A nice image of a primordial not-of-this-earth-mother figure. Lovecraft does not physically describe Shub-Niggurath, allowing for a variety of interpretations among authors and readers, so really anything goes. Then, again old Shubby may be a distinct entity from the Goat of a Thousand Young or simply an aspect. Keep in mind that very early fertility figures of Paleolithic and Neolithic origin can often be abstract and hard to understand. This obscurity works in the prop makers favor.
Consider the very early and obscure portions of the religion of Attis and Cybele, which eventually settled in the Phrygian city of Pessinus (now village of Ballihisar Turkey) about 5th century BCE. This worship is based on a much earlier native Anatolian goddess, possibly even pre-Hittite, Koubaba, before it got modified into a more Greek format. The worship of a sky stone of very ancient origins (even in ancient times) which was eventually set into a statue of Cybele, gives a nice Lovecraftian bent to adding some of this stuff into a mythos-based format.
You could spin the idea of the sky stone into a scenario much like the movie Quatermass and the Pit (1967), known to us Americans as Five Millions Years to Earth. Keep in mind such an object comes into play in the story, The Color Out of Space. Lesser known is the HPL short story The Green Meadow, but it also employs a meteor with a message inside.
Given the recent discovery of one of the most ancient temples known at Gobekli Tepi is rewriting some of our beliefs about the upper Paleolithic era, it’s worth the time to explore some very early cults and religions that were ancient when the world was new. Hopefully some of this information will be of use to RPGers, prop makers, and just plain old HPL fans. BTW, welcome back Proppy I’ve missed your daily postings.
A free download of the copyright free book, The Great Mother of the Gods (1901) Grant Showerman, which is well worth the download and read https://archive.org/details/greatmothergods00showgoog also
One of the things I like about the goaty depictions of Shub-Niggurath is their potential mis-identification as pagan or satanic figures. It's one way of explaining how the Mythos is real, but still hidden from the vast majority of humanity.
May Father Dagon give you plenty, may Mother Hydra protect you from harms, May my people aid you from the depths of Yha-Nath-lei. Ia Ia Dagon Ia Ia Hydra Ia Ia Cthulhu.
Hi I would be super interested in acquiring a piece like this. This is just a beautiful piece of art and I would love to have it on my bookshelf left to my Lovecraft section. Does anyone know where I could commission something like this and how much it would be?
A nice image of a primordial not-of-this-earth-mother figure. Lovecraft does not physically describe Shub-Niggurath, allowing for a variety of interpretations among authors and readers, so really anything goes. Then, again old Shubby may be a distinct entity from the Goat of a Thousand Young or simply an aspect. Keep in mind that very early fertility figures of Paleolithic and Neolithic origin can often be abstract and hard to understand. This obscurity works in the prop makers favor.
ReplyDeleteConsider the very early and obscure portions of the religion of Attis and Cybele, which eventually settled in the Phrygian city of Pessinus (now village of Ballihisar Turkey) about 5th century BCE. This worship is based on a much earlier native Anatolian goddess, possibly even pre-Hittite, Koubaba, before it got modified into a more Greek format. The worship of a sky stone of very ancient origins (even in ancient times) which was eventually set into a statue of Cybele, gives a nice Lovecraftian bent to adding some of this stuff into a mythos-based format.
You could spin the idea of the sky stone into a scenario much like the movie Quatermass and the Pit (1967), known to us Americans as Five Millions Years to Earth. Keep in mind such an object comes into play in the story, The Color Out of Space. Lesser known is the HPL short story The Green Meadow, but it also employs a meteor with a message inside.
Given the recent discovery of one of the most ancient temples known at Gobekli Tepi is rewriting some of our beliefs about the upper Paleolithic era, it’s worth the time to explore some very early cults and religions that were ancient when the world was new. Hopefully some of this information will be of use to RPGers, prop makers, and just plain old HPL fans. BTW, welcome back Proppy I’ve missed your daily postings.
A free download of the copyright free book, The Great Mother of the Gods (1901) Grant Showerman, which is well worth the download and read https://archive.org/details/greatmothergods00showgoog also
https://ia600506.us.archive.org/1/items/greatmothergods00showgoog/greatmothergods00showgoog.pdf
See also The Golden Bough XXXIV, The Myth and Ritual of Attis http://www.bartleby.com/196/81.html
@ CoastConFan
ReplyDeleteOne of the things I like about the goaty depictions of Shub-Niggurath is their potential mis-identification as pagan or satanic figures. It's one way of explaining how the Mythos is real, but still hidden from the vast majority of humanity.
May Father Dagon give you plenty, may Mother Hydra protect you from harms, May my people aid you from the depths of Yha-Nath-lei.
ReplyDeleteIa Ia Dagon Ia Ia Hydra Ia Ia Cthulhu.
Hi I would be super interested in acquiring a piece like this. This is just a beautiful piece of art and I would love to have it on my bookshelf left to my Lovecraft section. Does anyone know where I could commission something like this and how much it would be?
ReplyDelete@ Darth Cuddlefluff
ReplyDeleteEolith Designs would be the source of this excellent piece- https://www.facebook.com/Eolithdesign