We explain what fellatio is, the origin of the term and what this practice consists of. Also, how it was considered in history until today.
What is fellatio?
It is known as fellatio (from the Latin fellare'suck') to a oral sex practice performed on the penis and testicles, in which they are stimulated through contact with the lips, tongue and entire mouth, which may or may not lead to orgasm.
It is a common practice in couple sex, although it is also can be carried out by two or more people (double fellatio), and which is usually accompanied by other forms of masturbation, either as a preliminary to penetration, or as intercourse in itself.
Fellatio, along with cunnilingus (oral stimulation of the female genitals), the 69 position (simultaneous oral stimulation) or deep throat (stimulation of the penis with the throat), constitute the most well-known forms of oral sex. As a form of masturbation (autofellatio), however, it is usually rare, given the physical complications of the case.
All fellatio assumes a posture of physical passivity on the part of the person who receives it and activity on the part of the person who gives it, despite the fact that some of its cultural considerations may point to the opposite, sometimes interpreting it as a form of submission or subjugation towards the person. performs it. When, however, the penis is actively used to penetrate the mouth, the term irrumation (from the Latin irrumatio).
Like all forms of oral sex, fellatio implies risks to the health of both the person who gives it and the person who receives it such as the transmission of venereal diseases (HIV, Herpes, HPV), although logically it does not imply any risk of pregnancy.
Fellatio in history and culture
The practice of fellatio is ancient, so much so that appears in engravings and vases of the classical ages and is often referred to in various mythological stories. In Greek antiquity, for example, the inhabitants of the island of Lesbos were famous for their talent for fellatio (hence its name: in Greek lesbiazéin means “felar”).
Later the change of meaning would occur that would attribute to “lesbian” its current meaning, since in ancient Greek the name for female homosexuality was tribad (“rub”).
In the Roman world, on the other hand, fellatio was common and was linked to a cultural consideration that granted power roles between those who performed it and those who received it. In this way, whoever received fellatio submitted to the other (and even worse if they performed cunnilingus, considered an immoral practice), since they assumed a passive posture, associated by the Romans with weakness. On the other hand, the one who performed it had power over the other.
Fellatio, on the other hand, It is present in the kamasutra and in various representations of early Hinduism, while in Islamic and Judaic tradition it is usually frowned upon, especially if it involves the spilling of semen.
In fact, in medieval Spain, fellatio was so morally frowned upon that even prostitutes insulted each other, accusing themselves of often practicing it.
In today's world, however, fellatio It is a common and widely practiced practice very present in pornographic stories and present in the popular sexual imagination.
