The Strange Truth About Phallic Imagery in the Nordic Bronze Age (History Documentary)

[@DanDavisHistory]

Thanks for watching. Please do hit "like" on the video, it really helps me out. And if you enjoy what I do here and would like early access to advert-free videos then please become a Channel Member: kzbin.info/door/UVwT8zcS5Z_rYXnpomlbfgjoin or Patreon supporter: www.patreon.com/dandavisauthor As I am a one-man team, your support will make a huge difference to the quality and quantity of work I can produce for this channel. Cheers!

[@terryd5360]

Will there be any more books in the "God's of Bronze" series? I really enjoyed the 3 so far.

[@pasquinomarforio]

Amazing. My only criticism is that you don't create enough videos. Not that we want you to be a slave to this, but, really, you're a story teller. That's your calling. Do more.

[@sirseigan]

IF you do a video on the subject of snakes in Scandinavian rock art or the like (as you were hinting about in the end) plz step into the rabbithole of the Scandimavian "tomt-orm" (yard/plot snake); the folklore and the (later) historical accounts of it. It is a truley facinating subject.

[@ElectricalExistence]

most of those depictions are of electrical phenomenon they witnessed in the ancient sky. they are "the gods", otherwise known as celestial bodies and electrical discharges between those bodies.

[@peterdeans4635]

Hi, there are many of panels from ancient cultures that seem to represent the time of year spring springs usually facing east. In this area of the world Scorpio would be close to springtime seen rising for the first time of the year just before sunrise. About where Aquila is at the end of Scorpios tail in old star charts there is a boat, ship or canoe usually 8 people and the high bow and stern a straight line of stars ( it's quite easy to see) and the repeating pattern is most likely where these stars are a week or month later as they get higher in the sky. It's a Callender specific to that area and culture and you should be able to find the myth that goes with the scene. There is probably another scene that marks the beginning of autumn maybe close to or even Taurus with Orion. Some archeologists will see the two panels side by side ( of springtime and autumn ) and say it's two tribes going to war,, even when you can overlay actual photos of the eastern horizon just before sunrise, have all the stars line up with the heads of the people in the scene and still say it's a war scene. But yes I think the erections are signifying the beginning of the fertile time of the year. I hope this helps and hasn't confused the heck out of you but back then to know what time of year it was would have let them plan ahead, knowing what's in season for the table etc, imagine planning a deer hunt when the deer are still high in the hills but there are so many fish in your local river that will suffice until the deer come down six weeks later. 👍😊 Great channel, good video take care.

[@junechevalier]

This gives “battle hardened warriors” a completely different meaning

[@friedrichjunzt]

🤠

[@hekatoncheiros208]

Stiff opposition.

[@thecoolbyzantine24]

large enemy force

[@emil1376]

"Stand tall, men!"

[@79klkw]

😂😂😂

[@juliadove1006]

. It is very difficult to get and maintain a stiffy if you’re scared. So yes going into battle with a hard on, is one way to dominate one’s enemies. “ I’m so not scared of you. Be afraid be very afraid “

[@kunderwo33]

It’s the ultimate “jokes on you, I’m into that”

[@cwilkinsonwck]

They knew fear is illusionary

[@duelenigma7732]

They have a stick up their butts in the thumbnail.

[@raddadray7535]

Lol,a stiffy.

[@harambo88]

not really, many ppl get hard by adrenalin . its not sexual just the pump. but i am like that too, if i get a higher heartrate i get hard, while being hysterical

[@rodarteparty]

Hard-fought: ❌ Fought Hard: ✅

[@honeybadgerisme]

😂my inner 10-year old is really enjoying the comment section!

[@FredrikSkievan]

He fought hard: ❌ He fought hard: ✅

[@johannderjager4146]

@@rodarteparty , I don't deserve the amount of likes I got because you, good sir, deserve them more.

[@vermont741]

He hardly fought

[@RicoSuave007-z5i]

We all fought hardly, while they hardly fought hard at all! 🙀

[@imperfectclark]

Humor aside, I've long awaited a lengthy deep dive to expose the hard facts about these famous phallic nordic pics. Hard not to notice that your member base is growing, Dan!

[@HugoH-h6z]

👏 👏 👏

[@Zetroc63]

I see what you 😂did 😅there.

[@GrimrDirge]

Warboner would be a great metal band name.

[@hjalmarolethorchristensen9761]

It is....🤘

[@native_earth916]

I literally laughed out loud because of this comment 😂

[@el.tano.augusto]

Absolutely

[@preppen78]

Everyone is focusing on the warboner. What about those sticks up their butts?

[@willd7518]

Hell yeah. Blackmetal band named deathboner or death by boner. Meatshank massacre.

[@johannesboo6152]

"Oh, my child - you've not met war. And think how terrifying it'd be to see a man charging at you, with his skirt flying up in the air, and flashing his big, long... bayonet at you!" - Carry on up the Khyber (1968)

[@fion1flatout]

Truth in comedy as per usual

[@samuel56551]

Matron !

[@ruffraff1059]

Lol indeed.

[@ChristophersMum]

They don't make 'em like they used to do...🤣😅🤣

[@RoderickHunt-j7w]

Seen it

[@johannderjager4146]

"Is that a sword under your cloth, or are you just excited for battle?" **This is now officially my favorite comment section**

[@williammartin2593]

That is the oldest joke I know of. From "The Birds"? Aeschylus? " Is that a scroll under your toga or you just glad to see me?" Best said by Mae West in a western. Still funny!

[@TheEvertw]

I know it from "Who framed Roger Rabbit" -- Is that a rabbit in your pocket or are you just happy to see me".

