Hargrave Jennings
Encyclopedia
Hargrave Jennings was a British
Freemason
, Rosicrucian
, author on occultism and esotericism
, and amateur student of comparative religion
.
worship of the Sun
and fire
, which he properly called "phallism."
In addition to the works to which he affixed his own name, Jennings is thought by some researchers to have written a number of anonymous volumes in the privately printed "Nature Worship and Mystical Series" series, and possibly also to have written under the pseudonym "Sha Rocco."
As Jennings made clear in several of his books, he used the word "phallic" in its non-gendered sense, meaning "having to do with the sexual organs"; thus he included worship of the female genitalia under the heading of "phallic." In later editions he reluctantly acceded to popular (although incorrect) usage and called his subject "phallicism."
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
Freemason
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
, Rosicrucian
Rosicrucian
Rosicrucianism is a philosophical secret society, said to have been founded in late medieval Germany by Christian Rosenkreuz. It holds a doctrine or theology "built on esoteric truths of the ancient past", which, "concealed from the average man, provide insight into nature, the physical universe...
, author on occultism and esotericism
Esotericism
Esotericism or Esoterism signifies the holding of esoteric opinions or beliefs, that is, ideas preserved or understood by a small group or those specially initiated, or of rare or unusual interest. The term derives from the Greek , a compound of : "within", thus "pertaining to the more inward",...
, and amateur student of comparative religion
Comparative religion
Comparative religion is a field of religious studies that analyzes the similarities and differences of themes, myths, rituals and concepts among the world's religions...
.
Phallism and Phallicism
In several voluminous works, Jennings developed the theory that the origin of all religion is to be sought in phallicPhallus
A phallus is an erect penis, a penis-shaped object such as a dildo, or a mimetic image of an erect penis. Any object that symbolically resembles a penis may also be referred to as a phallus; however, such objects are more often referred to as being phallic...
worship of the Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
and fire
Agni
Agni is a Hindu deity, one of the most important of the Vedic gods. He is the god of fire and the acceptor of sacrifices. The sacrifices made to Agni go to the deities because Agni is a messenger from and to the other gods...
, which he properly called "phallism."
In addition to the works to which he affixed his own name, Jennings is thought by some researchers to have written a number of anonymous volumes in the privately printed "Nature Worship and Mystical Series" series, and possibly also to have written under the pseudonym "Sha Rocco."
As Jennings made clear in several of his books, he used the word "phallic" in its non-gendered sense, meaning "having to do with the sexual organs"; thus he included worship of the female genitalia under the heading of "phallic." In later editions he reluctantly acceded to popular (although incorrect) usage and called his subject "phallicism."
Books by Hargrave Jennings
- Indian Religions, or Results of the Mysterious Buddhism (1858)
- Curious Things of the Outside World: Last Fire (1861)
- The Rosicrucians: Their Rites and Mysteries (1870)
- Live Lights and Dead Lights (1873), One of the Thirty, a Strange History (1873)
- The Obelisk: Notices of the Origin, Purpose and History of Obelisks (1877)
- Childishness and Brutality of the Time (1883)
- Phallicism, Celestial and Terrestrial, Heathen and Christian (1884)
- Charon: Sermons from the Styx: a Posthumous Work by Frederick the Great (1886).
Books by Sha Rocco
- The Masculine Cross and Ancient Sex Worship 1874; reprinted in the "Nature Worship and Mystical Series 1890
- Sex Mythology 1898 (This was published after Jennings' death, but may be a reprint of earlier writings.)
The anonymous "Nature Worship and Mystical Series"
- Phallic Worship (1880)
- Phallism: A Description of the Worship of Lingam-Yoni (1889) Reprinted as Phallicism (ca. 1890-91)
- Ophiolatreia: An Account of the Rites and Mysteries Connected with the Origin, Rise, and Development of Serpent Worship (1889)
- Phallic Objects, Monuments, and Remains (889)
- Cultus Arborum: A Descriptive Account of Phallic Tree Worship (1890)
- Fishes, Flowers, and Fire as Elements and Deities in the Phallic Faiths and Worship (1890)
- Archaic Rock Inscriptions: an Account of the Cup and Ring Marking (1890)
- Nature Worship: An Account of Phallic Faiths and Practices (1891)
- Phallic Miscellanies: Facts and Phases of Ancient and Modern Sex Worship, as Explained Chiefly in the Religions of India (1891)
- Mysteries of the Rosie Cross, or the History of that Curious Sect of the Middle Ages, known as the Rosicrucians (1891)