I have put up this blog-post in somewhat of a hurry, being hard pressed for time!
I would like to add a lot more to it, which I might, in notes, subsequently.
It’s basically unedited, and doesn’t have a proper introduction or conclusion.
Basically, it is based on the book The Sacred Mushroom and The Cross, by John M. Allegro.
I have basically jotted down the thoughts that came to me, as I read the book.
At the very outset, let me say that I reject Allegro’s theory.
I, however, do admire his erudition, his boldness, his innovative thinking, and the innumerable insights he offers into the subject of the study of ancient religions & cultures.
The book is available online, but without the very crucial footnotes.
I have used this online source.
I couldn’t find a Kindle version of the book, and the Softcover is costly – the Hardcover being absolutely unaffordable.
He seems to have adduced copious amounts of information in the Footnotes, without which many of his insights remain unclear.
Whatever is written below, is based on the limited information available online.
If I have violated any Copyrights, please let me know, I shall take down the post immediately.
“...the principal gods of the Greeks and Hebrews, Zeus and Yahweh (Jehovah), have names derived from Sumerian meaning “juice of fecundity”, spermatozoa, “seed of life”.’
The phrase is composed of two syllables, IA (ya, dialectally za), “juice”, literally “strong water”, and U, perhaps the most important phoneme in the whole of Near Eastern religion.
It is found in the texts represented by a number of different cuneiform signs, but at the root of them all is the idea of “fertility”.
Thus one U means “copulate” or “mount”, and “create”; another “rainstorm”, as source of the heavenly sperm; another “vegetation”, as the offspring of the god;
whilst another U is the name of the storm-god himself.
So, far from evincing a multiplicity of gods and conflicting theological notions, our earliest records lead us back to a single idea, even a single letter, “U”.
...
“Behind Judaism and Christianity, and indeed all the Near Eastern fertility religions and their more sophisticated developments, there lies this single phoneme “U”
Quite simply, the reasoning of the early theologians seems to have been as follows: since rain makes the crops grow it must contain within it the seed of life.
In human beings this is spermatozoa that is ejected from the penis at orgasm.
Therefore it followed that rain is simply heavenly semen, the all—powerful creator, God.
...
“The most forceful spurting of this “seed” is accompanied by thunder and the shrieking wind.
{See Ṛg Vedic Hymn to Parjanya-Indra quoted below}
This is the “voice” of God.
Somewhere above the sky a mighty penis reaches an orgasm that shakes the heavens.
The “lips” of the penis-tip, the glans, open, and the divine seed shoots forth and is borne by the wind to earth.
As saliva can be seen mixed with breath during forceful human speech, so the “speaking” of the divine penis is accompanied by a powerful blast of wind, the holy, creative spirit, bearing the “spittle” of semen.
This “spittle” is the visible “speech” of God; it is his “Son” in New Testament terms, the “Word” which “was with God, and was God, and was in the beginning with God; through whom all things... were made, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life . . .“ (John 1:1—4).
Subsequently:
“Kings and priests are “pourers of bounty”, lawgivers and teachers, in their capacity as the god’s earthly representatives.
They were reckoned especially endowed with divine “grace”, the word for which in both Hebrew and Greek refers to the flowing of seed.
They were “shepherds” of their people, the idea behind which, as we saw above, had to do with promoting fecundity.
In that the king had within him the god’s semen, he was held to be a strong man, representing his god on the field of battle, and no less virile in the harem.
When this important faculty deserted him, he could be deposed.
Hence King David, whose name means “lover” or “loved one”, when his manly prowess seemed to be failing, sought stimulation at the hands of a young and beautiful virgin, Abishag: “and she served the king, but he knew her not” (I Kgs 1:1—4).
{We do not find any of this very surprising.
In India, Kings were addressed as “Vṛṣabha” or “Ṛṣabha” – i.e. Bull – but which specifically means “Showerer” or “Effuser”.
In the Vedas, almost all Devas are addressed as Bulls – Vṛṣabha, Vṛṣan, Vṛṣa, Ukṣan – in this very sense of one who rains, showers, sprinkles, waters, floods, waters, fecundates, fertilizes, impregnates, invigorates, animates, & reproduces.
The more philosophical interpretation is “Showerer of Boons/Bounties/Knowledge/
...
