Travel due north from London, and eventually you’ll find yourself in the village of Haconby. And if you dig below the surface of the earth in Haconby, perhaps you’ll accomplish what Paul Shepheard did after spending 25 years exploring the region with his metal detector. As Hyperallergic reports, Shepheard discovered a bronze figure that dates back to the Celtic era — specifically, the first century AD.
What’s especially notable about the figure in question is that — shall we say — it’s a shower, not a grower. The figure depicts a man along with a proportionally sizable phallus on a hinge. It’s not quite as eye-catching as the killer rabbits in medieval manuscripts, but as far as surreal sights from history goes, it’s up there.
Now, the figure, dubbed “The Haconby Celtic Fertility Figure,” is headed to auction. It’s part of an online auction conducted by Noonans with an emphasis on ancient coins, but with several other relics in the mix. It’s probably worth mentioning here that the figure discovered in Haconby won’t be the only phallic figure being sold as part of the auction.
Noonans’ listing for the figure notes that it “probably represents a Celticized Mercury who was regarded as a fertility god by the Celts.” As for the hinged penis, that “may have served as a locking mechanism as a buckle to hold a belt and scabbard for a sword.”
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It’s certainly an interesting routeNoonans estimates that the phallic fertility figure will sell for between $960 and $1,400, at the current rates of exchange. According to Hyperallergic’s report, Shepheard plans to use the proceeds from the sale to take his wife and mother-in-law on vacation.
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