Herodotus wrote: "Almost all mankind consort with women in their sacred temples, except in Greece and Egypt."[43] This is a queer mistake for a Greek to make, yet this historian is noted for his unreliability, and we should not feel surprised at this gross error. Concerning the Aphrodite of Abydos, what she was and what took place in her temples, is a matter of history. Indeed, this goddess was surnamed _Porne_! In Corinth, delubral hetarism was openly practiced; also at Bubastis and Naucratis in Egypt. Royal princesses were pallacides in the temple of Ammon; in fact, they took pride in the title of _pallakis_![L] "It is known what excessive debauchery took place in the 'groves' and 'high places' of the 'Great Goddess.' The custom was so deeply rooted that in the grotto of Bethlehem what was done formerly in the name of Adonis is to-day in the name of the Virgin Mary by Christian pilgrims; and the Mussulman _hadjis_ do likewise in the sanctuaries of Mecca!"[44][M] [43] Herodotus: _Euterpe_, 64. [L] Strabo, when writing of the Armenians, who were phallic worshipers, says: "It is the custom of the most illustrious personages to consecrate their virgin daughters to this goddess (Anaïtis). This in no way prevents them from finding husbands, even after they have prostituted themselves for a long time in the temples of Anaïtis. No man feels on this account any repugnance to take them as wives." Strabo: vol. xi., 14; quoted also by Letourneau: _The Evolution of Marriage_, p. 46. [44] Reclus: _Primitive Folk_, p. 69; Sepp: _Heidenthum u. Christenthum_. [M] Brugsch Bey is of this same opinion. But let us return to primitive peoples, from whose customs and beliefs we can learn what our own ancestors must have believed before the besom of civilization swept aside the crudities of savagery. The Khonds of India are phallic worshipers, and, in the practice of their religion, Priapus saves many a girl who would be, otherwise, offered up on the bloody altars of their divinities. The pregnant woman is sacred, hence, religious prostitution is exceedingly prevalent. But it frequently happens that some unfortunate creature, who is not pleasing to the shamans, is seized, tied to the stake and butchered.[45] As the blood flows down and deluges the ground, "the divine spirit enters into the priest and inspires him."[46] This sacrifice is of itself a phallic rite; the blood-offering is supposed to be exceedingly acceptable to Earth, the mother of all things. Blood is the essence of the life-giving principle; hence, the essence is returned to the great Giver, as a propitiatory offering.[N] [45] Sherwill: _The Rajmahal Hills_. [46] Reclus: _Primitive Folk_, p. 317.