A death erection, angel lust, or terminal erection is a post-mortem erection, technically a priapism, observed in the corpses of men who have been executed, particularly by hanging.
Overview
The phenomenon has been attributed to pressure on the cerebellum created by the noose. Spinal cord injuries are known to be associated with priapism. Injuries to the cerebellum or spinal cord are often associated with priapism in living patients. Death by hanging, whether an execution or a suicide, has been observed to affect the genitals of both men and women. In women, the labia and clitoris may become engorged and there may be a discharge of blood from the vagina. In men, "a more or less complete state of erection of the penis, with discharge of urine, mucus or prostatic fluid is a frequent occurrence... present in one case in three." Other causes of death may also result in these effects, including fatal gunshots to the head, damage to major blood vessels, and violent death by poisoning. A postmortem priapism is an indicator that death was likely swift and violent. In a case reported from Thailand, an excess of sildenafil was thought to be cause of a death erection in a 64-year-old man.
In Hannibal, from the 4-book series by American author Thomas Harris, the character Rinaldo Pazzi is noted to have “a death erection” after being hanged.
The "Cyclops" section of James Joyce's Ulysses makes multiple use of the terminal erection as a motif.
In the movie Zardoz, it's mentioned as part of a lecture on how the Eternals are no longer capable of sexual response.
In The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Edward Gibbon relates an anecdote attributed to Abulfeda that Ali, on the death of Muhammad, exclaimed, O propheta, certe penis tuus cælum versus erectus est. This understanding of the anecdote, however, is based on a mistranslation of the Arabic source by John Gagnier, who translated Abulfeda's Life of Muhammad into Latin. The English translation of the Arabic source should read: "In one account, ʿAlī, may God be best pleased with him, was called upon, while he was washing him , to raise his gaze to the sky."
Waiting for Godot refers to it in a conversation between Estragon and Vladimir when considering hanging themselves.
English rock band Area 11 have a song titled "Angel Lust" from their second album, Modern Synthesis.
In "The Will," the second episode of the television series Six Feet Under, two characters lift an elderly male corpse onto a gurney when they suddenly notice its priapism. Rico, one of the characters, says, "Even when you're dead, you're never really dead."