[@rudragirik745]

"It's my WAAARBONEEEER!!!" ☠️

[@pierceh.5670]

@@rudragirik745😂

[@wesleybarrett9502]

​@rudragirik745 I know indirectly in Roman Imperial times there were euphemism or the penis being Hasta (Spear or Hunting Speer) Pugio (Dagger, also the verb "I Fight") Spatha, and sometimes Gladius (Sword, fighting man's sword and Spatha meant Sword)

[@Greksallad]

I live in Norrköping, which is apparently the city with the most rock carvings in the entire world (over 7000), according to Norrköping municipality. I've visited the Himmelstalund area many times and seen the petroglyphs there on a number of occasions. They look very much like the ones shown in the video, however I can't recall ever seeing any phalluses in any of the depictions. I'll have to check extra carefully next time I take my dog for a walk there. Great video!

[@DanDavisHistory]

Awesome, there's some cool stuff there, I'd love to see it myself. I think there's lots of boats and not too many people, I'm not sure of the numbers. Perhaps they didnt carve phalluses there. If I remember rightly they've also been subjected to more wear due to all the human activity in the area. I wonder if small details like phalluses get worn away. There is some degree of interpretation on what is painted in modern times, too. They used to use "rubbings" to get details but these days they use laser scanning to find details the eye can't see. I wonder if they've done that at norrköping yet. The ones at Tanum and in Uppland were by water when carved, limiting access to who could see them (usually from boats?). I wonder what access was like at norrköping and the extend to which that changed what was depicted. Maybe some things were meant for men's eyes only?

[@Greksallad]

@@DanDavisHistory I think the access to them must have been at least somewhat limited since most of the Himmelstalund area was under water and the carving surfaces were little islands. My personal favorite carvings of the area are the bear tracks, and the random one from the iron age (ca. 400-500 CE) that either just says "the wide" (braido) or "I made" (bu-ajdo) written in the Elder Futhark. The presence of bronze age petroglyphs along with actual writing is testament to how long this place has been of interest to the people living here. The other carvings would have been ancient even to the dude who wrote those runes! I wonder if he just stumbled across the carvings and decided to leave a mark to his presence, or if it was some sort of important site for connecting with one's ancestors or something like that. It's a shame we can't ask him about it.

[@Fuxerz]

Please get back to us on this thread when you go. Interesting to know what you see. Thank you my friend from America. We really appreciate that.

[@HotTakeAndy]

It’s been two months. Did you go look? 😂

[@Greksallad]

@HotTakeAndy I never said I would post an update lol, just that I would check. But yes, I did. Unfortunately I didn't find any. But I obviously didn't look at all of them and a lot of them aren't painted so it'd be hard to tell anyway.

[@AsyaProsvetova]

I really enjoy the idea of some dudes drawing phalluses for pure fun and/or mischief and after millennia scientists are discussing the meaning of it all. It really inspires to go and carve some phalluses myself - just to perpetuate this tradition

[@petehoover6616]

Archeologists can take themselves too seriously. They don't understand humor.

[@FoxySocks]

We will never really know. 😄

[@troysimmons506]

Super bad certified

[@knowledgeisgood9645]

Considering the large number of such drawings in many parts of Scandinavia (mostly Sweden), it can hardly be "some dudes" having fun.

[@nedlooby7419]

​@@knowledgeisgood9645 now consider the innumerable examples that today plaster public toilets school bathrooms and under desks, regardless of culture geography or social status now consider whether your average adolescent is really considering the great philosophical meanings behind this action

[@RoverIAC]

Well that answers the question "did Vikings have horns?".

[@stevecooper7883]

Only while stroking their oars.

[@bethbartlett5692]

🤣🤣🤣

[@bethbartlett5692]

🤣🤣🤣

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

@@stevecooper7883 or polishing their belt buckles

[@PennyAfNorberg]

bronze age is long before the viking age

[@axebearer]

I've been to the petroglyphs in Tanumshede as I live nearby, and pictures and videos don't do them justice. They are MASSIVE in person. Worth a visit if anyone is ever in western Sweden.

[@KevinSmith-yh6tl]

That's what SHE said!

[@AnthonySmith-x5z]

We must see then while they still exist

[@Thor-Orion]

I mean, Scandinavia is a giant geographical penis anyway, right? It’s even got the testes if you include the part that connects it to the rest of Europe.

[@diregnome4898]

Does some organization like park services repaint those petroglyphs periodically?

[@axebearer]

@@diregnome4898 Some of them, mainly the most impressive ones are painted by archaeologists with red ochre inspired by how rune stones used to be painted, in order for visitors to better see them, but some others are left unpainted.

[@nowthenzen]

This is my Rifle This is my Gun This is for Fighting This is for Fun

[@christinebuckingham8369]

This was said all of the time by Drill Sergeants during Army Boot Camp, even though our training was co-ed!

[@TBlackDouglas]

I was a student of Archaeology at Lund univ, Sweden, back in the 90s, and wrote an essay on bronze age rock carvings in south east Scania (Simris area). Great that the google algorithm found this one for me, and I'm now a subscriber. Back then the conventional interpretation of phallic men depicted in the carvings were that the phallus symbolized masculinity, fertility and high social status, nothing more, just as you mentioned. My hypothesis was if it was possible to find linked motifs that told a "longer story" or formed a "sentence" on the panels, so I didn't give separate elements of figures, like the phallus, much thought. The idea of the motif actually showing men going into battle with an erect member never occurred to me, nor was it suggested by my teachers. I didn't know about the Maori traditions either. I agree that Nordic bronze age culture probably shared many elements with the Maori, still I find it unlikely but not impossible that such a practice took place. Thanks for a great educational video on a fairly unusual bronze age topic. I will have to check out all your bronze age videos now! 🤓

[@jenniferflower9265]

It could have represented what you suggest, in a positive light but reality dictates that this was used as was crimes against women and children. Conquering women and children after killing the men. Other known as rape.

[@lonedragon3261]

In my non-expert opinion, these are clearly some of the earliest depictions of Homo Erectus. 😅

[@sargata3054]

So glad this sprung up in my recommendations. It’s hard to pass on quality historical content. As a long time channel member, I must say: solid video as always!

[@DanDavisHistory]

Thank you very much.