“Even as the bull (vṛṣan) drives on the herds (vaṃsaga yūtha),
he drives the people (kṛṣṭa) with his might (ojas – also “water”),
The Ruler (īśāna) irresistible (apratiṣkuta – unrestrainable)”
– Ṛg Veda 1.7.8, Hymn to Indra
...
“The Bull (vṛṣabha) of men,
who cherishes all people (carṣaṇiprā – prā means “to fill”, so it means one who fills the people, with delight or anything good),
King (rājan) of the Races (kṛṣṭa),
Indra, called of many,
Fame-loving, Praised,
Hither to me with succour turn having yoked both vigorous Bay Horses!”
– Ṛg Veda 1.177.1, Hymn to Indra
...
The recurring symbol of the stallion, goat, & ram, also carries this significance of the excessively fecund, active, generative male power.
“Forth burst the winds, down come the lightning-flashes: the plants shoot up, the realm of light is streaming.
Food springs abundant for all living creatures, what time Parjanya quickens earth with moisture.
{Parjanya is Indra, here, according to Sāyaṇa.
The word which has been translated “moisture”, in the original, is retas, which actually means semen.
The hymn essentially says that Parjanya fertilizes the Earth {Pṛthivī} with {His} semen.
Retas is also interpreted as Water.
Allegro’s theories seem to match exactly the ideas underlying the Ṛg Veda.}
Thou at whose bidding earth bows low before thee, at whose command hoofed cattle fly in terror {in Wilson’s translation, the cattle thrive},
At whose behest the plants assume all colours, even thou Parjanya, yield us great protection.
Send down for us the rain of heaven, ye Maruts, and let the Stallion's flood descend in torrents.
Come hither with this thunder while thou pourest the waters down, our heavenly Lord and Father.
Wilson translation:
“Cry aloud over (the earth) {kranda – scream, roar};
thunder {stanaya};
impregnate the plants {Griffith: deposit the germ of life};
traverse (the sky) with your water-laden chariot,
draw open the tight-fastened, downward-turned water bag, and
may the high and low places be made level.”
– Ṛg Veda 5.83.4-7
...
Given that the “vajra” has been compared to the Phallus, Indra with his vajra is pretty much an image of the prolific virile male with his tireless, inexhaustible phallus.
The word “Indra” also means King or Leader or Chief, and is used in addressing the Kings, Chieftains, and the Best or Most Excellent, in any group or category of men.
Also, for what it’s worth “u” in Sanskrit is a name of Shiva, as well as of Brahman, the Supreme Being.}
“The fertility aspect of divine and royal shepherding can be seen in another Sumerian word for “shepherd” which appears right across the ancient world in names and epithets.
It is SIPA, literally, “stretched horn”, or “penis”.
We may now recognize it in the biblical phrase Yahweh Sabaoth, from SIPA-UD, penis of the storm.
{Mr. Allegro here forgets to mention the Indian connection.
We need to correct that!
So let us gently remind the reader, that in Sanskrit śepa & śepha both mean exactly that – the penis.
śephas is a variant.
In other words, the Sumerian & Sanskrit are identical.
The Sanskrit śepa also means “testicle”.
Infact, even another variant, śeva, means the penis.
And given that Shiva – i.e. Śiva – is worshipped as a Liṅgam – I take it that the word śiva also means the Phallus.
From what I’ve read, the Sumerian word for Penis isn’t sipa.
It is something like ges.
sipa – as penis – seems to be a derivation of Allegro.
But I take it that Allegro is correct, and sipa means both “shepherd” & “penis”.
Interestingly, in Egyptian sebi means “to lead, to conduct, to guide, to traverse, to pass
through, to march in front”.
Egyp. seb-seb means “to lead, to guide”.
Egyp. seb-t means “conductor, guide”.
I don’t know what is the specific etymology of “sipa” as “shepherd” within Sumerian itself.
Assuming Allegro is accurate, it may be related – as in being a 2nd or 3rd cousin – of the Sanskrit word “gopa”.
This is not an arbitrary, frivolous assertion: linguistically, “s” interchanges with “k”, hence “g”.
I’ve given examples of this in a previous post on the name of Egypt, but just for convenience, the Sanskrit shravas {fame, glory, renown} becomes
v the Avestan havars, and
v the Greek kleos
{a component of the name Herakles, which Allegro addresses below; “r” interchanges with “l”.}.
According to the Shabda-Sagar Sanskrit-English Dictionary, gopa means:
· A helper, a friend or patron.
· A preserver, a cherisher.
· Who or what hides or conceals.
· Superintendent of a district.
