Sunday, March 7, 2010

Venus of Willendorf 2



Click image(s) to see the larger version(s).
This stunning tattoo comes from the Flickrstream of Arbuford24 and is licensed under Creative Commons.
The name "Venus of Willendorf" is something of misnomer. Yes, it was found in Willendorf, Austria. But the original statuette isn't really a representation of the goddess Venus, for she dates from approximately 25,000 BCE, which makes her much older than any mention of Venus or her Greek counterpart Aphrodite. She was given this name to make clear her importance as a very early goddess figure. You may ask why she looks the way she does. We don't really understand it and can only make educated guesses. She's probably a large woman to represent fertility and plenty. After all, only a people with lots of crops to harvest can grow so hefty. Her large breasts also play into the same ideal: large breasts produce more breast milk making for strong healthy babies. Those notions seems pretty straightforward to me but not all her characteristics are so obvious.
What I wonder about most is her face. Why is she-essentially-faceless? It may be because the ancient artist couldn't begin to put a face on the divine and so didn't try. It could be a representation of the facelessness of women, meaning her ability to produce healthy children was more important than her looks or her mind and opinions. It could be any number of things. Whatever the original reasons behind the statuette the Venus of Willendorf has become a much-revered image among modern pagans and is a personal favorite of mine. Enjoy.
You can see another Venus of Willendorf tattoo here.

5 comments:

Yewtree said...

Nice tattoo; I like the Neolithic goddess images.

Just saw this and thought of you... Hanuman is India's top tattoo

Livia Indica said...

Yep, I'm seriously considering making this Venus my next tattoo. Thanks for visiting.

Livia Indica said...

Aw hell, I've been sick and taking care of others who got sick after me so I just now went to visit that link and it's already gone. Sorry 'bout that.

Ren said...

hey there, that's my arm. one interpretation of her 'facelessness' is that the statue was created from a woman's point of view as she looks down at her womb (hence the enlongated breasts); therefore, you are actually looking at the top of her head. another thought is that without her having a defining face, she can represent any and every woman. anywho, she is definitly my most prized tattoo; i'm glad you like it. :)

Livia Indica said...

Hey Alicia! I'm not sure I'd read that theory about the Venus of Willendorf. But it kinda makes sense; fascinating! Thanks for stopping by!