CARNAL NATION

In Greek mythology, Priapus was a minor god, protector of livestock, fruits, gardens, and male genitalia.  He is mostly known for his enormous, permanently-erect penis, and his name gives us the English word priapism, the condition where painful erections won't go away for hours at a time.

Two years ago a pair of fisherman found an oil lamp in the shape of Priapus off the coast of Krk, an island just off mainland Croatia. The Croatian Times reports that Ivan Barbalic Gunga and Izidor Cubranic's discovery is only eight inches high, though judging from the photographs at the Times website height isn't the god's most notable dimension. 

Most likely the lamp was used in an ancient house of prostitution, according to experts at the Croatian Conservation Institute.  Touching the penis is supposed to improve a man's sex life, though Gunga and Cubranic say they haven't heard yet whether or not it really works.  "We want everyone to have an opportunity to see it," say the fishermen.  "We do not want to keep it just for ourselves or to earn money from it. We want our little Priapos to become a real tourist attraction on Krk Island, but we do not know where we should put it." 

This week, officials from the town of Baska said they would find somewhere prominent to display the well-endowed lamp.  Krk, located just off the coast of Croatia, is a popular tourist destination for Croatians, Austrians and Italians; it's connected to the mainland via one of the world's longest concrete bridges.