· The head of a cowpen.
· A herdsman, a cowherd, a milkman by caste and occupation.
· A king.
Thus, Sanskrit gopa is essentially identical to the Sumeria Sipa.
It may be noted that one Sumeria word for Shepherd is gabus – so close to Sk. gopa.
Sk. gopa is also strikingly close to the Sumerian kabar & Akkaddian kaparrum, but I haven’t gone deep into the etymology & construction of these words.
These may be compared with a string of Dravidian words which I’ll come to, sometime else.
In India, one hardly finds any mention of shepherds – we have the associated occupation of cow-herds.
They’re interchangeable, but strictly not identical.
Allegro’s derivation of the Hebrew Sabaoth from the Sumerian Sipa-ud is unconvincing.
Rather, seems unnecessary & contrived.
Since “Sabaoth” means “Lord of Hosts” – I’d rather say the word is related to the Sanskrit word “sabhā” – an assembly of men, a congregation, a council, a gathering, a multitude of men collected together.
This does get connected to the
« German sippe – clan, tribe;
« Dutch sibbe – blood-kinship, extended family;
« English sib, meaning:
— Kindred; kin; kinsmen; a body of persons related by blood in any degree.
— A kinsman; a blood relation; a relative, near or remote; one closely allied to another; an intimate companion
— A sibling, brother or sister (irrespective of gender)
— A group of individuals unilaterally descended from a single (real or postulated) common ancestor
The word “sib-ling” itself seems related to this cluster.
“Sabaoth” appears to originate from the same cluster, meaning “Lord of the Tribe” or “Lord of the Assembly”.
Tribe, Clan, Family, Multitude, Congregation – these words tend to interchange – and are related to Host, Army, Contingent etc.
I see no reason to drag the etymology of the Hebrew Sabaoth to a Sumerian word for the penis.
And though “ud” {उद्} doesn’t mean “storm” in Sanskrit, it certainly means “to flow or issue out, spring (as water); to wet, bathe” – hence, has a direct correlation with raining.
“uda”{ उद} in Sanskrit means “Water”.
A possible relation to the Sumerian “ud”, may be the Sanskrit “vāta” or rather, “vātyā” – storm, hurricane.
This is the problem with Allegro, and other geniuses like him: a very one-dimensional thought-process, which sees only one idea everywhere.
There have been a 1,000 other issues on peoples’ minds, since the beginning of time, other than penises & vaginas.
Nevertheless, this monomania is precisely what helps such men open new doors, uncover new vistas, and offer new insights.}
“The Sumerian storm-god, Iskur, has a name with much the same meaning, “mighty penis”.
SO Among the Semites he was known as Adad, “Mighty Father”, with the same general idea of the great fecundator of the skies.
In the Old Testament, the name we know as Joseph means “Yahweh’s penis”, really just a shortened form of Yahweh Sabaoth.
{Well, in Sanskrit śephas or sepha also mean ... Penis.
The Sanskrit words I repeatedly mention in this post are not derivations, but very definitively identified words.
I’m not saying Joseph is a Sanskrit word, or an absurd combination of a Middle-Eastern term
(Iu) and a Sanskrit word (śepha) ... but that these words are related, and stem from a common source. }
“Over in Asia Minor, this Old Testament divine title appears in classical times as an old cultic cry to the Phrygian deity Sabazios, euoi saboi.
The name of the god itself is composed of the same Sumerian SIPA to which has been added the element ZI, “erect”.
This is just one example of how we can now span the whole area of our study and bring together apparently quite disparate religious cults simply through being able to decipher the names and epithets of the respective gods.
“Similar phallic designations are given, as we now see, to many Sumerian, Greek, and Semitic gods, tribal ancestors and heroes.
Hercules, that great “club—bearer”, was named after the grossness of his sex organ, as was the Hebrew tribal ancestor Issachar.
Perhaps the best known of the old Canaanite fertility gods, Baal, derives his name from a Sumerian verb AL, “bore”, which, combined with a preformative element BA, gave words for “drill” and “penis” and gave Latin and us our word “phallus”.
In Semitic, ba_al, Baal, is not only the divine name but has also the general meaning of “lord, husband”.
{I see the middle-Eastern Baal as having a very complex, almost impossible-to-determine origin & etymology.
Such simplistic statements are unbecoming a serious intellectual.
I could connect it to a host of Sanskrit terms, the most prominent being Bala.
