Hair Fetishism - History

History

References to hair fetish can be found in ancient empires. In Norse mythology reference to the fetish is in the story of Sif, Thor's wife and goddess of fertility, who is admired for having beautiful pure gold hair. There is also reference to hair fetishism and cutting in the biblical story of Samson, a judge and warrior whom God endowed with supernatural strength and whose power lay in his hair. Cutting his hair for the first time caused him to lose his divine power.

Hair has been a symbol of beauty, vanity and eroticism. In the story of Rapunzel by the Brothers Grimm published in 1812, there is an analogy to the beauty of Rapunzel's hair with the story of a young woman with blond hair who is locked in a tower room, with the only way to reach her is to climb the tower on her long hair.

In religious societies like Christianity, tonsure was customary and involved the cutting or shaving the hair from the scalp (while leaving some parts uncut), as a mark of purity of body.

Proteans are unpredictable, subtle, often subconscious, flirting signals, such as a woman touching her hair when first meeting a man. Some people subconsciously play with the strands of their hair when they are nervous.