Priapus

Aphrodite bore Priapus, usually with Dionysus as his father. Hera then cursed the child with an ugly body and enormous genitals. After this curse, Priapus was abandoned. He was later raised either by nymphs or by shepherds.

Priapus came from Phrygia, in north-western Asia Minor. He became a fertility god, associated with the growth of animals, plants, and human families. His physical form remained the mark of Hera’s curse. He was distinguished by an oversized erect phallus, and this feature shaped the way he was represented.

Priapus belonged to the entourage of Dionysus, together with Nymphs, Satyrs, and Silens. His powers were useful to those who kept animals or cultivated the land. He was believed to promote fertility and bring good fortune. His statues were placed to encourage a plentiful harvest and to guard sheep, goats, bees, vines, and garden produce from thieves and the evil eye.

Priapus was more popular in Phrygia than in Greece or Italy. His parentage connected him with Aphrodite and Dionysus in the most common account, while other traditions gave him a different father or mother. These accounts preserve the same unusual figure, who emerged from abandonment to become a fertility deity associated with farms, gardens, animals, and the company of Dionysus.