Consider the meanings of this one word within Sanskrit itself:
« power, strength, might, vigour, force, validity
« strong, robust, stout, powerful
« force or power of articulation
« force considered as a sixth organ of action
« Force personified as one of the Viśve-Devāḥ
« stoutness, bulkiness
« military force, troops, an army
« semen virile
« blood
Doesn’t this appear to be a much more intelligent, profound, and valid origin of the word “Baal”, rather than a rather dull, primitive conception of the masculine appendage that drills & bores?
Do note that Semen is called “Bal”, thus, there is a direct connection with the biological Phallus, even within Sanskrit.
A more subtle one, because manly strength & vigor has always been associated with Semen itself, which, when expended, reduces masculine strength – when sublimated & disseminated lawfully, makes a man radiant & potent – and when wasted, dissipates his virility altogether.
Hence, it is also called
ª vīrya (manliness, valour, strength, power, energy, heroism) – cf. virtue, virile,
ª tejas (fiery energy, ardour, vital power, spirit, efficacy, essence) – could this be related to the German dag, & words relating to “day”?,
ª vega (Speed, velocity, impetus, momentum, stream, current, determination, promptitude, energy, that effect of mind which is considered as the source of action),
ª hiraṇya (gold), and
ª śuṣma (strength, vigour, vital or sexual energy, impulse, courage, valour).
Indeed, as much of Allegro’s book is devoted to the idea of Semen, as it is, to the Phallus.
“Since all life derives from the divine seed, it follows that the most powerful healing drug would be the pure, unadulterated semen of the god.
Some plants were thought to have sap or resin approximating to this, their “purity” or “sanctity” in this regard being measured by their power as drugs to kill or cure or intoxicate. In Sumerian the words for “live” and “intoxicate” are the same, TIN, and the “tree of life”, GESHTIN, is the “vine”.
Similarly in the Greek amos and the Hebrew yayin, “wine”, there is probably a common Sumerian root *IA_u_Nu, semen—seed.
The use of the name Jesus (Greek iesus) as an invocation for healing was appropriate enough.
Its Hebrew original, yehöshua’, Joshua, comes from Sumerian *JA_U_ShU_A (ShuSh), “semen, which saves, restores, heals”.
Basically, according to Allegro, the word “Jesus” means “Semen” – which is called “Bala”, in Sanskrit.
7.7.2023: His statements are borne out by Sumerian texts.
Do note the importance of semen in the text Enki & The World Order:
“Enki, the king of the Abzu, rejoicing in great splendour, justly praises himself:
“My father, the king of heaven and earth, made me famous in heaven and earth.
My elder brother, the king of all the lands, gathered up all the divine powers and placed them in my hand.
I brought the arts and crafts from the E-kur, the house of Enlil, to my Abzu in Eridug.
I am the good semen, begotten by a wild bull, I am the first born of An.
I am a great storm rising over the great earth, I am the great lord of the Land.
I am the principal among all rulers, the father of all the foreign lands.
I am the big brother of the gods, I bring prosperity to perfection.”
In addition, this consonantal-category – “bl” – does refer to the Phallus, or reproductive organs, in “Indo-European” languages.
Take for example, “balls” or “bollocks”.
In Icelandic, böllur means “penis, cock, prick; scrotum, balls”.
In Old English, bealluc means “testicle”.
Also, cf.
§ Dutch bil – “buttock”
§ Celtic ball – “penis”
§ German bulle – “vulva”
§ Sanskrit buli = buri = “female organ of generation”
§ German bille – “penis”
§ Celtic ball – “membrum”
§ Armenian bełun – “product, harvest, semen,
The list of correspondences can be multiplied.
7.7.2023: Also note:
« Scots pillie – penis
« Danish piller – penis
« (regional) Norwegian pill – penis
The English words “ball” and “bull” are, without doubt, part of the same cluster of meanings.
Allegro probably knew all this, and therefore, wanted to trace everything to a Sumerian Bal or Balag.
7.7.2023: Also note this ‘Balbale to Ninurta’:
“Good semen, good seed, king chosen by Enlil!
Very good semen, very good seed, Ninurta, chosen by Enlil!
My king, I shall call upon your name.
Ninurta, I am your man, your man; I shall call upon your name.
My king, ewes give birth to lambs, ewes give birth to lambs, ewes and rams are born; I shall call upon your name.
My king, goats give birth to kids, goats give birth to kids, buck-goats are born; I shall call upon your name.
