How is female power expressed through faith? As Belinda Kreral told Matthew Symonds and Amy Brunskill, the study of goddesses, demons, and spiritual beings from around the world reveals the true extent of female power.
There may be a tendency to view goddesses as one-dimensional beings. Take, for example, Venus. Today, she is best known as the Roman goddess of love, and the countless surviving nude statues seem to place her power firmly in the realm of desire. But this quality is just one of the many strings on her bow. Venus was welcomed by republican leaders such as Sulla and Julius Caesar, who hoped that her ability to bring victory, harmony, and successful government would influence them. Caesar even claimed to be a descendant of the gods and advocated the worship of Venus Ancestor (grandmother of Venus). In the 2nd century AD, Emperor Hadrian upped the ante with a magnificent temple, connecting Venus with Rome. While dictators and emperors aspired to the sanctuary of Venus and stable rule in triumph, royal wives could also be associated with goddesses. In their case, one can doubt marital happiness and the appearance of an heir. Given this range of abilities, one can get a better idea of the goddess’ abilities. Venus is not only the purveyor of destabilizing desires, but also the purveyor of imperial stability. Her benevolence is as precious to a leader as it is to a lover.
When weighing the importance of other supernatural female characters, it is important to carefully consider this rich cast of characters, especially those that predate the written description of their abilities. The oldest known female sculpture dates from around 35,000 years ago and was found in the Hole Fels cave in Germany. More recently, around 6000 BC, the Yarmuk culture in the Jordan Valley produces figures that typically show female facial features, while Greek Cycladic figures were carved in marble from about 5200 to 4000 years ago. These items use different artistic styles and may not be closely related to the worship of the gods. However, it is not uncommon to see a connection with fertility as a motivation when looking for an explanation for the creation of early female sculpture, or the role of the goddess more generally. While the sculptor’s emphasis on posture and physical features may support such a reading, careful study of the divine and demonic female presence throughout the era cautions against accepting simple, singular meanings. On the contrary, it shows that Venus is not the only one who gives her fans a wide range of gifts. The British Museum is currently hosting a fascinating exhibition, “Female Power: From Divine to Demonic”, which brings together artifacts from around the world, dating back to 6000 BC. to the present day (see sidebar “Additional Information”). Let’s take a look at a few examples on display to see the diversity of these gods and demons and what they revealed to the cultures that created them.
“We are trying to show that there is no single way to define the power of women,” said exhibition curator Belinda Kreral. “Femininity and the concepts associated with these ideas vary greatly across beliefs, cultures and historical periods. They are different in the traditions of life today, and they were different in the ancient world. The purpose of this exhibition is to bring these ideas together in one space in order to showcase their diversity.We have found that the most widely known associations are those of beauty, fertility, and compassion, as well as justice, wisdom, and aggression.In some traditions, Femininity is associated with positive power.So we’re reintroducing new ideas and new ways of thinking about how we approach and understand femininity from the point of view of other cultures and historical periods. It allows us to think about how it all relates to us today. To understand what these concepts mean.
“Combining these ideas shows how female power is structured in different ways. But even if we look at how these ideas are combined in one deity, they are very multifaceted, and sometimes very conflicting concepts can be associated with it. A good example is Inanna / Ishtar, she is one of the world’s oldest named goddesses.By the end of the 4th century BC, she was adopted by the Mesopotamian Sumerians and Akkadians, who called her Inanna, and later by the Babylonians and Assyrians, who called her Ishtar.Inanna/Ishtar is the goddess of sex and war. At first glance, it seems that “this is a sharp combination. But if you think about it, these forces are probably closely related, because they all contain a strong, explosive passion. And that, indeed, is the power it contains. This gives Inanna/Ishtar a wide range of powers to guide social harmony or chaos, peace or war.
“While the exhibition is not chronological and we are juxtaposing ideas from different cultures to highlight commonalities and contrasts in ways of thinking, at some point we may start to track these ideas through history and see how they have translated into differences. I think it is generally accepted that there is a connection between Inanna/Ishtar and how she was understood by the Mesopotamian culture of southern Iraq, and how these ideas of passion and war in female form spread across the Mediterranean and influenced other cultures. Ideas. This gave rise to the goddess Astartes, who was worshiped by the Phoenicians from around 1000 BC. In turn, she is believed to have influenced the Greek goddess Aphrodite, who later became the Roman Venus. norms and attitudes, so we can see how these spiritual ideas change.