[@SeaAycheEyeEye]

Nice

[@sarahwatts7152]

I love the vocab used in this one, hope it still makes him money despite the platform's prudishness

[@DanDavisHistory]

Thanks Sarah, appreciate it. Me too!

[@davidgreenwood6029]

It probably will. it's not like he mentioned the v a x or the current occupiers of tibet or anything.

[@oaktreet4335]

What a very odd thing to say.

[@ChristophersMum]

I really don't think that is prudishness...but he is keeping in mind certain sensibilities...and of course YT...but it is a fabulous word...I think it will be my favourite of the week

[@JH-lo9ut]

These bronze age figures look so goofy. I love them! One or two years ago, an archaeology student discovered a thus far, undocumented rock carving on a cliff in a Stockholm residential area, just a few minutes away from my home. This is a recreational area in between two clusters of apartment buildings. It's the kind of place where people go to have picknicks in the day, or to buy weed during the darker hours. This arcaeology student had "gone for a walk" just as the sun was setting, and the low sun rays raking across the rock surface revealed the carvings. Ships, phalluses and all. It covers maybe 30 square meters on a piece of exposed rock. Just a few meters to the side of the carvings is a big slab of concrete that was the foundation for an anti-aircraft battery during ww2. The area was originally designated to become a higway in the 50's but they built it some kilometers south instead, and the city left the area as a tretch of green nature in between the housing complexes that were already being built on each side of it. How easily could these carvings have been destroyed? The carvings were filled in with chalk when the news of their discovery was made public, but the pigment is allowed to be washed away by rain so it is now almost impossible to see it all at once. That is apparently how they do it these days, so as not to alter any carvings by mistake. Maybe technological advancements in the future will let us see these carvings in even finer detail. Thanks for shining a light on this interesting facet of European pre-history.

[@Robespierre-lI]

One of the difficulties of petroglyphs is that they can be much more troubling to date than artworks with organic materials used. (Carbon dating.) Given how much less we know about the Nordic Bronze Age compared to, say, the Meditteranean, I often wonder how much we are still getting wrong. In any event, I absolutely love the Nordics.

[@jonbinki9651]

These phallic themes are also being uncovered in places like Karahan Tepe and Gobekli Tepe, suggesting there was a widespread cultural shift from earlier Paleolithic feminine Venuses, to masculine warrior cultures... the fact that Karahan Tepe preceeds Bronze age Scandinavia by at least 7000 yrs only shows how wide and millenia spanning this shift has been, to the farthest corners of the world

[@ds698]

Yeah I think the Nordic practice is a later version like we all come from similar places and as we spread out we carried these rituals with us

[@Padraigp]

Men finally learnt to use crayons. 😂

[@toomanymarys7355]

Lol many bodies in the paleolithic died from human caused injuries

[@Padraigp]

@@jonbinki9651 why does a pension sculpture show a masculine culture. Its usually men who make female pictures and women who make dildos.

[@firstlast5454]

Almost like men across the world had phalluses

[@EarthScienceTV]

It's incredible how much we can learn from ancient art! The level of detail in the Nordic Bronze Age petroglyphs really shows how important masculinity and warfare were to these cultures

[@jakubburnos7095]

Can't believe I sat down for my cup of coffee and this pops up. Don't mind if I do :)

[@markstyles1246]

"pops up"... ... ... childish snickering...

[@wonderboy2402]

3:37 note the bison in the background even are shown with phallic imagery.

[@JustGrowingUp84]

Good catch, I didn't notice that!

[@MrChristianDT]

Penises generally mean one of two things to ancient Europeans- fertility & luck. But, it's hard to pinpoint what a lot of this stuff means. It could be the men are nude for ceremonial reasons. I think we aggressively underestimate how ofteb European pagans had rituals that involved nudity- it was clearly just enough that Christians demonized it to the point of successfully changing the definition of orgy from loud religious ritual to group sex. I've also heard a neo-pagan make the claim that the reason for the even longer back protrusion in some of them is because these are simplistic depictions of hobby horses, used in symbolic religious dance to possibly honor Freyr, who is both associated with erections & horses, but you'd think that, if they intended them that way, they'd look more like they were drawn as a single item & look less like they drew the front and back parts seperately?

[@HotTakeAndy]

9:21 he points that out here

[@jameshayes-barber9340]

Furries keep winning

[@ZonieMusic]

3:01 the deer/moose in the lower frame edge also has phallic imagery!

[@theicepickthatkilledtrotsk658]

Best bronze age content on the platform.

[@anotherelvis]

Scandinavia is pretty cold, but the climate was warmer in the bronze age. Allegedly the temperature was 2-3 degrees celsius higher.

[@Tom_Quixote]

That's still far too cold for a battle boner.

[@MagnusItland]

A video by Jackson Crawford comes to mind, proposing that the valkyries of Viking lore were personifications of bloodlust, and that the ecstasy of battle was expressed in the form of the allure of beautiful women because there was no closer comparison that would be understood by the bystander. This further reminds me of an infamous episode here in Norway where one of our NATO fighters returning from Afghanistan accidentally mentioned in public that killing an enemy was better than sex, causing condemnation from our peaceful politicians at the time. But with this video, the plot seems to thicken a bit. What if? Not that I recommend trying this in person, obviously. Killing is best in books. But our ancestors lived in a more brutal world, I'm afraid.

[@jf3457]

the plot becomes thick and girthy indeed

[@hjalmarolethorchristensen9761]

​@@jf3457but Thise picture is 2500 years older than the Vikings..... greetings from Skandinavia Danmark 🇩🇰.... The lands of the Vikings...

[@basicallyno1722]

@hjamarole I think the commenter is trying to use this as an example for the psychology behind the paintings and imagery we humans have for war and bloodlust.

[@hjalmarolethorchristensen9761]

@@basicallyno1722 okay,... I just say,...not Vikings,.... Thise are early bronze Age people...

[@efdangotu]

Viking is an occupation, not an era.

