Old Wooden Ritual Phallus – LEGBA – Fon Tribe – Benin

1960s. Height 36,5 cm (cm. 39,0 on the stand); weight 936,3 grams (including stand). Clear evidence of ritual use.

These ritual phalluses were placed on household altars or directly into the ground to stimulate crop growth.

Legba is a very important figure in the Fon and Ewe religions traditionally practiced in Benin and Togo. He is considered the guardian of the thresholds, the messenger between the human world and the spirit world. He is often depicted as a god who opens doors and allows passage between the two worlds, facilitating communication with spirits and ancestors. Legba is also associated with wisdom, communication and protection. He is highly venerated in religious ceremonies, where his help is sought to obtain favors or protection.

Legba’s symbols are diverse and reflect his role as a messenger, guardian of the thresholds and bearer of communication and fertility. Among the main symbols associated with Legba we find:

• The staff or cross-shaped staff: represents his role as guardian of the thresholds and mediator between the worlds.
• The phallic symbol: The phallic symbol: represents fertility, life and communication. It is a symbol of power, vital energy and openness to possibilities. In many representations, Legba’s phallic symbol also highlights his role as a bearer of growth and connection between spirits and humans.
• The keys: Legba is often represented with keys, a symbol of his function of opening the doors between the spiritual and earthly worlds.
• The crucifix or the pole: in some representations, Legba is associated with a pole or a crucifix, symbols of protection and access to spiritual dimensions.
• Colors: the traditional colors associated with Legba are red and black, which represent energy, power and mystery.

These symbols help to recognize Legba in religious ceremonies and representations, emphasizing his role as a bridge between worlds and a bearer of vital energy.

The Fon people are the largest ethnic group in Benin found particularly in its south region; they are also found in southwest Nigeria and Togo.

The history of the Fon people is linked to the Dahomey kingdom, a well-organized kingdom by the 17th century but one that shared more ancient roots with the Aja people. The Fon people traditionally were a culture of an oral tradition and had a well-developed polytheistic religious system. They were noted by early 19th-century European traders for their N’Nonmiton practice or Dahomey Amazons – which empowered their women to serve in the military, who decades later fought the French colonial forces in 1890.

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