Ancient Symbol Worship: Influence of the Phallic Idea in the Religions of Antiquity

About this book

A pillar, a serpent, a sacred tree: one object can acquire completely different meanings depending on who interprets it. Westropp and Wake believed reproductive symbolism offered a key to understanding many ancient religions.

Westropp and Wake collect religious objects, rituals and images, interpreting them through a nineteenth-century theory of fertility and generation. Alexander Wilder adds commentary that broadens the comparisons. The illustrations record the symbols under discussion, while the writing shows how an ambitious interpretation could obscure differences between the cultures being studied.