[@seanbissett-powell5916]

Something I heard about a long time ago (and can't recall the source for) was that the Gaulish and Briton warriors (particularly the Galic gaesati) painted themselves with woad, and that the dye could be mixed with all kinds of other things to turn it into a magical protective ointment. Fighting naked would allow that ointment to be painted all over the body, while clothes would rub it off. Is it possible that Scandinavian societies did something similar, with the ointment applied as part of a pre-battle ritual that would get them all psyched up ?

[@Brunavargen]

Brilliant video as always! Especially fitting given that I'm currently writing my own story set during the Nordic Bronze age, which of course forces me to constantly make decissions on how to portray life back then based on what evidence we have. You are a great inspiration and I cannot wait for the next Gods of Bronze book. Cheers from Sweden!

[@Wonka2208]

I saw the thumbnail in my recommendation page and I instantly recognized it. This is located in my town of birth, Tanum. A smallish town well known for its amazing rock paintings. There’s a lot of these paintings around the area of Tanum.

[@williammartin2593]

Thank you, patreon people, for supporting this great site. I would if I could.

[@jayrey5390]

Ditto, thanks Dan as always!

[@wilsontheconqueror8101]

Getting "poked" in a battle back then takes on a whole new meaning! 😅 I'm sorry Dan! This video brought out the 10 year old in all of us! Fascinating & well done as always, sir!

[@indus7841]

People will say "never clicked on a video faster in my life" but i mean it. no idea who you are what this channel is but i saw the title and im hooked

[@World-Sojourner.22]

❤ Thank you!! Always look forward to your vids!! In the meantime I rewatch your existing videos over and again!

[@MarcelGomesPan]

I come from the West coast where there are petroglyphs like these. And where i live now there are barrows. I love that there is a channel discussing these times before what is usually focused on ( though also interesting ). There is so much more known about Levantine and Mesopotamian bronze age cultures ( for obvious reasons ) and i find these times so interesting. A part of the Scandinavian past that feels a bit hidden in the mists of time , though that could be said about a lot of our early history .

[@Styrbjiorn]

I'm from Bohuslän. Thanks for covering out rich history. Helsningar

[@robincowley5823]

Of course, 'naked' in the ancient descriptions can mean 'nude', but we should always remember that 'naked' had a habit of meaning 'unarmoured'., particularly when a writer came from a society in which warriors routinely went into battle heavily armoured - think Greece and Rome.

[@efdangotu]

Metal armor was too heavy to take on boat raids. You need the weight capacity to take home loot.

[@uncletiggermclaren7592]

@@efdangotu You don't know anything about how much a vessel will carry. A small Royal navy cutter, about the size of the biggest of the viking vessels, would carry four TONNES of water, 500 Kgs of beer, three tonnes of beef, a tonne of ships biscuit, and that was just the base of the food, they had that much again in arms and stores for the vessel itself. I had a look, and the average 54 foot viking Knarr could carry 25 tonnes and still sail in rough water.

[@stephenhoward4402]

I do wonder when in history it became universally required to hide the genitals. Because every human culture throughout time has had varying degrees of body covering, and varying degrees of repulsion towards those who wore less than that, but everyone agrees that the crotch should be covered in most cases.

[@acvproductions]

So the significance of being nude was to flex that they weren't afraid or didn't need the protection?

[@uncletiggermclaren7592]

@@stephenhoward4402 A bit Eurocentric a claim. Maori, Tahitian, African, Greek, many cultures didn't really insist on it.

[@AndreaFasani]

As always, well documented and with a broader view to help us understand things so distant to modern perspective. Thanks!

[@russethelm5907]

So called “p___s sheaths” have been documented being used all over the globe, and they are worn styled in a variety of angles, depending on culture. One could even consider the late medieval and early modern “codpiece” which was often styled erect, and even styled in tumescent form in steel armor, as being a relevant example. One reasonable possibility that would connect to the phenomenon you describe would be that Bronze Age Scandinavians used erect codpieces as items of warlike clothing, and so they would literally “gird up their loins for war” by putting one of these on when they were fully prepared for combat. Treating a sheath or codpiece of this sort as showing that someone was fully prepared for war would serve the cultural purpose of encouraging warrior champions to “fight fair” to at least some degree, in an environment when raiding was common, and it would also serve a narrative purpose in rock art and other visual portrayal distinguishing between champion combat or pitched battle where everyone was ready for battle, and other sorts of combat and violence in a maritime raid, or distinguishing between a champion in armor and his young ‘squire.’ A man who was surprised by raiders early in the morning might well have time to grab a spear without really being prepared for combat, or a man who was surprised while working in his fields might well have had an axe or dagger or both, but still be far less capable of defending himself than he would have been if he had time to put on armor. Overcoming an unprepared man would not show off your skills and bravery to the same degree, and so a brave man would have reason to distinguish between this kind of combat, while a man who feared being murdered in his bed by raiders would have practical reasons for wanting to grant more honor and respect to the warrior who fought prepared opponents. If the Battle of Tollense Valley is anything to go by, there was probably a really wide variation in the range of weapons and armor that a warrior might have to deal with, and so just using a specific type of armor or weapon to show warrior status, or the degree to which a warrior was prepared would be problematic. There might well have been warriors who did not wear armor for example, or warriors who wore bone, wood or leather armor, and at the extremes of “no protective clothing” there is a great difference between killing a young Koryos warrior fighting in a berserk rage in pitched battle, and slaying a man as he flees naked from the arms of his wife in a night raid. Wearing the ‘codpiece of battle’ and depicting this in art would tend to clarify the difference.

[@DanDavisHistory]

Yeah one of the theories is they're penis sheaths and that could be the case but there's no sign of them in the burial goods which we might expect if they were objects associated with male identity. Also some phallus are shown being engaged in sexual intercourse. From burials it seems the sword was the weapon most associated with masculinity. Estimates based on burials, settlements, and sword finds are that at any one time there were probably about 10,000 sword armed warriors, one for each farmstead.

[@morrishansford3316]

That's what I was thinking but then it dawned on me. He didn't mention any Graves or buried with warriors and found on the battlefield or anything.

