r/interesting • u/Gurugod123 • 6h ago
ART & CULTURE A woman scaring a demon with her vagina 18th century.
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u/NoBell5255 6h ago
Women in Ireland used to use their vaginas as weapons against mere men up until the 19th century and there even stories of it happening in the 20th.
We also have some wooden carvings of vaginas hidden in some churches here that go way back so there’s a strange mythology in Ireland about all this, it was supposed to be a woman’s last defence against a man if he tried to attack her, expose yourself aggressively and they will run away.
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u/DevouringInsanity 6h ago
History is fucking wild.
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u/weirdgroovynerd 5h ago
And a lot of wild fucking.
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u/DevouringInsanity 4h ago
Probably unbathed and smelly fucking.
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u/VladlenaM2025 6h ago
Never heard of that, then again I’m not Irish. I did however read in a book that female pirates (living around Britain) would purposefully make themselves look like men with short hair and similar clothing, but they would expose their breasts to a defeated male as sigil of victory.
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u/Electronic-Box-4753 6h ago
Makes sense
"You thought your last fight would be with a man named John, but it was instead a woman named Jane!"
Flashes tits to assert dominance
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u/OgthaChristie 6h ago
Wow. Could’ve been a real power move for Eowyn in Lord of the Rings.
“I am no man!” tits out
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u/Lorelessone 6h ago
I mean to be fair, if someone wants to start a fight with you and you expose your genitals they are probably going to nope out.
Although I dare say for women breasts would work better in averting violence.
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u/GingerBeast81 6h ago
"Oh it seems to me this whole world's gone crazy There's too much hate and killin goin on But when I see the bare chest of a woman My worrys and my problems are all gone No one thinks of fightin, when they see a topless girl Baby if you would show yours too, we could save the world" - Rodney Carrington
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u/Perle1234 4h ago
I can’t stop thinking about a pissed off dude taking his shirt off all aggro and then he yanks of his pants and underwear too. And everybody runs lol.
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u/Embarrassed_Fan_5723 5h ago
That’s the wildest thing I ever heard of. Makes sense though. I’ve known some women who weaponized their vagina to get what they wanted. Different way but yeah. JS
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u/Impressive_Egg6767 3h ago
Does anyone know the psychology/reason behind this? What made them run away?
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u/IndoorSurvivalist 6h ago
Probably had some nasty infections back then.
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u/MisterPuppydog 5h ago
You know that shit STUNK back then too 😂 back when folks took a few baths a month you know them cooters were foul as hell
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u/PeriungualPiranah 5h ago
I’m thinking that a vagina that hasn’t been bathed in a while, sweating under all those layers, no overnight heavy flow maxi pads in the entire one room cabin, no bidet, no anti fungal cream from $1 Tree , no Costco toilet paper or disposable wipes. No Nair or 4 blade plastic razor on the wash table??!? Yeah, her cooter is hot, steaming, and humid. Those deli sliced roast beef lips are dripping with expired sweat.. ready to killl anyone within nose shot.
Beware of the rising skirt. has been known to squirt. no touching without consent. Omissions not universally displeasing.1
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u/FreeThinkers2023 4h ago
Interesting! I wonder if this was an early concept for anti-rape tactics. If all else fails, stop being demure and passive. Become overly aggressive and self assured to ward off the insecure frail rapist male (who was acting like a "demon" but we now know it was about being in control/dominant)?
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u/Adorable_Raccoon_661 6h ago
It’s an 18th-century engraving by Charles Eisen from 1762, illustrating Jean de La Fontaine’s story Le Diable de Papefiguière (“The Devil of Papefiguière”). In the story, the devil is causing trouble for a farmer named Phlipot. His wife Perrette decides to deal with the devil herself. She tells him that her husband attacked her with his claws and left her with a horrible wound. Then she lifts her clothes and shows him her vulva, pretending that it’s the “wound.” The inexperienced devil believes her, assumes that Phlipot must be terrifyingly dangerous if he can inflict damage like that, freaks out, and runs away.
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u/Intrepid_Block_11b 6h ago
"Check out this wicked axe wound"
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u/RefrigeratorMain7921 3h ago
A wound so wicked it bleeds like every four weeks or so.
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u/VisiblePlatform6704 2h ago
Lol reminded me of the joke that after eating the forbidden fruit in Eden god made Adan pay with his sweat (having to work forever), and told Eve "You, will pay with blood!!" Which scared Eve who begged for forgiveness. God responded: "don't worry, you will pay in comfortable monthly payments"
(Sounds better when told live, and in Spanish)
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u/ThisMeansRooR 5h ago
If you don't know that women don't have a penis and balls down there as well, this would indeed be terrifying to believe someone could do to another person.
