temple prostitution

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

Some of what's present in Herodotus's account is reflected in other sources. Several Hebrew sources include elements of his account and complaints against the practice generally.

While it's true that Temple prostitution doesn't make immediately make sense economically it's also important to remember that many community dynamics couldn't be translated into currency and pure economic function until fairly late in a societies development. European culture probably didn't achieve fluent economic expression until sometime late in the middle ages or even later. Some would even argue that certain social institutions, such as marriage, even resist total economic expression today.

To put this in terms of the time period Temple prostitution as we understand it can be argued to fullfill two or three roles that do not see direct economic translation. Sure it brings shekels into the temple which in turn uses them to create divine favor and the various material benefits that surround organized religion, but the ceremony also:

-serves as a right of passage for women: in the Herodotus account this service was mandatory for all women at least once, and the account stresses how unfair this practice was to ugly women who would, according to his account, sometimes have to hang around for years waiting for a caller.

-probably serves as a sort of teaser service for the marriage market: beddability is established and there is the possibility that fertility would also be established. In more romantic terms the guy who bought you for a night might then be willing to buy you for life, hmmm not too romantic after all.

-might also provide further biological viability: more DNA combinations possible than in a strictly monogamous culture. Please note that this is not an argument against monogamy which has plenty to say for itself.

-ritual that involves service across family lines within a community strengthens the economic bonds as a whole: true of any such service whether volunteer work today or catching people to be your temporary slaves in the Taos pueblo today.

-this provides further and immediate centralization around the temple: very important to keeping primitive cities and their attachements together

-it's an 'easier' form of sacrafice than having to burn 50 oxen: oxen cost a lot of effort, women do too, but that's effort your hopefully already expending for other reasons

-provides women with ritual significance: this significance may suck, but being without it is worse.

-benefits men in obvious and icky ways, arguable this is also true of the women involved.

-does create religious favor in a manner to which there are far less pleasant alternatives

-there is some element of the cultural evangelization going on in the accounts of the Sumerian temple courtesans. Having people who are highly trained in being pleasant and beautiful associate throughout the society has various educational benefits. Making those people sexual gives a motivation to others to pay attention.

-not too mention the fact that it is very convincing theater.

Mind you, I'm not arguing that the Catholic church pick up the practice again or some such, just pointing out that there is nearly always a rationale behind a practice.

 

[tleilaxu]

interesting info... some of it will be useful...

 

[Alzrius]

Would priestesses in such a religion even refer to what they do as prostitution? I realize that a lot of what's being discussed here is the matter from a meta-game perspective, but it still seems to me that people seem to be thinking that these priestesses, who must in some form regard what they do as a holy work, would just say to themselves "we're temple prostitutes!"

That doesn't seem quite right. Prostitution isn't a career that (as far as I understand) its practicioners take pride in. These priestesses wouldn't want to in any way suggest they're the same as dockside whores anymore than a paladin would say he's the same as a bandit, just because they both kill people who aren't of their alignment (okay, thats a minor generalization there, but the example works). They'd try to differentiate themselves from the idea that they're just prostitutes as much as possible, despite the fact that they essentially serve the same function.

There are a myriad ways of doing this. They could not admit anyone not of their alignment, for example. They could ensure that being with them is "no risk" since they can use Remove Disease to eliminate the possibility of any STDs (and I imagine there would be another spell to eliminate chances of pregnancy, unless thats holy to them). There's the fact that they provide the rooms, instead of just some sleazy alleyway, etc.

The bottom line here seems to be that these priestesses see themselves as carrying out a divine function, and since that is extremely different in intent from "secular prostitutes", they'd want to be seen as different in practice also.

 

[tleilaxu]

but "temple prostitution" is a waaay better title for a thread than "erotic mysticism in a temple context"

 

[mythago]

Do you have a pointer to the Hebrew sources? I'm curious to see them. I know that *ritual* sleeping around was definitely practiced by worshippers of Astarte/Ishtar, but not in the formal way Herodotus describes. (More like Beltane.) That's where the prohibitions on cross-dressing and sodomy come from, incidentally.

 

[Alzrius]

but "temple prostitution" is a waaay better title for a thread than "erotic mysticism in a temple context"

Touche.

 

[Snoweel]

The net result is a culture where virginity is almost unheard-of and so you don't have anything like the same taboos and mores that other societies have, so many of which are built around determining and maintaining chastity.

Pre-modern (and modern among "religious" types) sexual taboos are not so much about chastity, but about patrilineage.

Patrilineage was discovered to be a civilising influence on societies, as it provided men with an incentive for caring about the young (when they would otherwise have never known if a particular child was their progeny or not).

As social science has discovered, a child raised by both parents is far more likely to prosper than a child of a single-parent.

Which is the default environment in which a child is raised in a matrilineal society.

 

[tleilaxu]

snoweel- your statement was loaded with assumptions. citations?

 

[Snoweel]

That doesn't seem quite right. Prostitution isn't a career that (as far as I understand) its practicioners take pride in.

I know a gigolo (sorry, male escort). He takes great pride in what he does, and most of the rest of us are envious of him (though he says that as often as he sells he-pussy to attractive women, he is forced to "grin and bear it" with a mirror-cracker who obviously has to pay for it.)

He also says he only sleeps with just over half of his regular customers, and that it's not until several "dates" into the piece that they ask for sexual intercourse.

I guess this is far different from the lot of the typical female prostitute, but I guess my point is that, assuming sexual politics is entirely due to socialisation (which I doubt), then the society in which the prostitution takes place could well see prostitutes of either or both genders proud of what they do, and possibly envied.

Like professional athletes or something?

 

[Snoweel]

snoweel- your statement was loaded with assumptions. citations?

Your mother told me last night.

Punk.