#fascinus

[coyoteprince]

I showed you my fascinus please respond

(Sculpey, acrylic)

[rathenarts]

So sorry to disappoint anyone who was expecting anything sensible from me XD but here we have yet another Flying Fuck. (Wearing a thread-crochet Pride cock ring, because why not.) This one is going to be a gift, for a dear friend who got a good laugh out of the ones I'd already made and asked if he could have one too. I am delighted to oblige because we have been friends for many years and I'm happy to provide him with a reminder that I will, indeed, always give a fuck about him. ❤️

[Sirdar Happy Cotton yarn in black, 3mm crochet hook / Ariadna vintage crochet thread size 8, various colours, 0.75mm crochet hook.]

[satyrmagos]

The fascinus is an apotropaic symbol dating back at least as far as ancient Rome, used as magical protection against disease and the evil eye. Yes, it is a penis with wings.

This fascinus, visually three-dimensional with its wings extending backward, was designed to be worn as a pendant, but is also available as earrings, in pairs or as a singleton.

[jaysweirdart]

The stupidest tjibg ive drawn the whole week. Inspired by fascinus

[golden-bubblebee]

I feel like ya'll would really enjoy the knowledge that anctient roman children used to run around wearing a bunch of lil' dick pendants

(They're called Fascinus and are amulets to protect the tiny ones from envy or the evil eye (mostly for male tiny ones) and when a pride chariot would go 'round they would also hang one there to protect the person they were cheering on from envy. The children would also carry lil' bags filled with these (and other amulets)

[rathenarts]

After a very long and stressful few weeks lately, I found myself exhausted, overwhelmed and with absolutely no fucks left to give. So obviously, the only thing to do was make some more...

Initially based on a pattern bought from Ana.Mey.Crochets on Etsy, modified and tweaked in various directions by me. Inspired by @tkingfisher's famous phalloi drawings and the ancient Roman "fascinus" protective amulets, hence why these little guys have paws and wings (the latter of which, I suppose, technically makes them flying fucks...)

They are very tame btw and would make adorable pets:

(Technical details: Sirdar Happy Cotton amigurumi yarn in various shades, 3mm crochet hook.)

[satyrmagos]

The fascinus is an apotropaic symbol dating back at least as far as ancient Rome, used as magical protection against disease and the evil eye. Yes, it is a penis with wings.

This fascinus, visually two-dimensional with its wings extending outward, was designed to be worn as earrings, either singly or in pairs, but is also available as a pendant.

[strixessabre]

BIG BUTTONS BIG BUTTONS

( Strixes' Sabre )

[ormspryde]

Happy pride I'm drawing a fascinus lol

[ancientcharm]

Hic habitat felicitas ("Happiness lives here" or "Good luck lives here"). We might think this is the entrance sign to a Roman brothel, but it isn't. For the ancient Romans, sexuality had the same importance it has for us today, but certainly this image didn't mean the same thing to them as it does to us.

Nor did it have the same meaning for people in the 18th century, when those things were discovered, and censored, ended up in a secret room in the museum. In the censored collection there was indeed erotic art from Pompeii and Herculaneum, but also the fascinum, which for the ancient Romans had nothing to do with eroticism. The secret room collection finally became accessible to everyone in 2000.

Fascinus -Tintinnabulum from Pompeii. It would be hung outside a house or shop doorway to ward off evil spirits. National Archaeological Museum, Naples.

In ancient Rome, phallic amulets, called fascinum, had no connection with sexuality; they were used, among other things, as protection against the evil eye, a strong belief that an envious person can cause bad things to happen to you in your life just with a look full of bad vibes.

This belief still exists intact in many cultures; millions of people believe it. The only thing that has changed is that today, no one would wear something shaped like a phallus as an amulet, and that's because it's precisely us, not the ancient Romans, who associate the figure of a phallus with sexuality. Furthermore, for them this amulet was linked to the Roman deity Fascinus.

Four Roman fascinum. They were highly valued amulets used as a protection among children and soldiers. They were used to ward off the evil eye, to invoke the protection of the god Fascinus, or to promote the germination of plants.

The funniest thing I've ever read about this topic is that this stone phallus in Via dell'Abbondanza, Pompeii, is a signpost indicating the route to the brothel. I would say it was to prevent envious people from spreading bad vibes as they walked past the many shops and bars on that street.

