Gods, Myths and Heroes - Part 46

 Priapus

Did you know that the Greeks and Romans had a penis god?  Priapus was a minor Greek fertility god, protector of livestock, fruits, gardens ... and male genitals.  He was adopted by the Romans and was always portrayed with a permanent erection, sometimes gigantic (above).  Today, the medical condition of an erection that won't go away is called priapism.

Above, a fresco of Priapus in Pompeii, the Roman city that was buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD.

Another fresco of Priapus from Pompeii, this one in the House of the Vettii.  Priapus seems to be weighing his penis on a balance against a bag of something (coins?).  Note the basket of fruit at the feet of this god of fruit and gardens.

Priapus became a popular figure in Roman erotic art and humorously obscene literature.  Yes, the Romans had porn.

The courtyard of the House of the Vettii contains a second Priapus, this one a statue.

Here's a Roman mosaic of Priapus dating to the 1st century.  Again, besides having an erection, he is holding up his robe filled with fruit.

This marble statue of Priapus from the 2nd century also has an erection and a robe full of fruit.

A Roman bronze of Priapus from the 2nd century has a gigantic penis and some fruit.

This statue of Priapus dating from 170-240 AD is in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.  It features – you guessed it – an erection and a robe full of fruit.

Some sculptors dispensed with the fruit, but never the penis.  Here's Priapus holding what appears to be a snake, dating from the 1st - 3rd century.

This miniature bronze from Pompeii or Herculaneum (the other city destroyed by Mt. Vesuvius) shows Priapus literally with bells on.

This Roman statuette of Priapus is more rustic – stripped to the essentials, we might say – but it's unusual because it was found in Suffolk, England, an out-of-the way corner of the Roman Empire.  Clearly Priapus was a favorite god everywhere.

This is the only representation of Priapus from the rear that I found.  It's an illustration from the book Gargantua and Pantagruel by French author Rabelais in the 16th century, long after the Roman Empire.  Here Priapus is conversing with the god Jupiter, and for some reason the illustrator gave Priapus a tail.

Understandably, artists have concentrated on Priapus' front, not his rear.  We end with this bronze in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples, dating from the 1st century, showing Priapus applying oil to his erection.  Yes, the ancient Romans used lube.

Ads - Part 51

 AIDS Ads, Part 6

This is the last part in our survey of ads responding to the AIDS epidemic.  This ad provides good advice, but the photo doesn't really show anything.

Likewise, this photo is G-rated, even if the wording isn't.

Another G-rated photo in this ad, which ran before the 2008 EuroGames in Barcelona, Spain.  Surprisingly, the ad, put out by BCN Checkpoint, an organization in Barcelona, is in English, probably to reach foreign visitors to the games.

This Brazilian ad shows just a bit of butt.  The headline says "Sex, pleasure & men."

This ad shows a bit more butt ...

as does this German ad by the Hot Rubber company, which sells condoms and lube.  The title says "Give him joy."

Another ad by the Hot Rubber company.  The ad says "Three things that belong together.  Second: the Hot Rubber.  Third: the Hot Rubber lubricant."  What's the first thing?  Obviously, the naked man.

This ad by Deutsche AIDS Hilfe, a German organization, says "Would you like sex? (be) safe!"  Note that his hand isn't quite covering everything – the tip of his penis is showing.

Another Hot Rubber ad.  This one shows a bit of dick and says "Hot Rubber. Everything for the one."

We end with this ad in Spanish from the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, getting as close to showing sex as we're going to get today.  The wording says "Anywhere, at any time ... with a condom."  Good advice.

World Naked Bike Ride - Part 55

Unicyclist

Today's post features a guy who has ridden a unicycle in the WNBR in London and Brighton, England, for quite a few years.  Above, my first photo of him is from the 2015 WNBR in London.

Here he is in the 2016 London WNBR, having grown a bit more of a beard.  Note that he has a small nipple ring in his left nipple (but not his right, as you will see in the next photo) and a curious piercing toward the top of his ear.

Here he is at the Brighton WNBR in 2017.  The beard is longer.

Here he is in Brighton in 2019.

In 2021 he was in the London WNBR ...

and also in the Brighton WNBR the next day.

Likewise, in 2022 he was in London on June 11 ...

and in Brighton on June 12.  And we see that he also has a tongue piercing.

Here he is in the 2023 London WNBR, with "Hi Randy" on his chest.  I don't know who Randy is.

But I do know who the unicyclist is.  Usually, I can't identify WNBR riders, but a 2017 Guardian article about the WNBR included this photo of our unicyclist, calling him Darrell.  A little digging for a Darrell in England who rides a unicycle turned up the Facebook page of Darrell Butler.  It was recognizably him, and he mentioned going to the WNBR (though he didn't post photos).

