A Positive, Fair, and Balanced Look at The Sex Worship and Symbolism of Primitive Races
In the history of comparative religion and anthropology, certain books act as crucial markers—not just for the knowledge they contain, but for the taboos they dared to shatter. One such work is The Sex Worship and Symbolism of Primitive Races, published in 1916 by the Gorham Press in Boston. Authored by Sanger Brown, this book ventured into territory long cloaked in Victorian silence, arguing that fertility and sexual symbolism were not depraved aberrations, but rather the fundamental, unifying spiritual drive across the world’s ancient cultures.
Today, Brown’s work is a fascinating historical artifact. To read it with fairness, one must balance its inherent bravery and academic reach against the limitations imposed by its early 20th-century context.
The Courage of Inquiry: A Pioneering Approach
Sanger Brown published his study at a time when the academic establishment was still deeply hesitant to integrate sexuality into serious historical or religious analysis. In 1916, discussing “sex worship” was immediately fraught with moral judgement. Brown’s central achievement was his commitment to treating these practices not as evidence of ignorance or immorality, but as legitimate forms of spiritual expression rooted in creation and the regenerative power of life.
Brown positioned himself within a tradition of comparative mythology, seeking universal patterns in human spiritual experience. He argued that the phallic and yoni symbols, fertility rites, and ritualistic sexual acts found globally—from ancient India and Egypt to Germanic tribes and Oceanic islanders—were simply different expressions of a single, profound human realisation: the power of reproduction is divine.
“Brown’s work was fundamentally normalising. He sought to strip the mystery and shame away from these symbols, treating them as primary mythological statements about life and death.”
This viewpoint was enormously progressive. By adopting a scholarly, detached tone, Brown helped pave the way for later, more rigorous social scientific studies that integrated sexuality into the larger narrative of human culture and psychological development. He asked readers to look past their own prejudices and see the sacred source of these practices.
Scope and Argument: A Comprehensive Cross-Cultural Survey
The book is characterised by its ambitious scope. Brown synthesises a vast array of historical source material, touching upon diverse subjects:
Universal Symbolism: Brown meticulously catalogs the appearance of phallic worship (phallism) and the worship of the female generative principle (yoni symbolism) in architecture, ritual, and mythology. He draws compelling, if sometimes overly generalised, parallels between ancient European traditions and Asian religious practices, highlighting the concept of the sacred marriage (hieros gamos) as a central theme of cosmic union.
The Role of Myth: Brown effectively demonstrates how myths of creation and rebirth almost always incorporate sexual metaphor. The study emphasises that for many cultures, the act of coupling was viewed not as a base behaviour, but as a deliberate imitation of the gods necessary for ensuring the health of the community and the harvest.
Challenging Orthodoxy: In an era dominated by Christian-centric interpretations of history, Brown implicitly challenges the idea that Western civilisation evolved beyond these “primitive” stages. By linking historical practices in Rome and Greece to those of contemporary non-Western societies, he aimed to establish a continuity of human religious thought.
Ultimately, the positive impact of Brown’s research lies in its assertion that human sexuality, when viewed through a mythological lens, is inextricably linked to spirituality, ecology, and social structure.
The Necessary Historical Lens: Context and Critique
To maintain a balanced perspective, the modern reader must acknowledge that The Sex Worship and Symbolism of Primitive Races is a product of its time, and its methodology reflects early 20th-century limitations:
The Problem of Nomenclature: The use of the term “Primitive Races” is undeniably outdated and rooted in a hierarchical, often colonial, understanding of human development. Brown uses this term to categorise societies he viewed as less industrialised or lacking codified, institutionalised religions like Christianity. This approach risks homogenising diverse cultures and implies a linear progression from “primitive” to “advanced,” a concept rejected by modern anthropology.
Reliance on Secondary Sources: Like many scholars of the era, Brown was limited by the available fieldwork. Much of his evidence regarding non-Western cultures was filtered through the reports of earlier explorers, missionaries, and colonial administrators, whose observations were often biased, incomplete, or interpreted through a lens of moral superiority. Brown was a synthesiser, not a field researcher, which sometimes led to broad generalisations.
The Absence of Modern Psychological Depth: Published just as depth psychology was emerging, the book often lacks the sophisticated psychoanalytic or structuralist tools that later scholars (such as Mircea Eliade or Joseph Campbell) would use to analyse mythological symbolism. While Brown recognised the profundity of the symbols, his analysis remains descriptive rather than deeply interpretive of their function within the individual psyche.
The Enduring Legacy
Despite its historical constraints, Sanger Brown’s The Sex Worship and Symbolism of Primitive Races remains an essential read for those interested in the history of religious inquiry.
Its positive contributions are clear: it was a pioneering work of intellectual courage that treated a socially explosive topic with academic rigour. It helped shift the conversation from moral condemnation of fertility rites to a scholarly examination of their fundamental spiritual function. It highlighted the essential unity of human experience across cultures, demonstrating that concerns over creation, fertility, and cosmic regeneration are universal.
Brown’s book is not the final word on the subject; it is, rather, a vital first step—a foundation upon which modern, culturally sensitive scholarship could eventually be built. It represents the bold effort of a scholar determined to bring light into the shadowed corners of human history and assert the rightful place of sexuality at the very heart of the sacred.
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Read The Sex Worship and Symbolism of Primitive Races, by Sanger Brown, on the Internet Archive.
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