The Library of Spanking Fiction: Wellred Weekly
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Articles
Items of interest regarding all things spanking
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Lupercalia  Anyone who has seen the Monty Python film, Life of Brian, will be all too familiar with the phrase, "What have the Romans ever done for us?", the answer of course, in summary, being quite a lot. Well, quite a lot in terms of the basic facilities we depend on for our general way of life, but what have the Romans ever done for us kinksters? The answer that first springs to mind is 'not a lot' but a little investigation suggests that might not actually be the case.On the 15th February each year the Romans held a festival called Lupercalia. It appears to have dated from such an ancient time that even by the first century BCE its origins had become unclear, not only that but the Romans themselves seemed a little confused as to which of their Gods was being honoured by it: Lupercus, Inuus or Faunus. Uncertainly as to its origins and symbolism however did not diminish its popularity or prevent it from being celebrated enthusiastically. The name of the festival is derived from the site where it was held, the Lupercal, a cave situated at the foot of the Palatine Hill. It was here that according to legend Romulus and Remus, Rome's twin founders, were found by the lactating she-wolf who suckled them until they were later discovered by the shepherd Faustulus.  The festival itself began with the sacrifice of two male goats and a dog by the Luperci (priests) after which a feast followed. From the skins of the sacrificed goats the Luperci then cut thongs which were known as februa, meaning 'tools of purification' (and providing the month of February with its name.) Armed with their goatskin thongs the priests then ran round the walls of the old Palatine city brandishing their februas. Girls and young women would then line up on their route in order to receive lashes from the thongs, extending their hands and baring their bodies. The flogging was believed to ensure fertility, prevent sterility in women and ease the pains of childbirth. At the time, however, infertility was considered a disease, so women desiring children implored the gods at Lupercalia and must have been only too keen to get lashed. William Shakespeare's play, Julius Caesar, which begins during the Lupercalia, makes reference to the fertility aspect when Mark Antony is instructed by Caesar to strike his wife Calpurnia, in the hope that she will be able to conceive: To touch Calpurnia; for our elders say, The barren touched in this holy chase, Shake off their sterile curse. Although striking women with a februa was primarily regarded as a fertility measure there was also a definite sexual component with the act itself representing penetration. And although husbands would not have wanted the Luperci to actually copulate with their wives, symbolic penetration made by a fertility symbol was accepted. In one of her articles for Februs magazine, Paula Meadows provides a particularly satisfying description of the day's events:  "In the street there is a flutter of excitement and expectation. From a distance you hear a commotion: women yelping, the patter of running feet, even the faint slap of leather on flesh. Suddenly, two naked youths come pelting around the corner, their tanned bodies shiny with sweat, their faces exhilarated. Each is armed with a long whip made from thin lengths of animal hide. The street is immediately awash with activity as the youths dart hither and thither lashing lustily at the backs or bottoms of any individual they happen to pass."By the second century the ritual seems to have become much tamer with some of the elements of sexuality removed. One can see why the Christian church tried so hard to get the festival banned, but it was so popular that it continued for quite some time under the new regime. Generally, the end of the festival is attributed to Pope Gelasius (494-496) although other sources believe it was another late 5th century pope, Felix III. It seems the ritual had degenerated and it was no longer being performed in the proper manner. It is the elements of fun, fertility, and eroticism, as well as the date, that ties Lupercalia to Valentine's Day, but Lupercalia is not the direct, legitimate ancestor of the Valentine's Day holiday. So, maybe us kinksters should regard the relatively uninspiring and largely commercial Valentine's Day merely as the eve of Lupercalia and no more than the appetiser prior to the main event. But how then might we resurrect a form of Lupercalia acceptable to the current day and age that could be enjoyed by the spanko community? Well I'm certainly not going to go charging naked round my local supermarket brandishing a rubber-soled slipper, ferula or riding crop (my own spanking implements of choice) and whacking any young ladies near the Fruit & Veg foolish enough to leave their derrieres unprotected. Goat and dog slaughter is also not likely to be on the agenda as I'd consider it ethically unsound not to mention extremely messy! In addition, where I live the 15th February is likely to be damn cold with the likelihood of rain almost a certainty so any modern day Lupercalia is going to have to take place indoors. Anyway, at the appointed hour we could have organised gatherings of large groups of spanko women (or men, depending on your spanking orientation), suitably scantily dressed, or better still with their bottoms bared, awaiting the arrival of the men wearing wolf masks and armed with a spectacular variety of spanking implements of their own choosing. After that it would just be a case of running around maniacally and whacking the backside of as many women as possible in the shortest amount of time. Gets my vote anyway! Happy Lupercalia, one and all! 17 comments
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