i2 4 PRIMITIVE PATERNITY 



At Roman weddings one of the ceremonies was the 

 culminating rite so dear to these Batavian women. 

 The idol of Priapus or Tutunus, used on this and other 

 occasions by women desirous of offspring was more or 

 less in human form ; and there can be no question as 

 to the object of the rite. 1 Among the gods to whom 

 similar powers are ascribed in India, and with whose 

 statues similar ceremonies are practised, is Hanuman- 

 " In Bombay women sometimes go to his temple in 

 the early morning, strip themselves naked and embrace 

 the god." 2 Nor is it merely stones shaped by art 

 that have been taken for this purpose. Rude stone 

 monuments, monoliths natural or bearing traces of no 

 more than the most rudimentary chippings by the 

 hand of man, have by virtue of their form been re- 

 garded as phalli and subjected to contact by women 

 who desire offspring. We are not informed whether 

 this is the case with the Greased Stones of Madagascar, 

 to which women seeking children certainly resort. 3 

 But among some of the Northern Maidu of California 

 contact is practised by barren women with a certain 

 rock which bears some resemblance to a woman with 

 child. By touching it they are thought sure to 

 conceive. 4 



1 Augustine, Civ. Dei, vi. 9 ; Arnob. Adv. Gen. iv. 7 ; Tertul. 

 Ad Nat. 11. n ; Ploss, Weib, i. 435, quoting Thomas Bartholinus. 



2 Crooke, F. L. N. Ind. i. 87 ; See also Dulaure, he. tit. The 

 rite in India when performed by brides involves a sacrifice of 

 virginity. 



3 Mondain, 12, 44 (cf. the Male Stones mentioned p. 13, the 

 cult of which has perhaps, though not very probably, been 

 abandoned). Arab women in the land of Moab made resort to a 

 rock called 'Umm Gede'i'ah, to rub themselves against it and to sleep 

 in its shadow, in order to procure children (Jaussen, 303). 



4 Dixon, Bull. Am. Mus. N. H. xvii. 230. Cf. the stone on 



