Pizzle

Pizzle is a Middle English word for penis, derived from Low German pesel or Flemish Dutch pezel, diminutive of the Dutch language pees, meaning 'sinew'.^[1][2] The word is used today to signify the penis of an animal,^[3] chiefly in Australia and New Zealand.^[4]

Bull pizzle cut into small pieces for dogs to chew

Bull pizzle

The word pizzle is also known, at least since 1523, especially in the combination "bull pizzle", to denote a flogging instrument made from a bull's penis.

In William Shakespeare's play Henry IV, Part 1, the character Falstaff uses the term as an insult (Act 2, Scene IV):^[5]

'Sblood, you starveling, you elf-skin, you dried neat's tongue, you bull's pizzle, you stock-fish!

In heraldry

 

Arms of Henry VII, King of England, including a dragon and a dog, with erect pizzles, as supporters

In heraldry, the term pizzled (or vilené in French blazon)^[6] indicates the depiction or inclusion of an animate charge's genitalia, especially if colored (or "tinctured") differently.^[7]

In 1485, Henry VII carried with him a red dragon with an erect pizzle on the field of Bosworth where he was declared King of England.

 

Coat of arms of Appenzell, Switzerland; argent, a bear rampant sable armed, langued and pizzled gules

The bear in the coat of arms of Appenzell is represented pizzled, and omission of this feature was seen as a grave insult. In 1579, the pizzle was forgotten by the printer of a calendar printed in Saint Gallen, which brought Appenzell to the brink of war with Saint Gallen.^[8][9][10]

 

Nordic Battlegroup coat of arms before pizzle removal

In 2007, commander Karl Engelbrektson decided that the lion's penis in the coat of arms of the Nordic Battlegroup had to be removed.^[11] Contrary to initial media reports that the decision was taken following complaints from female soldiers, Engelbrektsson revealed in a February 2008 interview with Sveriges Radio that it was he who made the decision, based on the 2000 United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security.^[11] Since civilian women are often sexually assaulted in the war zones of the world, the commander did not consider the depiction of a penis appropriate on a uniform worn into battle.^[11]

The decision was questioned by some Swedish heraldists, with Vladimir Sagerlund asserting that coats of arms containing lions without a penis were historically given to those who had betrayed the Swedish Crown.^[11] The state heraldist Henrik Klackenberg complained that his heraldry unit should have been consulted before making such change, but did not intend to take legal action.^[11]

Modern uses

Paramilitary use in World War II

Pizzles were widely used (as whips) as late as 1944 by local paramilitary units on the Eastern Front, usually as a disciplinary measure against arrested or bullied civilians.^[12]

Animal consumption

Pizzles, or bully sticks, are mostly produced today as chewing treats for dogs.^[3] Bull penises are dried, in open air or in ovens. Commercial vendors will drain the blood and urine from the organ prior to drying in order to decrease the smell of these when chewed by dogs. These are called "odor free" bully sticks. "Junior" bully sticks are thinner ones that are made from castrated males (steer).^[13]

Glue

The pizzle of bull was commonly rendered for use as glue between the 40s and the 60s.^[14]

Human consumption

See also: Deer penis, Tiger penis, and Tiger penis soup

In addition to being used as a dog treat, pizzles are also eaten by humans for their purported health benefits (according to traditional Chinese medicine) such as being low in cholesterol and high in protein, hormones, and vitamins, and minerals such as calcium and magnesium,^[3] although little empirical evidence supports these claims. Pizzles for human consumption are prepared either by freezing or by drying.

Scottish deer pizzles are thought to boost stamina and were used by Chinese athletes at the 2008 Summer Olympics.^[3][15] Pizzles can be served in soup, and if they have been dried they can be turned into a paste. Pizzles may also be mixed with alcoholic beverages or simply thawed (if frozen) and eaten.^[3] In Jamaica, bull pizzles are referred to as "cow cods" and are eaten as cow cod soup. Like many animal penis- or testicle-based foods, cow cod soup is claimed to be an aphrodisiac and to be able to boost muscle strength.

Canes

A semi-novelty use for bull's pizzles is in the manufacture of walking sticks. They are reinforced with a metal rod down the center, cured by a taxidermist until fully dried, lacquered, then fitted with a handle and ferrule, closely resembling wood when finished. Though mostly produced from domestic cattle, pizzles from bison are also sometimes used. The use of pizzles as canes dates to as far back as Ancient Egypt, and more recently, legends such as Doc Holliday, Bat Masterson, and Jack Dempsey owned pizzle canes.^[16][17]

References

1. "Online Etymology Dictionary". Retrieved 30 March 2009.
2. Harper, Douglas. "pizzle (n.)". www.etymonline.com. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
3. . The Daily Telegraph. 21 August 2008. Archived from the original on 24 August 2008. Retrieved 31 March 2009.
4. "pizzle". OED.
5. "The First part of King Henry the Fourth - SCENE IV. The Boar's-Head Tavern, Eastcheap". shakespeare.mit.edu. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
6. Rietstap, Johannes Baptista (1875). "Armorial général, contenant la description des armoiries des familles nobles et patriciennes de l'Europe : précédé d'un Dictionnaire des termes du blason" [General armorial, containing the description of the coats of arms of the noble and patrician families of Europe: preceded by a Dictionary of terms of the coat of arms]. Gerardus Theodorus Bom (in French). Gerardus Theodorus Bom: 31. Archived from the original on 8 February 2009 – via University of Oxford, Google, Internet Archive. Vilené: se dit un animal qui a la marque du sexe d'un autre émail que le corps.
7. "Sex in Heraldry". Heraldica. from the original on 20 November 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
8. Neubecker, Ottfried (1976). Heraldry : sources, symbols, and meaning. New York: McGraw-Hill. p. 120. ISBN 9780070463080.
9. Strehler, Hermann (1965). "Das Churer Missale von 1589". Gutenberg-Jahrbuch. 40: 186.
10. Grzimek, Bernhard (1972). Grzimek's Animal life encyclopedia. Vol. 12. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. p. 119.
11. Paul O'Mahony. "Heraldists want penis reinstated on military badge". The Local.se. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
12. Szép, Ernő; Bátki, John; Tandori, Dezső (1994). The Smell of Humans: A Memoir of the Holocaust in Hungary. Budapest: CEU Press. ISBN 9789633864661.
13. "What is a bully stick? A very detailed answer to an awkward question... by School For The Dogs Podcast - Dog Training & Animal Behavior with Annie Grossman • A podcast on Anchor". Anchor. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
14. Peryam, David Richard (1946). Food for the Armed Forces. Vol. 5–6. Chicago: Quartermaster Food and Container Institute for the Armed Forces. pp. 30–35.
15. "G20 summit represents a good start". The Scotsman. 15 November 2008. Retrieved 31 March 2009.
16. "Bull Penis Canes - Unique Bull Organ Canes". FashionableCanes.com. from the original on 23 June 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
17. "Canes and Walking sticks made from Bull or Buffalo reproductive organs". Ross Taylor Originals. from the original on 8 February 2011. Retrieved 26 May 2024.