The Tree Cult and the “Piece of Wood the Size of a Phallus”

Absztrakt

In the 10th century, during his journey to the Volga River, Aḥmad ibn Faḍlān noted about the Bashkirs: “Each of them sculpts a piece of wood the size of a phallus and hangs it on himself. If he is about to undertake a trip or to meet an enemy, he kisses it and prostrates himself before it, saying: ‘O my Lord, do unto me such and such.’” This statement by Ibn Faḍlān is undoubtedly based on some misunderstanding, as has already been ascertained by Zeki Velidi Togan. The present paper seeks to place it into a new theoretical and conceptual framework—and thus to offer an understanding of the possible meaning of this medieval account.