Art with girls and birds. NSFW, at all.

[brainpanhandler]

I was rummaging through my "Girl Bird Art" folder on my desktop and decided to take a closer look at this image. This is a fascinating image. I grabbed it a long time ago and don't recall if there was any other information or context. There are no mythological referents that spring to mind for me, at least not that have these particular elements thrown together. Perhaps it's an illustration for a fantasy novel I am unfamiliar with. At any rate... I've looked at this image numerous times without actually seeing it.

In the background is an apple tree heavily laden with ripe fruit. The forest sorceress has apparently cast a spell on the innocent (virginal?) maiden in white. The sorceress appears to have the shadows of branches painted across her skin although the lighting of the scene does not suggest this makes sense. The figure of the maiden does not have any corresponding shadows, but instead seems to glow with her own light.

The maiden appears to be esentially weightless. She is not standing on her feet, but is rather just sort of floating. The sorceress is not holding her in a way which suggests she is holding her up, at least not physically.

You'll notice that the tumbling curls of the sorceress's hair morph into a snake.

There is blood dripping from the left hand of the maiden. I'm guessing that is menstrual blood.

At the maiden's feet is a dead bird, the feathers and flesh gone from it's head. There is another bird just behind her, still in flight, but about to fall dead as well. The left wing of the bluebird behind the maiden's head is beginning to disintegrate. All the birds and butterflies are drawn in toward this spellbound embrace, like moths to a flame and like moths to a flame appear to be destroyed by getting too close.

I do love picture puzzles. At first glance I did not notice any of this. I still don't know what is being represented here.

[Perelandra]

A modern version of Eve and the serpent? Maybe I'll give that more detail later.

[OP ED]

A modern version of Eve and the serpent? Maybe I'll give that more detail later.

http://www.goddessmyths.com/Lucina-Ptesan-Wi.html

MEDUSA

Medusa, originally the serpent Goddess of female wisdom of the Libyan Amazons, was also known as Metis in those days. Her blood was said to have the power to create life or bring death, symbolized by the 2 black swans, facing opposite directions, who sometimes accompanied her image. She was known as a full moon Goddess who brought rain for the crops. In later myths, she was a beautiful Gorgon Queen who guarded the Garden of the Hesperides containing the tree of golden apples in the land of the setting sun. Athena put a curse on Medusa, turning her hair to snakes and causing those who glimpsed her face to turn to stone, as punishment for making love with Poseidon in Athena's temple. Patriarchal Greek myths tell of Medusa's demise at the hands of Perseus who gave Athena, the Greek Goddess of Wisdom, the former's head to wear on her shield. These myths had also told of Zeus swallowing Metis, Athena's mother, and Athena springing from Zeus' head, a clear example of the way the embodiment of wisdom was changed from the earlier matrifocal myths. The images of Medusa are: left foreground, Gorgon with caduceus from Corfu, 6th century BCE; right foreground, terracotta altar relief from Syracuse, late 7th century BCE; on tree on right, "The Medusa Ludovisi", Roman, c. 200 BCE; tree in background left, 6th century BCE, Taranto. The necklace is from a Medusa's head cameo from Petescia, Italy, 1st century BCE; earrings from Gorgon head appliques from Ukraine, 450-425 BCE.

[all of this symbolism recurs frequently in Blake, also]

[barracuda]

Get down with Lilith.

[barracuda]

More Lilith, into the whole succubus thing, yeah.

[compared2what?]

The Medusa/Fallen-Eve in brainpanhandler's post looks like more of an incubus to me. In fact, I'd posit that the blood on the maiden's hand, which has only just fallen limply to her side as a result of the swoon she's experiencing after it proved to be an ineffective defense of her maidenhood suggests that "maiden" might not be the mot juste. Because the somewhat insect-like-mask-wearing M/F-E appears to me to be concentrating all her energy on making sure that she pollinates her temporal counterpart so thoroughly that she'll damn well stay pollinated. With the butterflies signifying metamorphosis (or at least transition), as well as a state of being that's comparatively short-lived. And with the birds signifying: (a) the eternal spirit, as they often do -- in this case, as it becomes partially disintegrated from the newly non-virgin soil of its earthly habitat, thus also serving as a reminder of the mortality of all temporal beings; (b) the loss of innocence in a conventional sense, as it does back at the bottom of page six in L'oiseau Envole, right here, as well as in an expansively syncretic/symbolic fruit-of-knowledge/fall-from-Eden kind of a way; and (c) a third thing having to do with many different states of suspension that I have to think about a little more before articulating coherently.

My two cents. Or a touch less, really. I owe you.

[compared2what?]

[brainpanhandler]

Since nothing in this painting seems haphazard or without intent, it is probably also worth noting:


Daisy
The daisy's name comes from the Anglo-Saxon "daes eage," or "day's eye," which refers to the way the flower opens and closes with the sun. The daisy is knows as a symbol of childhood innocence and is said to originate from a Dryad who presided over forests, meadows, and pastures. Roman mythological legend tells us that the nymph Belides, as she danced with the other nymphs at the edge of the forest, caught the eye of Vertumnus, the god of the orchards. To escape his unwanted attention, she transformed herself into the flower bellis, which is the daisy's botanical name.
Daisies are often confused with chrysanthemums. The daisy continue to be associated with simplicity and modesty, characteristics carried down from the Victorian era. Heartbroken Victorian young women who wished to be loved once again by their suitors began a custom using the daisy, that is still in use today. In Victorian times is was a young maiden would pluck a daisy's petals one by one and sing, "He loves me, he loves me not," for each petal pulled. The last petal so plucked predicted the future of such love.

Young girls might also pick a handful of daisies with eyes closed. The number of blossoms in hand told of the number of years remaining until marriage. Its simplicity has made the daisy a favorite of many poets. Its healing and predictive powers made it popular not only with farmers, but also with an infamous English king. Spring, medieval farmers would say, would not arrive until one could set a foot on twelve daisies. To dream of daisies in springtime or summer was a lucky omen, but dreams of them in fall or winter meant certain doom. Transplanting wild daisies to a cultivated garden was considered to be very unlucky. King Henry VIII ate dishes of daisies to relieve himself from his stomach-ulcer pain. For then, it was also believed that drinking crushed daisies steeped in wine, in small doses over a period of fifteen could cure insanity.

The message that daisies bring are of innocence, purity, and gentleness on behalf of both the giver and the receiver. The daisy's message is, "You have as many virtues as this plant has petals," or, "I will consider your request." A white daisy symbolizes a common feeling of affection, and a red daisy tells of beauty unknown to the possessor.

http://www.geocities.com/gratim98/langlist.htm#Daisy

[brainpanhandler]

[Cosmic Cowbell]

[Uncle $cam]

test...

[compared2what?]

[Perelandra]

[OP ED]

[barracuda]