Baubo (

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

: Βαυβώ) is an old woman in

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the Cosmogony, origin and Cosmology#Metaphysical co ...

which appears particularly in the myths of the early

Orphic Orphism (more rarely Orphicism; grc, Ὀρφικά, Orphiká) is the name given to a set of religious beliefs and practices originating in the ancient Greek and Hellenistic world, associated with literature ascribed to the mythical poet Orpheus ...

religion. Known as the goddess of mirth, she is depicted as bawdy and sexually liberated, and is said to have jested with

Demeter In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Demeter (; Attic: ''Dēmḗtēr'' ; Doric: ''Dāmā́tēr'') is the Olympian goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over crops, grains, food, and the fertility of the earth. Although s ...

when that god was mourning the loss of her daughter,

Persephone In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Persephone ( ; gr, Περσεφόνη, Persephónē), also called Kore or Cora ( ; gr, Κόρη, Kórē, the maiden), is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She became the queen of the underworld after ...

Scholarly discussion

In ''The Greek Myths'' (1955),

Robert Graves Captain Robert von Ranke Graves (24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985) was a British poet, historical novelist and critic. His father was Alfred Perceval Graves, a celebrated Irish poet and figure in the Gaelic revival; they were both Celtic ...

writes that when the disguised Demeter was the guest of King Celeus in

Eleusis Elefsina ( el, Ελευσίνα ''Elefsina''), or Eleusis (; Ancient Greek: ''Eleusis'') is a suburban city and Communities and Municipalities of Greece, municipality in the West Attica regional unit of Greece. It is situated about northwest ...

, the king's lame maid

Iambe Iambe (Ancient Greek: Ἰάμβη means 'banter'), in Greek mythology, was a Thracian woman, daughter of Pan and Echo, granddaughter of Hermes, and a servant of Metaneira, the wife of Hippothoon. Others call her a slave of Celeus, king of Eleusis. ...

: Graves writes: Baubo figurine

The following excerpt is taken from

Clement of Alexandria Titus Flavius Clemens, also known as Clement of Alexandria ( grc , Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς; – ), was a Christian theologian and philosopher who taught at the Catechetical School of Alexandria. Among his pupils were Origen and ...

's ''Exhortation to the Greeks,'' from a 1919 English translation:

Baubo figurines

Figurines known as Baubos are found in a number of settings, usually with Greek connections. They were mass-produced in a number of styles, but the basic figure always exposes the

vulva The vulva (plural: vulvas or vulvae; derived from Latin for wrapper or covering) consists of the external sex organ, female sex organs. The vulva includes the mons pubis (or mons veneris), labia majora, labia minora, clitoris, bulb of vestibu ...

in some way: * A plump woman with her legs held apart, gesturing to her exposed vulva. * A naked splay-legged figure holding a harp on the back of a boar. * A naked headless torso with the face in the body and the vulva in the chin of the face. * A seated figure with an exaggerated vulva filling the space between the legs. * A naked squatting figure with her hands on her genitalia The figurines usually had elaborate

headdress Headgear, headwear, or headdress is the name given to any element of clothing which is worn on one's head, including hats, helmets, turbans and many other types. Headgear is worn for many purposes, including protection against the elements, de ...

es, and some hold cups or harps. Some figurines have a loop moulded into the head, which seems to indicate that they were suspended in some way (possibly as an amulet).

References

Bibliography

* * * The following books are mostly about medieval sexual sculpture but have sections on Baubo: * Dr. Jørgen Andersen, ''The Witch on the Wall: Medieval Erotic Sculpture in the British Isles'', 1977. * Miriam Robbins Dexter and Victor H. Mair, ''Sacred Display: Divine and Magical Female Figures of Eurasia.'' Amherst, New York: Cambria Press, 2010. * Anthony Weir and James Jerman, ''Images of Lust: Sexual Carvings on Medieval Churches'', 1986.

External links

Examples of Baubo figurines

The story of Baubo as related by

.
Baubo figurines from the temple of Demeter at Priene, Turkey
Face-in-body Baubo figurines. {{Authority control Eleusinian Mysteries Fertility goddesses Women and sexuality Sexuality in arts Human gender and sexuality symbols Yonic symbols Nudity in mythology Vagina Deeds of Demeter

Scholarly discussion

Baubo figurines

See also

References

Bibliography

External links