Although love and war are successfully distributed as concepts combined in one character, they do not always coincide. For example, the Egyptian goddess Sekhmet is primarily associated with destruction in battle or plague. Her gift for violence and aggression seems to have deviated from what is often considered the realm of male power. However, it also pairs perfectly with the lioness-headed goddess, the most dangerous huntress in the region. Sekhmet’s desire for destruction is reflected in an Egyptian text called “The Destruction of Mankind”. As the name suggests, it describes the decision of the sun god Ra to herald the end of humanity. He chose Sekhmet for the task, but the massacre she unleashed was so horrendous that Ra eventually relented and decided to let the survivors live. However, Sekhmet enjoys the carnage and refuses to stop. Ra can only save humanity by stopping the killing spree by tricking Sekhmet into drinking so much beer that she will forget what she is doing. Despite this malevolent inclination, Sekhmet also has a softer side. The popularity of her amulets is a reminder that this plague harbinger also has the ability to heal and protect.
Athena is another goddess with a martial arts side. She had an unconventional birth, jumped out of a hole in Zeus’s head, wore full armor and served as his warrior general ever since. If this relationship echoes Sekhmet’s role as Ra’s enforcer, then Athena also seems to be another echo of the far-reaching influence exerted by Ishtar and the Astartes. In this case, however, both the destructive excess and the sexuality embodied in the archetype of Athena eventually disappeared. Instead, she was influenced by the cultural values of the city-state of which she was patron: Athens. As its citizens began to appreciate legal debate and democracy, Athena also became associated with justice and intellectual endeavour. Many critics have pointed to the irony of the persistent exclusion of mortal women from academic or legal careers in ancient Athens. In fact, some recent academic studies have identified Athena as a prime example of a woman succeeding in a man’s world by suppressing her femininity. To be fair, however, she is also credited with teaching young women the basic arts and crafts, while the priestesses who oversee her cult held a high position in ancient Athenian society.
Women received wider benefits in the Luba Empire, which emerged in the 18th century AD and continued into the 20th century in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. According to their worldview, women have a close connection with the spiritual world as a symbol of life and wisdom. Although the role of the king was given to men, the power he possessed was seen as female, and women were considered advisers, priestesses, healers and soothsayers of the truth. In art, male figures are rare, so male kings are sometimes portrayed as women. Figures of women often adorn expressions of royalty, such as stools, which both serve as symbolic thrones and office workers. The royal succession also goes through the female line, the heir is born not by the king, but by his sister.
The veneration of the role of motherhood is often found in religious beliefs. One of the most famous examples in the modern world is Mary, who cared for the baby Jesus. The cult of the Virgin Mary has been widespread in Europe since at least the 12th century, when interest in the Virgin Mary increased, perhaps reflecting the rise in status of queens and noble women of that era. A wonderful 13th-century ivory and gold figurine depicts Mary and Jesus looking tenderly at each other. However, in this work, Mary is more than a pretty figure. Wearing a crown, she gently smashes the monsters with her feet, symbolizing her contribution to the salvation of mankind along with her son. This motif can also be found on the ornate tip of a bishop’s cane, made around 1235 in Limoges, France. It depicts Mary’s reunion with Jesus after her ascension to heaven after her death. Although Jesus was the larger figure, both were seated on thrones and Mary was crowned Queen of Heaven.
Whether it is the female power in mythology or the male power, it can be presented with sculptures. Maybe you have seen these mythical sculptures in the museum, or you have seen it on the square, or you have seen it on the Internet or on the book. They look around us like God. Of course, sculpture is the most direct manifestation. You can find its sacredness and beauty. Sculpture is a good decoration. So, what if you want a sculpture if you want? Contact us now. Thenyun Carving is the professional manufacturer of kinds of sculptures with 31 years experience. We’ve sold thousands of sculptures all over the world. Our statues are cheap and good quality.