From penises of elves to those of whales
The Icelandic Phallological Museum in Reykjavík is without a doubt one of a kind. It contains a collection of phallic specimens that belong to various types of mammals. In the museum you can see a collection of more than 220 penises and penile parts that belong to all the land and sea mammals found in Iceland. It even has on display the penis of an old, Icelandic gentleman who died in 2011 at the age of 95. Furthermore, the museum has between 40–50 specimens from foreign mammals including a giraffe and an elephant.
“The purpose of the museum is showing these specimens,” says the curator, Hjörtur Sigurðsson,“but it’s also a scientific museum. Many professionals visit the museum to study, like biologists and doctors. The purpose is also to educate and amuse people and of course to lift the taboo that has been shrouding this subject for so long. It’s just a part of the anatomy; people should be able to discuss these things.”
Hjörtur says that what gets the most attention are the big things, like the penis of a sperm whale that is 1.7 meters long and weighs somewhere between 70–80 kilos. The human penis gets a lot of attention too. For the foreigners the folklore section is popular. “They find it very funny that we can display penises from elves, trolls and the hidden people.”
Regarding the hidden people: some claim they can see the hidden man’s penis; especially the women. -SJ
The Icelandic Phallological Museum
Laugavegur 116 • 105 Reykjavík
Tel+354 561 6663