[@zipperpillow]

Too much time gaming, not enough experience in reality.

[@ozdigg9254]

You might be interested to know that the word vagina is from the Roman vāgīna meaning scabbard or sheath. Also the penis is viewed by women as a weapon of war when they have suffered, and survived, rape. Due to its use for brutality, the penis has become a dangerous weapon. Rape is illegal in war but it is continually used as a weapon. "The UN verified 3,688 cases of rape and other sexual violence committed in war in 2023, a “dramatic increase” of 50 per cent over the previous year, the Security Council heard on Tuesday.23 Apr 2024."

[@lonedragon3261]

In my non-expert opinion, these are clearly some of the earliest depictions of Homo Erectus. 😅

[@ammohamed5320]

The Nordic Bronze Age is such a captivating era, and every History Documentary about it reveals the fascinating lives, culture, and innovations of the people from that time. It's amazing to see how their craftsmanship, trade, and rituals shaped early Northern Europe. Can't wait to learn more about this ancient period!

[@TheWildManEnkidu]

Freyr, in his role as a fertility god, is also often represented with an erect phallus. As well as the obvious reasons for such, there is also the interesting concept of his relation to an older period in Nordic culture. It has often been theorised that the Vanir (Freyr, Freya, Njordr etc.) and the Aesir (Odin, Thor etc.) going to war, may be as a result of newer ideas entering into the Nordic sphere. The clash of a more warlike ideology in the Aesir, with the more Naturally based Vanir. The Aesir won out, perhaps resulting in the warrior based culture we are familiar with in 'Vikings', ahead of perhaps the hunter and pastoral culture of the past. But Freyr's appearance, and the appearances of the men in these petroglyphs, may point out a period in which fertility symbols associated with masculinity, combined with the warlike nature of the scenes may convey a time where these ideologies were in transition.

[@nation5478]

looking south Min in egypt during the predynastic period

[@ds698]

I agree also I’d say that though the aesir wok they found the vanir respectfully strong in magic and in the world (think biological science like sex and futility.) so they both realized they could rather help one another one defends the other makes more people. Lol

[@petrapetrakoliou8979]

The Vaenir-Aesir battle is a myth, a construction of the mind. Warrior culture dates at least to the late Neolithic in Scandinavia, the age of the "Battle Axe People". From there on they only followed the evolution of Central Europe's Bronze Age culture (in the beginning without any bronze in the north).

[@rcrawford42]

I've read a theory -- which I don't know enough to judge -- that Mars was originally a fertility god, as the Field of Mars in Rome would have been the most fertile farmland there. Only later, through the field's use as a mustering ground for troops, did Mars gain association with war.

[@petrapetrakoliou8979]

@@rcrawford42 Yes, Mars was a fertility god and Saturnus was originally a god of agriculture. Mars became a god of war presumably when the Romans became more warlike, so their god followed the general trend.

[@KatherineHugs]

Thanks for these videos Dan!!

[@thomasbell7033]

What a concept. "I'm so bad I can get it up even when facing violent death."

[@sharonkaczorowski8690]

There are accounts of that happening…Freud would have loved this!

[@The_Crucible714]

Look! It’s “Tacky Tacky Long Penis!” *whoah!*

[@Eluderatnight]

Its a dominance thing.

[@constancegreiner906]

I am hoping it's the grog they drank or leaf or root they chewed in preparation of battle. Not the conflict itself. But the sons of the devil are this way and seek it. Father protect us from evil.

[@ndahiya3730]

@@constancegreiner906 Underrated comment. Put it as an original comment, bro.

[@viktorlarsson5193]

I have visited the rock carvings of Vitlycke, Tanum, Sweden several times and other similar sites around Oslo Fjord. Fascinating stuff indeed. Thanks for the interesting video and I will continue to follow your channel.

[@shawncriner]

I'm just here to say that both of your book series got me hooked. I'm on the 2nd book of Godborn after finishing the vampire knight series and am anxiously awaiting more.

[@Parkinglot-III]

“That’s pretty impressive, dude-“ “Aaaand you stabbed me in the lung.”

[@johnwatkins7322]

Dan, great job as usual. Your cite work is much appreciated and admired.

[@theobolt250]

Brings to mind what they always said of the close connection between sex, death and violence.

[@samsonsoturian6013]

Men sexualize violence. End of story

[@shokujinki]

And robots

[@stischer47]

And ejaculation in French is know as "la petite mort"

[@rdklkje13]

You just have to ask any woman ever raped by a soldier….

[@user-tt8xf9td6b]

Rather fascinating and on a subject that is not generally discussed. I hope that it survives KZbin's constantly shifting "community standards".

[@brawndothethirstmutilator9848]

“War Boners” are a thing. Adrenaline is a helluva drug.

[@BlueBeamProjectionist]

Adrenaline makes you soft and causes shrinkage. It's the surging of testosterone that reverses this effect and causes a war boner.

[@JimJam-x6t]

@@iridium8341 Yeah thats what I think , it's just satire. We must of had a sense of humor in the past too.

[@Bella-fz9fy]

My male Persian cat would start ‘humping’ when he attacked and captured his prey.

[@theasianjaywalker4455]

are they? that from your ole' warrior days eh? from that crazy frontlines battle world you came from?

[@j.artiste8596]

Sure. But more reason to put pants on, or the enemy will chop it off.

[@M.M.83-U]

I applaud your impressive display of euphemistic oratory! Great video and very fascinating suggestions.

[@petrapetrakoliou8979]

The phallus is a convention showing that these are gods, superpotent, like later in classical Greek art where the convention was to represent male gods or the dead naked in opposition to living warriors represented in clothes just like they are in everyday life.

