Gods associated with male fertility and virility

Abstract

Background: Human fertility has always been a topic of curiosity and devotion. Many cultures consider fertility to be a necessity for the survival and perpetuation of mankind and since early times, myths were created to explain this fabulous process. Fertility gods were ubiquitous in numerous ancient human cultures and were used both to understand fertility and to cope with infertility by means of rituals and offerings. Objectives: This manuscript aims to catalog and describe the deities associated with male fertility and virility. Material and methods: We conducted a comprehensive search for the terms “male fertility god” and “male virility god” on the internet using web-based search engines. Based on the information retrieved, we selected those deities directed related to male fertility and/or virility and further deepened the search using Pubmed and Medline databases for peer-reviewed articles as well as books and articles about ancient mythology. Results: We identified several gods linked to male fertility and virility in various cultures from Egypt, Greece, Rome, India, Southwestern United States, France, Colombia and Buthan. Discussion: Most of these deities were depicted with an erect phallus and with other fertility symbols like snakes. Some deities were also associated with plants and/or animal fertility and their festivals were often held during the harvest period. Conclusion: Gods of male fertility and virility played important roles in many ancient cultures. Offerings and rituals to these gods were the only available options to deal with problems of reproduction and demonstrate the lengths to which ancient people would go seeking cures for infertility.