We end with a video of Darrell riding in the 2023 Brighton WNBR, calling out to us as he passes.

Vintage Military - Part 56

Navy Pre-Flight School Photos, Part 3

This is the last part in a three-part mini-series on the photos taken by the U.S Navy during World War II at the Navy Pre-Flight School at St. Mary's College in Moraga, California, east of San Francisco.  This was one of several U.S. facilities where the Navy trained men to be pilots.

Above, flight cadets at St. Mary's practice having to swim in their flight suits if their plane goes down in the ocean, while other cadets watch naked from the sidelines.

Photos were taken of new recruits coming into the facility.  Later, a second photo was taken of each cadet to document the physical changes after months of intensive training.

For some reason, all of the nude photos date from June 13, 1942.  After that, cadets wore jockstraps for the photos.

Above, new recruit James E. Sipprell.

D. D. Sowders.  It's safe to say that all these men have passed away.  Since they were 18 or older in 1942, they would be 100 years old or older today.

Roger A Stewart.  In each of the side view photos, someone is holding the cadet's arms up horizontally.  I don't know the purpose of this hand-holding, but it had the side effect that the cadet's hands are not blocking our view of his penis.

S. M. Taylor.  I got this photo from Vintage Muscle Men.  Thanks, Jerry!

J. E. Van Housen.

Louis F. Zimmerman.  Some of the photos on the Internet have been cropped like this one to eliminate the rulers that originally surrounded the front, rear and side views.

W. J. Zimmerman.

Name unknown.

Name unknown.

Name unknown.

Name unknown.

We end with a name that's tantalizingly half-revealed.  It looks like it might be L. W. ?axton, but the first letter of the last name is not clear.  

Update: after receiving more information from a friend who follows my blog, it has become clear that this is almost certainly Lowell William Saxton, a Navy pilot in World War II.  He was killed on June 15, 1943, almost exactly one year after this photo was taken. 

Performers - Part 50

Nestter Donuts

Nestter Donuts is a musician from Alicante, Spain, who describes himself as a Flamenco Trash One Man Band.  Above is his poster, censored (appropriately) with a donut.

He often wears costumes – he is fond of a skintight leopard suit – but he has also been known to perform naked.

Above, an excerpt of him playing at the Mistral Palace in Valence, France.

On Aug. 19, 2022, he played at the Gutter Island Garage Rock Festival in Denmark.  For the first half of his performance, he was clothed.  Then he stripped and continued playing (above).

Here's the end of his performance at Gutter Island.

We end with an excerpt from a short film that he made called Infeccion (Infection).  In the plot, he is kidnapped into a trailer or shipping container, tied naked to a chair, and threatened with knives and with a dildo by anti-flamenco terrorists.  He manages to escape, and he runs away naked, as seen above.  At the end, he is performing flamenco in a club when the terrorists break in and try to seize him, but the audience members all turn into flamenco zombies, attack the terrorists, and save Nestter Donuts.

Events - Part 53

Nakukymppi 2015

Nakukymppi is a naked 10 kilometer (6 mile) running event that is held each year in the town of Padasjoki, Finland, a week before midsummer.  Today's photos are from the 2015 event.

Above, participants gathering before the run. Sepi and Pena are Finnish first names.

Nakukymppi means "naked ten" in Finnish.

And they're off!  The race begins at 7:30 pm, which sounds very late to us, but in Finland at midsummer, the sun doesn't set until 11:00 pm, so they have plenty of daylight for the run.

Here's a video of the start of the run.  Between 100 and 150 people participate each year.  Both men and women participate, but 80 to 90 percent are men.  Not everybody runs; some jog, some walk.  There is also an alternate longer route for those who want to run a full marathon (26 miles), but only a handful of participants do the naked marathon.

This guy led the pack at the starting line, but he soon fell behind.

Here he is farther along the route.  He's wearing a Superman-like cape, but strictly speaking, that's against the rules.  Participants are allowed to wear shoes, socks, and hats.  Women can also wear a top to keep their breasts from jiggling, but nobody can wear a bottom.

This guy is following the dress code ...

as is this guy with his stylish tricorn hat.

Here's the tricorn hat runner.

Here's a more original hat.  These guys ran side by side through the race.

The route goes around a loop through fields and woods and then returns to the starting point.  Here are two guys at the finish line.

At the end of the run, everybody gets refreshments.  Here's Sepi again with another friend, Keijo.  The runny happy face on Sepi's back tells me that he sweated quite a bit during the run, but I think a good time was had by all.

I have more photos and videos from Nakukymppi in other years, so we may see it again.