Vagina dentata is the depiction of a "toothed vagina" contained in many legends. Interestingly, the myth of the 'vagina dentata' has been present in the folklore of many cultures living over thousands of years, and even in legends concerning the creation of the world.
The symbolism of the toothed v agina was known in most continents, i.e.: North and South America, Africa and Europe, as well as India. What made the myth of the toothed vagina known to almost the entire world, and is it still present in literature and art?
"Vagina dentata" was usually depicted as a voracious, hungry maw that bites off male members. After all, individual legends have varied somewhat, but the main theme of these stories is always the same - a hungry, toothed vagina, castrating men.
The ending can follow two, different scenarios:
- without a happy ending - castration and death
- with a happy ending - removal of teeth using stones or other phallic-shaped tools, leading to the taming of the woman and victory for the man.
But where did this idea, absurd as it may seem today, of arming the female reproductive organ with teeth come from? Well, psychologists have analysed this sexual myth, interpreting it as the embodiment of male fears. It turns out, therefore, that for centuries men have feared female sexual energy, the fact that they would not be up to the task, and generally speaking, the myth of the 'vagina dentata' is symbolic of the male fear of failure (according to scenario 1 - castration and death).
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However, men's dilemmas probably did not relate only to the sexual sphere, but rather boiled down to a general fear of women, of their inner strength. The fears of men living through the millennia have not changed one bit from those faced by modern men: "Am I man enough to stand up to someone as strong as a woman?". Therefore, the myth of the 'vagina dentata' has two endings, with scenario one showing men's fears and scenario two showing their resolution.