[@Ymirson999]

Well done as always. You explore the various possibilities with intelligent and insightful possibilities. I'm also glad you came back to this subject of these images as well, because there is something so hugely interesting about these things. Personally, I would suggest that maybe the giant figures that are so much larger than the smaller "men" are precursors of the myths of Frost and Fire giants found in later Norse myths. Perhaps those scenes were an early version of Ragnorak? You may have mentioned that in the video itself and my limited attention span missed it (a common occurence). Also, the phalli representations may be a mark of aggression and dominance. It's mostly believed that rape comes from a sense of rage and has little to do with any kind of unfulfilled sexual needs or desires (or so I was told in my training as first a corpsman/medic in the navy and my subsequent career as a corrections officer). But that's all just my layman's speculation. I look forward to your next video and will undoubtedly re-watch some of your previous ones. I especially enjoyed the ones about the groups living in Bronze Age Russia/Siberia such as the Koryos. Thank you again and take care.

[@liamthompson9342]

Very interesting analysis of an unusual subject.

[@omgwtfbbqcakez]

Would love more content on nordic bronze age. Particularly petroglyphs such as the eerie "hand" symbol and its meaning.

[@cbrwx7796]

As a nordic, and before i start watching this, let me just point out that we are all huge, even tho viking artisan painters tried to hide our limbs, it was an impossible task to maintain the illusion of modesty. Our Viking ancestors gave it their best shot, but honestly, there's only so much you can conceal when everything is, well, giant-sized.

[@sirseigan]

Lol 😂

[@adamsmith1813]

Lmao

[@metanoian965]

Self delusion as always. Stand closer and stop Pizzing on the floor !

[@NakedProphet]

I've been so much more comfortable ever since my penile reduction surgery.

[@kabuti2839]

understated

[@scruffypupper]

Those don't appear to be phallic symbols. They appear to be the sword handle which happens to rest in that area on the hip so that the extension gives the impression of a "fleshy" sword.

[@QuartzCorvid]

I'm glad that you mentioned the paper about the evidence for sails during this period. I just read it recently and was looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it. Seeing some of the online discussion about the recently published study about the Stonehenge altar stone made me realize just how many people think that European maritime technology north of the Mediterranean was just short, rough hewn logboats propelled using paddles until the arrival of the Romans. Do you think that it's reasonable to assume (and obviously this wouldn't hold up to professional standards for evidence) that the timeline for the development of the sail can be pushed back to a similar date for other regions in Northern and Atlantic Europe?

[@BartzAJohnsonJr]

Thank you for the expanded perspectives on the Heiling Kriggsgaldr video and to the figures themselves.

[@paul6925]

It's disturbing but interesting to wonder if a lot of these guys were like the kinds of people that show up in true crime docs recounting how violence sexually excites them

[@Bella-fz9fy]

@@paul6925 I commented earlier how my male cat humped when he captured his prey/toy and it made me think if there was a connection between sexual and attacking adrenaline,and I also wondered if this is common to a lot of cats/animals,or was he just a weirdo😂(although he was a bit of a Persian simpleton and very lovable,he also was a bit of a psycho!)

[@paul6925]

@@Bella-fz9fy this sounds like a typical cat thing. They’re all psychos 😸 gotta love them

[@edoboleyn]

16:41 I was going to say, given Mike Tyson’s record with young girls, it’s not surprising he became “excited” during violent fights… While I don’t want to cast aspersions against a whole class of men living in a distant time and about whom we know so little, we do have good evidence that exposure to violence, particularly during adolescence, can produce men aroused by violence and cruelty. Abuse and the consumption of degrading, violent p*rn certainly appears in the backgrounds of sexual sadists, like those we see in true crime documentaries. Seeing your father’s hall burned and your mother violated and murdered as a boy might make you the kind of man who’ll do the same. Sexual violence is endemic in war, or at least in raids on civilians. On the other hand, it seems most common and “systematic” when an ideology drives attackers. For “modern” examples Nigeria’s Boko Haram, ISIS, or Hamas.

[@edoboleyn]

@@paul6925 As for cats, our boy is a gentle soul who plays soccer with toys. It’s our girl cat with the bloodlust. No bug or ankle is safe. 🙀

[@paul6925]

@@edoboleyn 😹 Cats are so unpredictable. A much maligned and misunderstood animal

[@Toadkillah]

11:07 Now this gives a whole new meaning to the Lyrics "Om du drar ner min byxa ska du få se en yxa. En yxa som gör allt för att få lite ballt." From Björn Rosenströms song "Pojkarna som busar".

[@BrutusHostiliusMaximus]

There were 5 legged deer back then, apparently.

[@honeybadgerisme]

😂

[@Luisterralusa]

What cidra beverage can do to the brain 😂

[@JamesSmith-wn6ws]

Keep it up Danny boy , good content

[@SmokeyTreats]

What are the straight long things sticking out from behind the images with phallic stiffies, sword scabbards? Thanks for your vid!

[@jesperpedersen3729]

Dear Dan Davis History. the question: Is it a phallus, which is shown on the figures on rock carvings.? The rules for the Viking warriors were that they were required to carry 3 weapons. An axe, a sword and a dagger. An ax that they could use at any time as a tool to cut down trees, chop firewood, build ships, etc. A sword that they could defend themselves against if an enemy should attack, or they themselves should attack. A dagger, for cutting herbs, meat, fish, cooking. Main rule: If a Viking warrior lost one of his 3 weapons, he always had one / two spare weapons. But I am sure that this warrior rule has been inherited from earlier times from, for example, the warriors of the Bronze Age. What we see on these ancient petroglyphs from the Bronze Age is, as you can clearly see, that the figures on petroglyphs hold an ax in their hand, have a sword in the back of their belt, and in front have a dagger in the front of their belt. That it may not be a phallus, i.e. a penis, but that it is one of the warrior's 3 weapons, a dagger.... Is of course a theory, but was the Vikings' main rule for a warrior to carry these 3 weapons, perhaps also the rule for Bronze Age warriors.? Best regards Jesper, Pedersen, Esbjerg, Denmark.

[@ronald3836]

If they were not meant to depict a phallus, they would have drawn them differently. If we recognise them as a phallus today, then they would have recognised them as a phallus then.

[@Padraigp]

​@@ronald3836why do they also have a stick out gheir bum holes?