Fascinus

Fascinus was the Roman deity who personified the divine phallus and was invoked for protection. He was also referred to as medicus invidiae, meaning "doctor" for envy or the evil eye. He was depicted as a giant flying penis with wings, hind legs, and a penis of his own. He was associated with the Greek god of fertility, Priapus . He was used as a protective amulet, especially among children and soldiers. Houses were decorated with this symbol. They were hung around the necks of babies and children. They were also very common among legionaries.

“Should we believe that it is right to do so upon the arrival of a stranger, or that if a baby is seen sleeping, the nurse should spit on it three times? Although these are looked after by Fascinus, protector also of generals, not only of children, a divinity whose cult among Roman religious rites is attended to by the Vestals and who, doctor of the evil eye, protects the chariots of victors by hanging beneath them and, as a remedy similar to a voice, orders them to look behind them in order to obtain the benevolence of Fortune, executioner of glory, behind them.” (Pliny the Elder, Natural History, XXVIII, 39)

If you've seen the image of Fascinus in a series set in Ancient Rome, in the inevitable brothel scene, it's because no one on the production team took a moment to find out what this figure meant to the ancient Romans.

In the only real Roman brothel discovered, the one in Pompeii, there are sexually explicit paintings depicting people, but not the image of Fascinus.

[telemachea]

ok so in classics my teacher started talking about roman fascinus, which are literally phallus-shaped items to ward from the evil eye, and then he started talking about the etymology and how we got the word "fascinating" from fascinus because to be fascinated is to be distracted by dick. now, you may be wondering, patroclus what does this have to do with anything? well yk how in s2ep5 of iwtv armand was going on and on about daniel being so fascinating and wanting desperately to learn how to also be fascinating via week long torture spiral. there's a high likelihood armand knows the etymology of the word what with marius being roman and him living in renaissance venice so what he's really asking daniel is why is your dick so distracting and how can i make mine just as distracting. which is SO armand bc he places his self worth in his desirability. but also a fascinus was a religious item so what armand is really REALLY asking is daniel can your distracting dick ward away the evil eye and can you teach me to do it as well so your protection will be with me always?

anyways yeah. idk what possessed me to write that but i came here to share it anyway

[fluentisonus]

also I learned a very funny folk story about the pont du gard: according to the story the builder who was assigned to build a bridge across the river tried and failed many times (each time his bridges were destroyed), and eventually in despair makes a deal with the devil, that the devil will build a bridge in return for the soul of the first being that crossed the bridge. however the builder catches a hare and releases it onto the bridge, and when the devil realizes he's been tricked he grabs the hare and flings it against the stonework, where it's stuck to the side ever since. hence the pont du gard itself

which would be a fun story HOWEVER the '''hare''' the story is referring to is apparently referring to THIS real life carving:

which is in fact not a hare but a stone fascinus originally put there by the romans (who actually built the aqueduct) to prevent bad luck

[artofmaquenda]

Just a little reminder that I have lots of pin designs available, with even more on the way! You can also pre-order the Fascinus and Xenomorph pins now and they’ll be ready just in time for the holidays. 💗🙏

Thank you so much for your incredible support; it truly means the world to me. I never take for granted that I'm able to keep creating because of you all! 🥹💗

Shop: https://artofmaquenda.etsy.com

[catilinas]

GUY WHO JUST FOUND OUT THE WORD PROPHYLACTIC HAS AN ADDITIONAL MEANING IN NORTH AMERICAN ENGLISH THAT IT DOES NOT HAVE IN BRITISH ENGLISH ??????

guy who forgets the word prophylactic and so uses the word apotropaic instead

[thedurvin]

I wonder how many things archaeologists have labelled "apotropaic"--repelling evil--were actually just like that because people thought they looked cool or badass. I know some of them really did have a religious significance, but it can't be all of them, can it? Like I have a big collection of statuettes of fearsome warriors and monsters that I wonder if future archaeologists will assume are apotropaic votives. How sure are we that the ancient Romans didn't just think it was cool or funny to have winged dick windchimes without worrying about the magical signifiance of the Fascinus? Nobody signed up for ZooBooks because they thought the poster would keep away real tigers.

"During the 21st Century many households would decorate their walls with images of famed warriors from their popular fables, perhaps to frighten away demons and enemies"

Unless maybe that IS what we're all doing subconsciously....

[satyrmagos]

There's still time to order something from my Beltane line and have your new shinies in hand for your festivities.