Who defines a goddess. Over the centuries the concept of feminine beauty has changed many times. This statute which is no larger than the human hand gives voice to the definition of courtly beauty during her lifetime. Whether she stood for the divine body of creativity where life was nurtured and prepared for the ultimate act of birth or she represented the queen bee of a hive in human form she is our mother. By showing this woman faceless, unable to travel from this place where she finds herself in life, thin armed and footless her girth represents the need for a stationary place of comfort in our lives as humans.
Over the centuries beauty and its definition for both males and females has changed the forms that we see in our art. Venus of Willendorf reminds us that beauty is fleeting and yet to each of us our mothers love and care is timeless. Her arms hold us close and even the tiny can be as strong as steel holding us close to her heart perhaps too close. The folds of fat that represent not only the parts of the form and give definition to female apposed to male form also represent abundance in life. Faceless it is easy to carve up our mother to take what we need while failing to replace what we take. Unable to get away and unwilling to try this statue reminds us of the willingness to give more than we have up to and including our own destruction.
In all religions we find recognition for the female figure, why should it be any different that god should share his kingdom with a goddess. Be she celestial mother or human and fail-able we are unwilling to give up our need to fulfill both sides of our world. This single female reminds us each that green and plentiful is the story of creation it explains why we are two instead of one. Why we think alike and yet act so differently, and most of all they remind us that we are willing to give everything including our individual freedom for the benefit of the society as a whole.
So is she Venus or is she just another woman who represented the needs of both men and women as a whole. This question is obvious that there can be no separation between the two. Just as all men in their own way are representations of God and so we treat them with a deference reserved for that status all women are in their turn the face of our mother. Native American tribes speak of respecting the mother earth and separate her from our father the sun. They recollect her need to change with the seasons of time renewal, growth, harvest, and death are also part of the cycle of human life. Our mother in all her glory finds each of these moments of time throughout her life cycle and this statue like many other forms of art representing this universal symbol give her voice. Sometimes a whisper and sometimes a shout her voice is beautiful and strives to pull us back to our home.
I can tell that you are interested in the "Mother Goddess" interpretation for this figurine, Joy! I also think that this idea is very interesting.
ReplyDeleteAlong these lines, I think it's interesting how the Witcombe article points out in the 19th century it was popular to think that a matriarchal society existed in prehistoric times. Witcome discusses how evolution was a popular theory (thanks to Darwin's "Origin of Species" from 1859). Since 19th century scholars were promoting the idea that a prehistoric society was matriarchal, it was implying that society had evolved (up until the 19th century) to a more advanced, patriarchal society. (Can you see how this matriarchal interpretation can be considered a "diss" on prehistoric society?) It's interesting to think about how the mindset of "patriarchal history" from the 19th century has affected our interpretation of prehistoric people.
-Prof. Bowen