[@gavinrolls1054]

​@@ronald3836what about the "tail" like part of these figures?

[@esmeralda3858]

@@ronald3836 Yes, but we are seeing the petroglyphs without the contextual knowledge contemporary viewers would have had. Why would artists have drawn the weapons differently if that's how warriors wore them?

[@BrightPath_K9s]

@@gavinrolls1054that’s what my question is! Why do some have tails!?

[@petrapetrakoliou8979]

Interesting, all objects shown are from Denmark, while all sites shown are from Sweden. They did have a very similar culture at that time - it is worth mentioning though that Swedish museums also have a lot of Bronze Age material to show especially the Historical Museum in Stockholm, some coming precisely from Bohuslän where the rock carvings shown are located.

[@sirseigan]

We still do (have very similar culture).

[@TheBooban]

@@sirseigan Not anymore!!!!

[@alicelund147]

Yes they where part of the same archaeological culture. It is about preservation bias; Sweden have more rocks and Denmark has more bogs.

[@sirseigan]

@@TheBooban haha we are still much more similar then not. I can assure you! Ofc are there minor differences, like how different phenomenon are dialed up or down a bit, but that even exsits inside the countries as well.

[@TheBooban]

@@sirseigan I don’t think you are considering half of Sweden is not Swedish.

[@thehairyhominid9972]

What's with the "tails" though?

[@melissapalmer7762]

That’s what I wanna know… did they have actual tails? Or was it clothing? Sword sheath(not pun, meant literally 😭)? Idk man

[@Perchpole]

As someone who grew up in the 70s and 80s, Ivam very familiar with male artwork that adorned bus shelters, public toilets and school exercise books! Give a man a drawing tool and a blank wall and he will invariably draw a nob. This behaviour seems to be so strongly engrained that I've always wondered why more nobs aren't seen in early hunan artwork? Where are all the nobs?

[@gastrofile]

I don't know about Hunan province specifically, but there seem to have also always been societal elements wh wished to bar the drawing of nobs.

[@Daveed56]

Strangely enough, I had friend who was a chopper pilot in one of the first waves that went in at the beginning of the 1st Gulf War. I asked him what it was like going in, he said he had the biggest "woody" he'd ever had in his life. It was his first combat experience.

[@Ohmanwhyyourfeelingshurt]

All that comes to mind is Robin Hood Men in Tights..

[@honeybadgerisme]

😂laughed wayy too hard at that...

[@aletasdreams]

Art rocks! This is a great little piece. I kept thinking about D measuring contests. They have always been a thing and will always be.

[@isabelled4871]

Roman soldiers also wore metal phalluses as pendants for good luck if I'm not mistaken. Very similar practise to what you are talking about.

[@dwwolf4636]

Have you seen the ~1500 AD codpieces ? One reads of some soldiers keeping 50 coins in one. Or oranges....

[@honeybadgerisme]

@@dwwolf4636😂and thisss is why circumcision is a good idea--men/boys will put anything they can in any "pocket" they find! Can you spell u.t.i.? 😢

[@isabelled4871]

@dwwolf4636 Yes very curious 😁 Some men at the Court of Francis 1st of France kept some pears in them and then offered the pears to their lady-friends. Empirical knowledge about pheromones I guess. Still bizarre if you ask me 😁

[@isabelled4871]

@hoperules8874 What are you talking about ? The codpieces were part of clothing. Look up Henry 8th portrait by Holbein. They were made to visually increase the size of a man's body parts and also acted as pockets.

[@honeybadgerisme]

@@isabelled4871 Yes! Acted as pockets! Perhaps you've never had to care for many toddler boys who are not circumcized. It creates a tiny skin "pocket" that is an unending source of entertainment for the little guys-which leads to uti's.🤒Poor babies! And it hurts them so bad to go pee, too! examples of items recovered from said pockets for clarity: peanuts raisins rocks of various types skittles chocolate chips cereal nuggets ... It was my job to line the kids up to go potty or change their diaper, whichever was the case. It's a miserable horror show to see a little boy with a uti, screaming in pain and jumping around needing to pee, but it hurts so much and you can't do anything for them.💔

[@jeremiasrobinson]

"Battle boner" ... So glad I have an interest in history, so I have the opportunity to learn things like this.

[@florinivan6907]

Maybe it was a metaphor/threat. 'We're gonna use this axe to do you far worse than if we used our other axe' to whoever was the enemy

[@gutznblxssxms]

learning about these rock paintings actually gave me a big idea for my made-up fantasy world thingy, thank you dan davis history

[@johnl5316]

The scholarly sources have the south west coast of Finland as partaking in the Nordic Bronze Age

[@Asspecting]

Actually in Sammallahdenmäki, Rauma there is a Unesco world heritage site that is said to be the best representation of Nordic Bronze age Burial cairns.

[@johnl5316]

@@Asspecting it is striking that scholars and journalists from the Scandinavian countries to Finland's west do not like to acknowledge this sort of information

[@gaufrid1956]

That makes sense, Dan. Especially for the Moaris.

[@NymAestrell]

To be fair, a big hairy naked man running at you full mast would scare anyone 😂

[@gastrofile]

You sure?

[@metaldiver]

Good and interesting video. I myself am enchanted by the Bronze Age and the idea of the worldview that the Engravers of the pictures have thought of.

[@ericneilson1198]

My take is "don't lose the battle, or we'll take your women". The message is clear.

[@chipwalter4490]

“The message is clear” nah, bro. Showing another dude your boner always has homoerotic context to it. The clear message from your comment is that you are trying to define nice little neat boxes to shove everything away into. The sad fact is sexual violence is always a part of war and just as “taking their women” and mass r@pe traditionally followed conquest.. So did (and does) male-on-male sexual violence. Israeli IDF have just been caught in video doing the very same age old acts to MALE prisoners. Do not try to erase this horrible fact of human behavior

[@gastrofile]

​@Ignacio-hv5ylmaybe "you don't wanna fight me, dude".