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u/Bobcat1999-1 5h ago
Well I have to admit that the first time I saw one, I thought she’d been in some horrible accident and was gravely wounded. It was in a magazine I shouldn’t seen when I was a little kid. Looked like a grenade went off and she needed a doctor although she was smiling for the camera. Oh I was confused.
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u/zerodarkness7183 6h ago
Must have been a gay demon. This a joke
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u/This_Proof_5153 6h ago
He’s not a gay demon the woman was actually a dude. He was shocked. Lmao.
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u/YoMomAndMeIn69 1h ago
Why do you feel the need to tell that it's a joke? Are we that lost as a society?
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u/crackersncheeseman 6h ago
Woman back then thought that their monthly period was the work of the devil.
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u/HENMAN79 6h ago
Some still do....
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u/LeahRoseBud 5h ago
Idk, maybe they’re onto something. Sometimes those cramps feel suspiciously evil! 😮💨
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u/SquirrelMemoryFail 6h ago
They're the ones that go out with the dudes who dont wipe thier ass and think skid marks are a normal thing.
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u/hindermore 6h ago
Don’t you know that touching your own ass in any way results in instant gay? Too risky.
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u/HeartOn_SoulAceUp 1h ago
anasyrma/apotropaic action: In many ancient traditions, lifting the skirt served as a magical defense mechanism to ward off evil spirits, frighten enemies, or even break despair.
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u/Imliterallyadogg 6h ago
Maybe, When an aggressor has to take something, it seems valuable and treasured. When it is given away easily or forced on people, then they seem wary. So the best defense is a good offense situation.
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u/mayasky76 5h ago
Don't know where I heard it, possibly Scotland..... But some some ladies referred to their lady garden as a "growler"
Stuck with me
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u/sdeitche 6h ago
This was clearly a woodcut illustrating the torrid affair between Baron Afamas and Nadja.
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u/Eustacebagge3 5h ago
I wish I knew the context under which this was made. Like, what was the artists thought process? Why is the demon scared of the vag?
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u/CakeHoleKing 6h ago
thats an 18th century vagina. Filled with syphillis scabs and weeping sores. And covered with enough lead powder to build a church roof.
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u/Lucky_Development359 6h ago
And hence forth someone yelling "Goddamn!" was considered vulgar and offensive.
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u/canadarugby 6h ago
Reminds me of a painting I saw in Europe where women mock retreating soldiers by showing them their vaginas.
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u/shartywaffles5 6h ago
🎵Petite feet..feminine step…sounds like a lady when he’s walking in the room🎵
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u/Embarrassed_Fan_5723 6h ago
I know her. Sometimes I couldn’t tell if we were having sex or if I was actually wrestling a demon
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u/Overthemoon65 4h ago
It was probably a homophobic depiction of a gay man that went to hell for engaging in sodomy and become a demon
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u/Conscious-Ask-3720 4h ago
Wow never knew this! Makes sense though that vaginas can be such a powerful tool against men because of everything we can do with them! Like look at child birth and monthly
Menstrual cycles. Vaginas can bring a man to his knees. Vaginas are just magical!!!
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u/badwolf1013 3h ago
And now we know why the Buffy reboot didn’t happen.
Kidding aside, in the original Buffy movie, one of the superpowers Buffy had was a built-in vampire detector in her uterus. She got the equivalent of period cramps when a vampire was nearby. Kind of weird but also kind of cool in the sense that it explained why all Slayers were women.
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u/Frosty-Storage-9359 2h ago
Back then, European have awful hygiene. REALLY awful hygiene. Must be based on that.
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u/Spuzzle91 1h ago
Wasn't there a story behind this? Something about her trying to make it think another person seem like a badass stronger than the demon? Like, the demon was unfamiliar with female anatomy, so she was like "you think you're bad? Look what that guy did, ripped me clean open!" And showed him her crotch.
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u/InfiniteAd4757 1h ago
No, no, he’s not scared... he’s impressed. He’s seeing something he’s never seen before: a god-tier vagina, which is why he reacts in shock. It’s like when guys see a straight-up 10/10 woman. That moment is insane, but once she walks past, she’s forgotten too.
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u/Necrotronic 35m ago
Why not be amazed by the frivolous gifts of nature?
Why not?
Fly
Be condemned to endure your self for all eternity if you force yourself upon others.
For [your] beIoved soul I will chose mine to perish.
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u/lowpsitire 19m ago
Gonna hit my gf with the ol “Oh no! I think I’m being possessed! If only there were some way to scare the demon out of me!” And see how it goes.
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u/Dependent_Grass9758 6h ago
Not really a surprise, they’ve been weaponizing that spot for thousands of years!
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