My king, cows give birth to calves, cows give birth to calves, cows and breed-bulls are born; I shall call upon your name.
My king, she-asses give birth to foals, she-asses give birth to foals, donkeys …… are born; I shall call upon your name.
My king, humans give birth to children, humans give birth to children.
Ninurta, king …….
Through the king, flax is born; through the king, barley is born.
Through him, carp floods are made plentiful in the river.
Through him, fine grains are made to grow in the fields.
Through him, carp are made plentiful in the lagoons.
Through him, mature and fresh reed are made to grow in the reed thickets.
Through him, fallow deer and wild sheep are made plentiful in the forests.
Through him, mašgurum trees are made to grow in the high desert.
Through him, syrup and wine are made plentiful in the watered gardens.
Through him, life which is long is made to grow in the palace.”
This is reflected in the legends of the Fisher King in the Holy Grail mythology.
I have also pointed out earlier how Bala is often used for Balarāma – the brother of Kṛṣṇa – an incarnation of the Serpent Shesha Nāga – and also treated as an incarnation or “portion” of Viṣṇu Himself.
Bala/Vala is also an important figure in the Ṛg Veda, destroyed by Indra or Bṛhaspati.
There are probably many forgotten meanings of bala, lost in time, or which’ve fallen into desuetude, because the Sk. root bal also means “to give” or “to nourish, to rear” or “to live”.
Somewhere, very close, are the words pāl (to watch, guard, protect, defend, rule, govern) and pāla.
If anything, the Sanskrit Pāl/Pāla are closer in meaning to the “Lord, Husband, Master” sense of the Semitic “Baal”, than Sk. Bal/Bala itself.
pāla – pronounced paal – means:
« To guard, to preserve or protect
« Who or what guards or preserves
« A nourisher, a protector, a guard, a keeper
« A herdsman
« Protector of the earth, King, Prince.
Another word connected to the Semitic Baal, is the Sanskrit vara or bara – bridegroom, husband, lover.
As for Hercules, well, even in Kannada, the word daḍi means both “cudgel, staff”, as well as “penis”.
How unsurprising.
7.7.2023:
In Telugu, duḍḍu means “stout stick, club, bludgeon” while daḍḍu means “penis”.
In Tamil, taṇṭu means
« cane, staff, stick
« branch of a tree
« bludgeon, club as a weapon especially of Viṣṇu
« pestle
« stalk, stem (so also in Malayalam)
« Lute,
and
« Penis.
Unfortunately, since I’m using a text of Allegro’s book which has no Notes, I’m not aware how he came to his conclusions (about Hercules).
Probably the word “phallus” simply comes from the Sanskrit phala, fruit, or rather, the Sanskrit phal, which means “to make fruitful, to fructify”; “to bear or produce fruit”.
Or possibly the Sanskrit phulla – flower – “expanded, opened, blown; dilated, wide opened”.}
“Hosea, the Old Testament prophet, makes a play on the general and cultic uses of the word when he has Yahweh say to Israel, “in that day you will call me ‘my man’ and you will no more call me ‘my baal’; I shall banish the name of baals from your mouth...“ (Hos 2:16 [Heb. 18]).
“More than any other heavenly body, it was the sun which commanded most respect as the embodiment of god.
It was the Creator, the fecundator of the earth.
The ancients saw the glowing orb as the tip of the divine penis, rising to white heat as it approached its zenith, then turning to a deep red, characteristic of the fully distended glans penis, as it plunged into the earthly vagina.
In the cultic centres this ritual was enacted imitatively by the entry of the priest into the god’s house.
The temple was designed with a large measure of uniformity over the whole of the Near East now recognizable as a microcosm of the womb.
It was divided into three parts;
« the Porch, representing the lower end of the vagina up to the hymen, or Veil;
« the Hall, or vagina itself; and
« the inner sanctum, or Holy of Holies, the uterus.
The priest, dressed as a penis, anointed with various saps and resins as representing the divine semen, enters through the doors of the Porch, the “labia” of the womb, past the Veil or “hymen” and so into the Hall.
On very special occasions, the priestly phallus penetrated into the uterus where the god himself dwelt and wrought his creative works.
Even today the Christian ritual and architecture probably owes much to the ancient tradition, as the priest heads the processional through the body of the “womb”, to reach its climax before the altar.
The god was thought of as the “husband” of his land and people.
{In India, too, God is addressed as “Īśvara” or “Nātha” or “Svāmī” – which also mean “Husband/Lord”.
