Curious devices, forbidden artifacts, mysterious creatures, and intriguing documents.
Monday, May 18, 2015
Pendant of Shub-Niggurath
I'm somewhat concerned by the recent popularity of Shub-Niggurath worship. Copper Centipede embraces the Black Goat of the Woods with this carved soapstone pendant. Just the thing for those neighborhood fertility rite....er, block parties.
The Copper Centipede has produced a diminutive pendant that has detail belies its size. The body has a squamous look, yet it makes me thing of entrails also. The whole thing has an ancient Mesopotamian feel to it. For those reasons I am reminded of an ancient mask that is in the British Museum. It is of the demon Huwawa (Humbaba) whose face is depicted as being made of entrails with this very unusual mask. http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/me/c/clay_mask_of_the_demon_huwawa.aspx
The name, “Goat of a Thousand Young” also puts me in mind of the Ephesian Artemis (Google the image), which was a rough fit of a very early Anatolian goddess into the Greek and Roman pantheon (but not really the same). It’s more akin to the Anatolian Cybele of Pessinus, which was an update of a very earlier goddess figure, possibly back to the Neolithic. The upshot is if you have a thousand young, ya gotta feed ‘em. I have comments along this line at Propnomicon previous post, if it’s of interest: http://propnomicon.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-black-goat-of-woods.html
The Copper Centipede has produced a diminutive pendant that has detail belies its size. The body has a squamous look, yet it makes me thing of entrails also. The whole thing has an ancient Mesopotamian feel to it. For those reasons I am reminded of an ancient mask that is in the British Museum. It is of the demon Huwawa (Humbaba) whose face is depicted as being made of entrails with this very unusual mask.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/me/c/clay_mask_of_the_demon_huwawa.aspx
The name, “Goat of a Thousand Young” also puts me in mind of the Ephesian Artemis (Google the image), which was a rough fit of a very early Anatolian goddess into the Greek and Roman pantheon (but not really the same). It’s more akin to the Anatolian Cybele of Pessinus, which was an update of a very earlier goddess figure, possibly back to the Neolithic. The upshot is if you have a thousand young, ya gotta feed ‘em. I have comments along this line at Propnomicon previous post, if it’s of interest:
http://propnomicon.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-black-goat-of-woods.html