the Nemean lion it maybe arose from a phallus on a tomb which unexpectedly became connected with Heracles
(See Greek Hero Cults p.'357) Farnell was likely right since the so-called "Finger of Attis" is interpreted by
"Hand"). The ancients considered that the middle finger of either hand had
a phallic connotation. Early Roman writers mention that the middle finger fully extended and held upright
represented the Member and the closed fingers and thumb on each side signified the testicles.
Scott. Phallic Worship, p. 108). For more about Heracles and the phallic symbolism see: J. C. P. Deanna, "Du
Divin au Grotesque," Revue d'Ethnographie er des Traditions poppulaires 7 (1926): 31; Alexandre Colson,
"Hercule Phalophore," Gazerre Archologique 3 (1877): 169; J. E. Harisson, Themis: A Study of the Social
230
Origin of Nudity in Greek Sports
Span that scholars assigned the so-called "heroic nudity" which instead suggests that nudity in Greek sports had something to do with heroes or warriors.
The late 8th century is also when the start of the chain of statues of naked Greek
kouroi seemed. https://s3.amazonaws.com/b-naturist/femdom-beach.html represent Apollo, since many have been
Found in graveyards where they must have functioned as tombstones representing human beings. Furthermore in archaic times kouroi were used for winners in
8
the games4
Why was nudity in athletics a unique Greek phenomenon, since the primitive
human answer in using nudity for aggression, from which athletic nudity was
developed, was common in other cultures also? In order to answer this
question, one should consider another aspect of Greek life, somewhat unique in
Greek properties, the hero cult,49 which was connected with games.'O Greek heroes
and gods proudly displayed their physical energy and demanded the same thing
from their devotees. The existence of Heracles at Olympia was of prime
Relevance for the survival of the custom of nudity in Greek sport because
he was, by custom, a bare hero and a naked warrior-athlete par excellence
whose nudity was copied by the athletes.
If nudity was viewed as valuable to the warrior-athlete, why was it retained just
in sport since classical warriors needed protection and assertiveness at least as
much as athletes? The Greeks while winning their way to classical civilization
Kept the custom of nudity in sport but they weren't aware of the
aggressive facet of it as were their distant ancestors. To put it differently, the custom
of nudity persisted into a higher civilization but the practice of endeavouring to
Safe protection in this manner had been lost or abandoned. This was the main
Rationale that the ancient warrior had no comprehension of this feeling of
protection. This is also the instance with a number of current tribes among whom the
Custom of nudity for aggression predominated but is fast evaporating as they
gradually come under the effect of modern culture.
felt so strongly about their nudity that they believed that to be embarrassed to be seen
Nude in the gymnasium was the feature, the proof and the indication of a
barbarian. The reason why the Greeks fell in love with their nudity isn't the
Objective of this paper. That endeavor has been well done by other writers. 51
48. G. M. A. Richter, Kouroi:Archaic Greek Yourhs (London, 1960), p. 1. Also see https://s3.amazonaws.com/b-naturist/nudists.html , (Efruscan, pp.
century, as the span of the change from the warrior-athlete nudity to athletic nudity, should be regarded with
some reservations because the scanty material signs may be deceptive. In addition, one cannot exclude the
Job of artistic convention in the stuff evidence mentioned here.
49. Herodotos (2.50) said that heroes have no position in the religion of Egypt.
Geometric Art," in The Archaeology of Cyprus: Recent Developments, ed. Noel Robertson (Park Ridge, N.J.:
Noyes Press, 1975). 185. For a thorough investigation of the hero cult in both prehistoric and historical Greece see
Erwin Rohde. Soul: The Cult of Souls and Belief in Immortality Among the Greeks (London. 1950), pp. 115-155;
141-173.
50. See Rohde, Soul, pp. 116-l 17; Mircea Eliade. A History of Religious Thoughts from the Stone Age to the
EIeusinian Mysteries (Chicago, 1978), pp. 285, 313. For references found throughout ancient Greek literature,
concerning the matches held in honour of the Greek heroes find: Lynn E. family nudist streaming , "Funeral Games in Greek Art," AJA
85 (1981): 107.119.
51. Fardiner (AAW, p. 58) wrote: "It is not simply that exposure to the air and the sun-bath are. as physicians now