Yes, there is a definite link between “anointing” & the phallus.
Though the sanctum sanctorum in the Indian temple is known as garbha-gṛha – {the “Womb-House” being one interpretation of the word} – I doubt if the explanation can apply to Indian temples.
In Shiva Temples, the Liṅgam is placed in the sanctum – on the Pīṭha – so the Male & Female Energies are already joined & integrated in the depth of the sanctum.}
“This is a common figure in the Old Testament where Israel is featured as the “wife” of Yahweh, usually thus spoken of in passages accusing her of infidelity and seeking other “lovers”.
The Church is also described as the “bride” of Christ (Rev 22:17).
In both cases the god is the fructifying seed, the “Word” or Gospel, “good news”, whose fruitfulness depends upon the receptivity of the “womb” of his people’s minds and hearts.”
Very interesting.
BTW, since Allegro is passionate about mushrooms & penises – let us note that he writes:
“...Peter’s surname, “Cephas”, as a play on the mushroom word, Latin cepa...”.
Also:
“Peter’s name is an obvious play on the Semitic pitrJ’ (??), “mushroom”, and we have already seen that his patronymic, Bar—jonah, is really a fungus name cognate with Paeonia, the Holy Plant.
{Peter, being the First Pope, is the First Father – or the First Pitṛ, in Sanskrit!}
Now called a “stumbling-block”, he is given the tiqlJ’, “bolt {tiqla, I take it} —mushroom” name,’ a theme which is repeated elsewhere in that over—emphasized and completely misunderstood passage about having the keys of the kingdom:
“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades
shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. . .” (Matt 16: I8f.).
The sacred fungus was the “bolt” or “key” that gave access to heaven and to hell, a double reference to its shape as a knobbed bolt for opening doors, and to its ability to open the way to new and exciting mystical experiences.
Calling the apostle “Satan” is in line with his other title of Cephas.
Both names are in fact plays on designations of the mushroom, elsewhere seen of that other “bulb” plant, the onion.
Greek and Latin apply the name stanion, setania to the onion, and Latin has caepa, cepa for that vegetable, cognate with the French cèpe, ceps, “mushroom”.
The well-known word—play in Matt 16:18: “you are Peter (Petros), and upon this rock (petra) I shall build my church. . .“ can now be seen as of much greater relevance to the cult than a mere pun on Peter’s title Cephas and the Aramaic word for “stone”, këpha’.
The real point of the whole passage is the word-play on the names of the sacred fungus that “Peter” represented.”
Allegro points us in many interesting directions here.
In Arabic, indeed, the mushroom is “fatar” or “fuṭra”.
In Aramaic, it seems to be “pitra”.
In Hebrew, “pitriya”.
In Sanskrit, curiously, one word for the mushroom is paṭu.
These may be related to the Sanskrit paṭ: “to split, burst (trans.), cleave, tear, pierce, break, pluck out, remove”, “to split, open, burst asunder (intr.)”.
Also, to the Sanskrit puṭa (“a cover, a covering”) or piṭa (“a roof”) – from the outspread canopy of the mushroom, which gives it the word chattra (“cover, shelter, roof”).
In Telugu too, there is an odd word puṭṭakokku, for the mushroom.
I have already mentioned in an earlier post how I’m sure that Peter as Rock is directly related to the Pali Patthar – still used in Hindi, and in many Indian languages – which ultimately comes from the Sanskrit prastara.
The link with the mushroom-concept is secondary.
I think anyone can see that “Stone/Rock”, “Mushroom”, and “Phallus” are related concepts: they mirror each other.
Allegro has just shown that
« the Aramaic word for stone – kepha
is cognate with
« the Latin word for mushroom – cepa.
It’s possible – and here I’m mentioning only possibilities – that the Kephas or Kefa – and these above-mentioned words – come/comes from the Sanskrit words for the Phallus – śepha or śepa or śepas, or indeed, perhaps even śiva.
Perhaps the Arabic zubb is related?
I will reiterate the connection between words beginning with “k” and the words beginning with “s”.
So for instance, in A Book of The Beginnings, Gerald Massey wrote {italics mine; Massey’s text is highlighted in yellow}:
“...Kefa is the original of the famous Queen Saba, declared by Josephus to have been Queen of AEthiopia and Egypt, i.e. Khebt.
{He is referring to the Queen of Sheba.