[@georgedownes5309]

Fascinating and thought provoking!!!!!

[@jimivey6462]

Nordic Tripe convention greetings: Tribesman 1: “Hi, I am Richard with my brother Richard, and my son Richard.” Tribesman 2: “Nice to meet you. I am Richard with my father Richard and my uncle Richard.”

[@andriandrason1318]

Richard Richardsons's son

[@eh1702]

Same in Scotland 1: I am Donald, son of Donald, grandson of black-haired Donald of the Donald lineage of the Donald clan. 2: I am big Donald, son of Donald, grandson of black-haired Donald of the Donald lineage of the Donald clan, your older illegitimate half-brother.

[@jimivey6462]

@@eh1702 😅😂🤣

[@jimivey6462]

@@andriandrason1318 😂🤣😅

[@GavTatu]

lol tripe convention.

[@danielnielsen1977]

7:19 I'm pleased you mentioned the sails and rigging. To many people believe they didn't have the wherewithal. Due to modern books and teachers.

[@emil1376]

A primal instinct of 'domination'; to display superiority.

[@marko241]

fighting naked also had it's very practical side- more speed..ease of individual body movement..fast unit maneuvers...all those warriors (fighting naked or lightly dressed) were remembered in ancient writings as very fast in their maneuvers- in the attack..surprises...in retreats and unit movement on the battlefield which gave them advantage in many situations...

[@garethjones4742]

Any combat vet will tell you, getiing a "battle fat" is a real phenomenon

[@ds698]

Yup

[@susanwestern6434]

As reported happening during the war in Ukraine.

[@TheBooban]

@@susanwestern6434 wtf y'all talking about? Why you calling it fat? Never heard of this.

[@bobhope4949]

I don’t think that’s good for business

[@bobhope4949]

@@susanwestern6434lol my friend has a German Shepard and his neighbor had one too, they let ‘em meet each other and we thought they would start fighting each other but instead they made love to each other………. I being a cat person just says damn, Michael Vick would be ashamed of you guys right now!

[@fins59]

Viking says "Are you ready?" Other Viking says "I was born ready"

[@DeborahThird-og1uo]

These drawings just prove that even in the Bronze Age, men had difficulty accurating portraying the lengths of things.

[@monicaluketich6913]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@nicholas3139]

excellent video! for a suggestion, maybe a video on knights fighting snails? they're all over the place in medieval illuminations, & very strange.

[@petehoover6616]

Watch a video of someone plowing with oxen. You'll quickly realize the concept of a man controlling 2 working beasts and a plow while excited is an error of interpretation. No one does that. Furthermore, pale men working in the sun all day without clothing would burn to a crisp. They weren't naked. The Tamil Eelam, a Sri Lankan terrorist group, had a leader with the title "Mahalingam" which is Sanskrit for "he's got a big one" so my guess is the images are a mark of leadership.

[@SchoolforHackers]

I love Sanskrit.

[@NakedProphet]

Remember that the original Olympics were done in the nude.

[@archaenthus]

Instantly recognized the rock art as the sites in my local area, never felt so proud to be from here, hello world!

[@xHASSUNAx]

Idk if anyone has taken note of it yet. But the concept of 'swords as side-arms' on what seem to be the leadership of the clans and tribes struck out to me a lot. We've always talked about and discussed that swords are, historically by and large, side arms worn by the aristocracy to signify status. The only army in the world that comes to my mind that used swords as primary weapons were the Roman legions of the late Republic and Empire. TL;DR, idea of swords by aristocracy goes way way way back further than thought

[@pattheplanter]

Surely for Romans the spears and javelins were the primary weapons and swords were the secondary when the enemy closed? Also, the axes in these figures were usually raised high - a better symbol of leadership on a crowded battlefield?

[@AncientWildTV]

really enjoyed the unique perspective you shared in this video, it’s fascinating to learn about such an intriguing aspect of the Nordic Bronze Age. however, i can’t help but wonder if the focus on phallic imagery is a bit overemphasized. while it’s definitely an interesting topic, do we risk overshadowing other significant cultural elements that deserve equal attention? just a thought!

[@jarlehansson3127]

It was a masculine sign of strength/power and fruitfulness. The female was pictured by the long hair stretching out from the back of the head.

[@garys7184]

Or, the long hair stretching out from the back of the head, on the phallic symbol, if the date went particularly well...

[@DeborahThird-og1uo]

🤦‍♀️

[@dopaminedrip]

Absolutely supreme example of euphemistic writing in this script, excellent work and thank you.

[@EasytheGoon]

so in a few thousand years historians would look at our recipes and be flustered at what type of eggs did we mean when we wrote the recipe. Imagine going back in time talking to the people who made these images and they're like "wait you guys thought this was our penises?!?"

[@SWExplore]

If they fought and lived with phallics at attention, such as your presentation, I would definitely want to be a part of that army. Definitely!

[@mugwugthemagnificful]

If someone is coming at you with a sword and you swing something else,no pun intended that much, their eye is off the ball.

[@BenJuan123]

Their eye is off the ball, and on the balls

[@honeybadgerisme]

eyeeee, think that's an excellent strategy!

[@Giltintur]

Your voice is so much better, than the quality of your audiobooks on audible.

[@bc7138]

Great video! It's fascinating to think that certain aspects of Norse or Viking culture go all the way back to the Bronze Age. I was familiar with the carvings but I had no idea that some of the images were re-carved by later generations. I wonder if the Norse of the Early Middle Ages ever saw these images and perhaps interpreted them as images left by their gods.

[@lostpony4885]

Earliest depiction of "this is my rifle this is my gun. this is for fighting this is for fun"

[@interstellarsurfer]

17:19. It's neither rare nor unusual. Check out the running community if you want to discover how frequent and predictable it can be.

[@gavinrolls1054]

but they literally are, medically speaking

[@interstellarsurfer]

@gavinrolls1054 Literally rare, as in rare in the literature. Meanwhile here in reality, it's very common.

[@SailorGreenTea]

17:30, where is the full video of this?