like the sacred boat, or ark of Osiris, contained the symbol of the principle of life, or creative power. The symbol was preserved with great veneration in a miniature tabernacle, which was considered the special and sanctified abode of the god. In size and manner of construction the ark of the Jews and the sacred chest of Osiris of the Egyptians were exactly alike, and were carried in processions in a similar manner.

The ark or chest of Osiris was attended by the priests, and was borne on the shoulders of men by means of staves. The ark when taken from the temple was placed upon a table, or stand, made expressly for the purpose, and was attended by a procession similar to that which followed the Jewish ark. According to Faber, the ark was a symbol of the earth or female principle, containing the germ of all animated nature, and regarded as the great mother whence all things sprung. Thus the ark, earth, and goddess, were represented by common symbols, and spoken of in the old Testament as the “ashera.”

The sacred emblems carried in the ark of the Egyptians were the Phallus, the Egg, and the Serpent; the first representing the sun, fire, and male or generative principle—the Creator; the second, the passive or female, the germ of all animated things—the Preserver; and the last the Destroyer: the Three of the sacred Trinity. The Hindu women, according to Payne Knight, still carry the lingam, or consecrated symbol of the generative attribute of the deity, in solemn procession between two serpents; and in a sacred casket, which held the Egg and the Phallus in the mystic processions of the Greeks, was also a Serpent.

“The ark,” says Faber, “was reverenced in all the ancient religions.” It was often represented in the form of a boat, or ship, as well as an oblong chest. The rites of the Druids, with those of Phœnicia and Hindostan, show that an ark, chest, cell, boat, or cavern, held an important place in their mysteries. In the story of Osiris, like that of the Siva, will be found the reason for the emblem being carried in the sacred chest, and the explanation of one of the mysteries of the Egyptian priests. It is said that Osiris was torn to pieces by the wicked Typhon, who after cutting up the body, distributed the parts over the earth. Isis recovered the scattered limbs, and brought them back to Egypt; but, being unable to find the part which distinguished his sex, she had an image made of wood, which was enshrined in an ark, and ordered to be solemnly carried about in the festivals she had instituted in his honour, and celebrated with certain secret rites.

The Egg, which accompanied the Phallus in the ark was a very common symbol of the ancient faiths, which was considered as containing the generation of life. The image of that which generated all things in itself. Jacob Bryant says:—“The Egg, as it contained the principles of life was thought no improper emblem of the ark, in which were preserved the future world. Hence in the Dionysian and in other mysteries, one part of the nocturnal ceremony consisted in the consecration of an egg.” This egg was called the Mundane Egg.

The ark was likewise the symbol of salvation, the place of safety, the secret receptacle of the divine wisdom. Hence we find the ark of the Jews containing the tables of the law; we find too that the Jews were ordered to place in the ark Aaron’s rod, which budded, conveying the idea of symbolised fertility: showing that the ark was considered as the receptacle of the life principle—as an emblem of the Creator.

With the Egyptians Osiris was supposed to be buried in the ark, which represented the disappearance of the deity. His loss, or death, constituted the first part of the mysteries, which consisted of lamentations for his decease. After the third day from his death, a procession went down to the seaside in the night, carrying the ark with them. During the passage they poured drink offerings from the river, and when the ceremony had been duly performed, they raised a shout that Osiris had again risen—that the dead had been restored to life. After this followed the second or joyful part of the mysteries. The similarity of this custom with the Good Friday celebrations of the death of Jesus, and the rejoicings on account of his resurrection on Easter Sunday, will be at once observed. It is further said that the missing part of Osiris was eaten by a fish, which made the fish a sacred symbol. Thus we have the Ark, Fish, and Good Friday brought together, also the Egg, for the origin of the Easter eggs is very ancient. A bull is represented as breaking an egg with his horn, which signified the liberating of imprisoned life at the opening or spring of the year, which had been destroyed by Typhon. The opening of the year at that time commenced in the spring, not according to our present reckoning; thus, the Egg was a symbol of the resurrection of life at the spring, or our Easter time. The author of the “Worship of the Generative Powers,” describes the origin of the hot cross-bun at Easter, which is a further parallelism of the Christian and Pagan festivals. The author also draws a further conclusion—that the cakes or buns have in reality a Phallic origin, for in France and other parts, the Easter cakes were called after the membrum virile. The writer says:—“In the primitive Teutonic mythology, there was a female deity named in old German, Ostara, and in Anglo-Saxon, Eastre or Eostre; but all we know of her is the simple statement of our father of history, Bede, that her festival was celebrated by the ancient Saxons in the month of April, from which circumstance that month was named by the Anglo-Saxons, Easter-mona or Eoster-mona, and that the name of the goddess had been frequently given to the Paschal time, with which it was identical. The name of this goddess was given to the same month by the old Germans and by the Franks, so that she must have been one of the most highly honoured of the Teutonic deities, and her festival must have been a very important one and deeply implanted in the popular feelings, or the Church would not have sought to identify it with one of the greatest Christian festivals of the year. It is understood that the Romans considered this month as dedicated to Venus, no doubt because it was that in which the productive powers of nature began to be visibly developed. When the Pagan festival was adopted by the Church, it became a moveable feast, instead of being fixed to the month of April. Among other objects offered to the goddess at this time were cakes, made no doubt of fine flour, but of their form we are ignorant. The Christians when they seized upon the Easter festival, gave them the form of a bun, which indeed was at that time the ordinary form of bread; and to protect themselves and those who ate them from any enchantment—or other evil influences which might arise from their former heathen character—they marked them with the Christian symbol—the cross. Hence we derived the cakes we still eat at Easter under the name of hot cross-buns, and the superstitious feelings attached to them; for multitudes of people still believe that if they failed to eat a hot cross-bun on Good Friday, they would be unlucky all the rest of the year.”