According to Massey, the word Egypt was originally Khebt.
I hope he remembered that the Sheba was the name of the country, not the Queen.}
The Rabbinical writers assert that she was Queen of the Kushite Aethiopia, and the Aethiopian Church has a tradition to the same effect.
This tends to show the name of Aethiopia is an abraded form of Kheftiopia, the primordial Khebt named when it was a land to the north of the namers.
{This is one of the most unconvincing of Massey’s deductions.}
The first of the name was in the celestial north, the birthplace in the circle of Kefa.
{He means the Great Bear.}
In the Koran Saba is known as Balkis, the throne of Baal, the son.
{In Sanskrit, “bāla” means “a child, a boy” – mostly younger than 5 years – and
“young, childish, infantine, not full-grown or developed (of persons and things)”.
The Sk. bala also means “a young shoot”.}
“The throne is Kes or Hes, with which the name of Isis is written, and the Koran relates some pleasantry practised by Solomon upon the Queen, in changing the throne of Balkis to see whether she recognized it, and was rightly or divinely directed.
{He seems to say that Balkis is “Baal-Kes” – meaning “Son of Isis” – Isis being symbolized by Kes or Hes, i.e. the Seat/Throne.
Let’s just say that in Egyptian, Isis is As, along with the feminne terminal t; and in Sanskrit, āsa or आस {pronounced aas} means Seat/Throne – whence we get words like āsana, more commonly used for Throne.}
“The throne of the Genitrix was usurped by the son of whom Solomon is a personification. Solomon had been informed that the legs of the Queen were hairy like those of an ass, and is said to have tried an experiment in order that he might learn whether he had been truly told.
He laid a flooring of glass over water in which fish were swimming in front of his throne. Over this the queen was led and thinking it was water, she lifted her robe and discovered the legs, and the king saw they were hairy as Esau.”
Yikes.
Well, Massey correctly links Saba to Kefa, though he unconvincingly tries to say that all words beginning with “K” were earlier than the words beginning with “S”.
I do not accept this, because I see no reason to.
Also note that he persistently insists that this Goddess of the Great Bear, Kefa, Keft, etc. was the first and earliest goddess of the Inner Africans, and the original Genetrix, Creatrix, Mother-Goddess of mankind – who was replaced, deposed, & demonized by all later “Patriarchal” creeds.
I’ve already written about this.
I don’t accept this theory.
There is no proof, no evidence whatsoever.
But it’s worth knowing & studying what Massey writes, because of the innumerable insights he does give:
“The Mother-Goddess of Time," she who figured the first celestial circle, before Ptah formed his Egg of the sun and moon, as the father of the fathers of beginnings, and who was the ancient Mother of the gods.
This mother of all beginnings in time is figured in the Egyptian planisphere as the Goddess of the Seven Stars of Ursa Major, a hippopotamus wearing a crocodile's tail, the most ancient type of the water-horse and bearer of the waters.
She has various names already cited, and is known on the monuments as Ap, Apt, Abt, Tep, Teb, Tef, Teft, Kef, Kefa, Kheb, Kheft, Khepsh and Taurt.
Ap (Eg.) is primordial, the first.
Tepi means the first.
Teb is the Ark.
Taurt is the typical chariot or bearer; the first, chief, oldest.
She is the old Typhon, the outcast of a later theology.
Khab means to give birth to, and she was the first form of the Genitrix who gave birth to time in heaven.
Kefa means to seize, lay hold, grip, and she was the earliest layer-hold, who tied up a knot of time, hence her symbol of the Tie.
Teb means the ark, and She was the primal ark of the unknown Vast, called the waters, hence the image of the water-cow.
Kef means to look, to watch, and Kefa was the sevenfold watcher, the watcher whose seven eyes went to and fro through the whole earth.
Her name as Khebti or Hepti reads number seven.
In the beginning then, it is claimed, was the circle figured by Kefa of the Seven Stars, the Goddess of the Great Bear, and her first child as Time was Seb.
...
Here it must be observed that Seb-Saturn is a secondary deposit of Kronus.
The first Time born yearly was personified by Sebti (Sothis), the Dog-Star, a representative of Time (Seb) in a dual aspect, or the repeater of Time.
Seb is the earlier Keb or Kebek, that is as now interpreted the child ... of Kheb the Genitrix, and Mother-Goddess of Time, who bore Time as her child.
...
The present writer maintains that the Typhonian religion and the Typhonian types are the oldest extant, whether in Egypt or out of it.
