“As we arrived, the party had already started. After we rang, one of the guests opened the door. He was completely naked and that excited me slightly, but Les just laughed and pushed me through the door. I had to take a deep breath as we approached the living room where we found around thirty naked people. First, we only saw arms and legs. Couples copulated on the floor and on the couch. In front of us a man sat on a stool and a girl kneeled before him. Another girl bent over him while he was kissing her breasts. Another girl was lying on the floor with two other men. … For a moment we stood there as if in shock, but then Les tore his clothes off and within a minute he was in the middle of the mass. … Later I walked through the living room to the kitchen to take a drink [after the threesome], but then a man grabbed me and took me on a couch where another girl was already waiting. Both attacked me at the same time.” (Matt and Kathleen Galant, Alphabet der Liebe, Munich, 1969, p. 160 f.)
Fig. 1: Höllen Orgie (orgy of hell), oil painting, 2006 – Mathias Erbe
The Sadistic Orgies of the Adamites
Although Christian religion was very strict regarding sexual debauchery, we can find some interesting groups within Christian tradition that lived quite contrarily to all rules. One example are the so-called Adamites we find lots of documents of. However, a lot of their stories and records were written by their enemies and were probably exaggerated. The Adamites originated from a heretical sect, the Picardes from the Picardy, a region in northern France, in the 15th century. They took the fall of men of Adam and Eve very literal and so every member had to be sinful. Their sons and daughters had to be free and naked. Everyone who wanted to join had to be deflowered, even little girls. In their cult all men and women danced naked around a fire while singing the 10 commandments. After a while the orgy started and it was said that even burns and sodomy was part of their wild driving. The sect was also known for murdering people during the night and sadistic actions.
Fig. 2: Physiologie des Etudiants de Paris, colored lithograph I, 1840 – anonymous
Fig. 3: Physiologie des Etudiants de Paris, colored lithograph II, 1840 – anonymous
Fig. 4: Physiologie des Etudiants de Paris, colored lithograph III, 1840 – anonymous
Fig. 5: Physiologie des Etudiants de Paris, colored lithograph IV, 1840 – anonymous
Fig. 6: Physiologie des Etudiants de Paris, colored lithograph V, 1840 – anonymous
Fig. 7: Physiologie des Etudiants de Paris, colored lithograph VI, 1840 – anonymous
Fig. 8: untitled, lithograph I, 1840 – anonymous
Fig. 9: untitled, colored lithograph II, 1840 – anonymous
Fig. 10: untitled, lithograph III, 1840 – anonymous
Fig. 11: Illustrations of Orgies, lithograph, I 1925 – Otto Schoff
Fig. 12: Illustrations of Orgies, lithograph, II 1925 – Otto Schoff
Fig. 13: untitled, heliogravure, 1925 – Jean de Sauteval
Orgiastic Feasts Around the World
Apart from the Christian cultural circle, we have records of orgiastic feasts in many regions in Asia, Africa, Australia, and Polynesia. In Japan, official harlots had precedence during the processions that took place at the birthday of the emperor. From China we know that the art of love has long been an important part of culture and that erotic mysticism was a means of spiritual enlightening and believed to bring immortality. In India, the Brahmin-Vedic and Hindu culture are full of sexuality. Shiva is considered as a personification of procreating forces and equally his spouse Shakti.
Fig. 14: untitled, lithograph, 1930 – Nicolas Sternberg
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Source: Orgien, Ekstatische Feste in der Kunst, Hans-Jürgen Döpp (Hrsg.), Palast Verlag, 2007
