# Did Rasputin's penis get the Napoleonic treatment (or, the long and the short of it)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rasputins-penis-get-the-napoleonic-treatment-or-the-long-and-the-short-of-it/222435>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 3, 2004, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rasputins-penis-get-the-napoleonic-treatment-or-the-long-and-the-short-of-it/222435 "2004-01-03T05:31:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2004, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rasputins-penis-get-the-napoleonic-treatment-or-the-long-and-the-short-of-it/222435/1 "2004-01-03T05:31:08Z")

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In her autobiography Maria Rasputin (born Marfa Novyk, daughter of the “Mad Monk” and a professional lion tamer in her own right [yep, really]) claims that her father’s enormous severed penis is a relic in a Paris based cult that worships him. Does anybody know if this is true?

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**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2004, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rasputins-penis-get-the-napoleonic-treatment-or-the-long-and-the-short-of-it/222435/2 "2004-01-03T10:28:36Z")

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Link to the original article:  
[What happened to Napoleon’s penis?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/040102.html)

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**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2004, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rasputins-penis-get-the-napoleonic-treatment-or-the-long-and-the-short-of-it/222435/3 "2004-01-03T13:13:01Z")

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While there is some sort of connection between this and Cecil’s column, I think this is really an independent question.

Hence, moved to GQ.

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**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2004, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rasputins-penis-get-the-napoleonic-treatment-or-the-long-and-the-short-of-it/222435/4 "2004-01-03T16:25:05Z")

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According to [this article](http://www.themightyorgan.com/features_rasputin.html), the “penis” allegedly worshipped by the Paris cult of female adorers of Rasputin in the 1920s was in fact a desiccated sea cucumber. Not sure how true _that_ is – but the cult, most agree, was in the 1920s.

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**Author:** ![netscape\_6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8c91f0/32.png) [@netscape\_6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/netscape_6)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2004, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rasputins-penis-get-the-napoleonic-treatment-or-the-long-and-the-short-of-it/222435/5 "2004-01-03T16:36:21Z")

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nothing like a 1920’s style penis cult.