Baubo


Baubo is an old woman in Greek mythology which appears particularly in the myths of the early Orphic religion. Known as the Goddess of Mirth, she was bawdy and sexually liberated, and is said to have jested with Demeter, when Demeter was mourning the loss of her daughter, Persephone.

Scholarly discussion

In his The Greek Myths, Robert Graves writes that Demeter was the guest of King Celeus in Eleusis. Iambe, the lame maid of the king:

Graves writes:
The following excerpt is taken from Clement of Alexandria's Exhortation to the Greeks, from a 1919 English translation:

Baubo figurines

Figurines known as Baubos are found in a number of settings, usually with Greek connections. They were mass-produced in a number of styles, but the basic figure always exposes the vulva in some way:
The figurines usually had elaborate headdresses, and some hold cups or harps. Some figurines have a loop moulded into the head, which seems to indicate that they were suspended in some way.