Ancient Romans believed the talismanic phallus would protect against evil. Whatever emotion seeing an erect phallus brings up was thought to distract and divert attention from evil at work. The phallic deity was called Fascinus, from fascinare, meaning “to cast a spell.” It's also the root of the English word fascinate. This mid 19th century phallus is carved in coral (which the Romans believed to have magical properties that protected the wearer from harm).