It is a strongly held belief that many of our mythological stories are based on some degree of truth, whether it be an Arthurian legend or more recent American folk tales like Johnny Appleseed or John Henry. These larger than life stories evolve from tiny grains of truth. Similarly, many of the monsters and mystical beasts in mythology arise from our own inner demons and secret fears. One of those common phobias in all cultures is the myth of the vagina dentata. This fear has come to light in large part recently because of the movie. Teethwritten and directed by Mitchell Lichtenstein, which was recently released on DVD. Teeth it is about a teenager, played by Jess Weixler, who discovers that she has vagina dentata (Latin for “toothed vagina”). From there, you can probably figure out where the story goes, but as far-fetched as the idea may seem, the vagina dentata may be more than just a premise for a B-horror movie.
The history of the dentate vagina
And no, the teeth of the vagina are No something that women really suffer from, however, is a real psychological fear with references in different cultures, spanning thousands of miles and thousands of years. The myth of vaginal teeth is often associated with fear of castration in men, and it is more frequent falsely Attributed to the founder of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud. Freud actually believed the opposite, he theorized that man’s latent fear of a woman’s genitals was due to the fact that for a child the vagina is an example of castration and not the cause of castration. The vagina dentata, however, has its roots in folklore from around the world. An ancient Chinese proverb spoke of a woman’s genitals as gateways to immortality, but also as man’s executioners. In Greek mythology, the vagina dentata was represented by the Gorgon, a female serpent monster often depicted with huge, menacing fangs. Various deities represented the vagina dentata in ancient Egypt, as well as in Native American folklore.
castration fantasy modern background
The myth has much less to do with tooth mutations and more to do with a warning warning men about the dangers of having sex with strange women. The movie Teeth uses the myth more as female empowerment against male antagonists. Historical studies never put him in this context, he was always seen from a male perspective. The movie definitely puts a new cultural context on a very old primal fear.
To date, the vagina dentata is not something that is taught in dental school, however it is interesting how fear has evolved in modern society. While tooth cloning and other tooth-related technologies are changing the face of dentistry, so far dentists have little to worry about when it comes to the dentate vagina. The therapist, on the other hand, might have a lot to consider. The frequent representation of myth in various forms in so many different cultures leads one to wonder if there is some truth to it or if it is just something that is in our minds.
