Protection — Wings make it fly fast to attack threats first. It wards off the evil eye, envy, bad luck, disease. Kids wore phallic pendants with wings around their necks for safety. Generals hung them on chariots during triumphs.

• Fertility and virility — Raw masculine power, life force, creation. Linked to gods like Priapus (harvest and gardens) and Dionysus (ecstasy, abundance).

• Good fortune — Brings prosperity, wealth, success. Placed at home entrances, fields, businesses to draw positive energy and block negativity.

• Defiance — Obscene enough to shock and divert harmful gazes. The phallus fights back, often shown ejaculating into the evil eye in art.