ah, yes...as i was saying...

To pick up where I left off from this post, the sword as phallic symbol is hardly a semiotic stretch, though, despite its obviousness, it deserves deeper consideration. Whereas the sword may strike some as representative of killing and destruction, it would seem that it would appear particularly this way to those on its receiving end. One wielding the sword, however, may see it as a tool of self-assertion or expression of his/her will, and not merely as a bearer of death. In this sense, the sword is different from Time or the Grim Reaper's scythe. The admantine blade of the Reaper doles out Death, but not necessarily to anyone's benefit; not necessarily in a way that empowers.

The human-wielded sword, however, affirms the integrity and vitality of its bearer. It is thus not merely an instrument of ruin, but also one of sustenence and personal potency. The sword may preserve life. It does not, however, seem to have the power to create it. In this sense, it differs greatly from a phallus proper, yet appears to serve as its useful adjunct.

It is important to note that for as disruptive and violent as phallic symbols may often be, the phallus itself is related to an essentially affirmative principle, namely that of creation and progeneration. The masculine principle is that which animates and organizes the otherwise inert and undifferentiated. Additionally, this animation and organization comes about through the fulfillment of desire (e.g., impregnation). And the active fulfillment of one's desire is virtually synonymous with the actualization of one's will, AKA the assertion of one's self. And in as much as the sword is used to realize one's will and organize the world (as in, say, statecraft), it does play a role in creation of a sort. While at the microcosmic level individual people may fall, a more macrocosmic clan or tribe or nation may rise.

That the pen is mightier than the sword does not detract from that which is outlined above, but rather doubly affirms the pen as phallic symbol, as well. Not only can a pen "create" in a microcosmic sense in terms of committing words or sketches to paper, but its power to influence the psyches of many men raises its influence to the level of macrocosmic organizational power.How does the obelisk fit in to all of this? Stay tuned...