Taurt, the Hippopotamus Goddess, is earlier than the Cow, and this will account for Isis being represented in a Typhonian shape, which shows the conversion of the ancient Genitrix into the more humanized form.”
It’s significant that the name which Gerald Massey locates at the centre of the most ancient religious beliefs – which he places at the root of the culture & name of Egypt – is the very name adopted by the brilliant Christian thinkers for their first Pope, Father-Figure, & Leader, i.e. Peter – Kefa.
This is also the original, according to Massey’s deductions, of Eve, who was called Hava, or Khava.
And this also ties in with many words examined by Allegro in the mushroom context.
Coming back to my humble little commentary on Allegro’s text, my point is to show that śepa/śepha/śephas/śeva/sepha/ś
There is no necessity to switch sexes, or demonize the “Patriarchial” creeds.
Cepha-Kefa is {linguistically related to} Shiva.
Peter = patthara in one context {rock, stone},
Peter = pitṛ in the other {father, “papa”}.
The importance of the mushroom came from the Phallus.
I cannot accept Allegro’s theory about the relevance of the Amanita Muscaria – or all ancient cosmogony developing from the birth & production of the mushroom.
Despite the tantalizing hints & allusions we find in Ancient or Medieval texts & art, he isn’t convincing, simply because life is infinitely complex, and all ancient myths, legends, & scriptures, dealt with the totality of life, and not just one tiny aspect of it.
It makes infinitely more sense to say that every ancient God represented the Sun, or the Moon, or the Sky, or the Earth, or some such thing, than a mushroom!
To say this is to negate existence & the enormity, complexity & beauty of human life itself.
It is very clear that ancient texts dealt with everything – with “the All” – and every part of it.
To turn everything into a mushroom, simply doesn’t cut it, for me.
The mushroom was a symbol, in my opinion.
It was interesting, intriguing, mysterious – and hence, used as a symbol.
The mushroom imaged, reflected, & symbolized the phallus more aptly & explicitly than any other species in the plant world.
It’s safe to say that the importance of the mushroom came from the phallus; was derived from the importance of the phallus.
The Phallus itself, in turn, was very often a symbol.
The Phallus, Mountain, Pillar, Tree (trunk) came first – the mushroom, much later.
The mushroom reflects the phallus, not the other way round.
Hence, the name of the mushroom {Latin cepa; French cèpe, ceps} – and that of all conceptually related words – is derived from that of the Phallus, i.e. the Sanskrit śepa/śepha/śephas/śeva/śiva/se
Kefa is the Liṅga – hence, the Pillar, the Rock, the Mountain, the Mushroom, the Tree, the Stalk, the Stump, the Stake, the Upholder.
I’ve mentioned it in an earlier post, that the Liṅga is not just a Phallus, it is also a Pillar or Column (of Fire).
It is not just a Pillar, it is a Mountain.
These seem to be far more relevant to human experience, than some random hallucinogen or narcotic, of which there is no mention anywhere.
I won’t say that the mushroom has no significance in Indian culture (or other cultures).
There is some mystery to the whole mushroom thing, which indeed has been encoded in strange ways into Indian art & symbolism, but I can’t take that up now.
All I can say is that while it is intriguing, and to an extent important, it is in no way a dominating, or very important, element or idea.
Thus, in Galician, cepa also means:
· stump (= Sk. stambha: a post, pillar, column, stem (as of a tree));
· the trunk of a living tree that has suffered many prunings
(cf. sthāṇu, a name of Shiva, which also means: “The trunk of a tree of which the branches have been lopped off”)
· post, column
(cf. śaṅku: the trunk of a lopped tree; a stake, post, pillar; a stick; a long thin column in front of a pagoda; the Penis; a name of Shiva)
· trunk of a vine and the vine itself
Allegro is correct about the onion connection.
As for the etymology of various words, there are many obscure but still hazily visible connections which are more direct.
Akin to kefa the Rock/Stone/Tree-trunk/Stake is the Sanskrit kūpa or kūpaka, which means “a rock or tree in the midst of a river” and also “a stake etc. to which a boat is moored”.
As for the mushroom connections of Cephas or Kefa {& the Latin cepa} we have the Sanskrit kavaka, which means mushroom.
The association with words like the Sanskrit kapāla & Latin caput, would be the subject of another large blog-post altogether :)
Let it be said that the Ancients, like us, also associated the Head with the Phallus.